I need you to vote YES on Tuesday for a citywide Workers’ Bill of Rights. I’m working with Step Up Louisiana to pass the ballot proposition, to ensure that we all understand our collective power.

Growing up in New Orleans, I was taught from an early age that each and every one of us has a voice and we have to fight for our rights. 

But it wasn’t until I found myself incarcerated that I put my family’s lessons into action. 

In 2012, conditions were horrible at the state’s women’s prison, Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women in St. Gabriel. We didn’t have basic things like menstrual products and toiletries. When we individually asked for the essentials, we were at best ignored. At worst, we were punished for having the audacity to ask. 

I called my uncle Robert Goodman, a legendary community organizer, who told me to get a petition started. I circulated the petition around the yard. 

Because of the petition, other women told the guards and I was thrown into solitary confinement for “inciting a riot.” Eventually, after we got 1,285 signatures, I passed the petition to a lawyer who got it to the Department of Corrections.

We raised our voices and we won. 

The Department of Corrections shut down operations for two days to ensure our needs were met. After that, we could submit requests and receive pads, tampons, soap, and toothpaste. That became policy in St. Gabriel. 

So many of the women I was incarcerated with didn’t know the power of their own voices. Some refused to speak up for fear of retribution and some even worked against their own interest by telling guards about the petition. 

“We’re working to get the Workers’ Bill of Rights passed, so that our economy can start serving the people who make this city what it is.” (Photo from Step Up Louisiana)

Today, on the outside, I see the same thing from so many of my neighbors. They’re convinced their voice doesn’t matter. They’re sure that their vote won’t change anything, so they sit out elections. And that’s why I organize.

As an organizer with Step Up Louisiana, it’s my job to get my neighbors to see their own power. 

I’m talking with my neighbors about the importance of voting. And I’m talking with them about how we build power for the long haul. 

Our campaign this autumn called Fall for Liberation is a once-in-a-generation effort to build grassroots power.

People tell me they’re tired of working for minimum wage and not being able to afford the basics. They’re tired of elected officials begging for their votes, promising this-and-that, and then disappearing to serve the interests of the powerful. 

It hurts to see my people hurting. Too many have lost hope entirely. 

And I get it. With our Fall for Liberation campaign, we are going beyond voting to build a larger grassroots movement, so that when politicians don’t keep their promises, we can hold their feet to the fire. 

“Vote YES on Tuesday! The Workers’ Bill of Rights backs living wages for workers; paid leave for medical care; family, bereavement and vacation time; and the ability to organize unions free from intimidation.“ (Photo from Step Up Louisiana)

We trained more than 50 local organizers to go out and talk to their friends and family and to recruit people to be a part of this larger movement. Now, those people are talking to their friends and family, building a movement too big to be ignored. 

We’re working to get the Workers’ Bill of Rights passed, so that our economy can start serving the people who make this city what it is. 

The Bill of Rights declares the city’s position on issues that matter: living wages for workers; paid leave for medical care; family, bereavement and vacation time; and the ability to organize unions free from intimidation.

Please help us pass this important proposition on Tuesday. We will set the tone for what we need, sending a commanding message to the elected officials who ask for our vote during campaign season.

And together, after the political ads have faded from our TV screens and the political mail stops filling our mailboxes, we the people and our powerful community will make sure those campaign promises are fulfilled. 

Tasha Williams is the Economic Justice Organizer at Step Up Louisiana. Born and raised in New Orleans, she is currently leading the Workers’ Bill of Rights campaign and led the organizing efforts that helped pass the Fair Chance Hiring Act in 2021. Tasha came to Step Up after organizing as a member with Voice of the Experienced. She was recently honored as Organizer of the Month by Louisiana Lefty.