Jewish Labor Committee Honors CWA President Chris Shelton with the 2022 Human Rights Award

CWA President Chris Shelton received the Jewish Labor Committee’s 2022 Human Rights Award in recognition of his years of excellent leadership and dedication to build an inclusive union and labor movement as well as CWA’s commitment to social justice. During the virtual awards ceremony earlier this week, AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler, who presented the award, praised Shelton for his bold and progressive leadership and recognized CWA members for their accomplishments and movement-building efforts. “He knows there's a place for everyone in the labor movement. And he's opening CWA’s doors as wide as they will possibly go to create a stronger future for working people everywhere,” said Shuler.

In his acceptance speech, Shelton spoke about the rise in anti-Semitism and other forms of hate and explained how our capacity to fight back is tied to our ability to educate ourselves and others about the ways in which these attacks are part of a general assault on all workers and our democratic way of life. “If you look behind the curtains of our current societal and political discourse, you will find the forces who are constantly perpetuating and benefiting from anti-Semitism and other forms of hate are the same forces who are anti-union, anti-worker, anti-free and fair elections, anti-civil rights, and anti-progress,” said Shelton.

Other awardees include President Lynne Fox, Workers United, SEIU; Al Vincent, Jr., Executive Director, Actors Equity; and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who received the Lifetime of Valor award.