Everyone has seen it, heard it, felt a prejudice boil, or made a quipping joke based in a subconscious or conscious bias. It is simply time to hold ourselves to a higher level of accountability.

Legal, financial, and cultural institutions have been steeped in racist rhetoric since their establishment. Promotions and accolades openly embrace nepotism. The climate has to change for the Working Class to prosper and for our trades to find the next truly great leaders and to be the meritocracy that we all strive to encourage and enable.

As a dual citizen of the Cherokee Nation and the United States of America I was educated about the importance of straddling the line between understand my Native status and not talking it up too much just in case we weren’t Native “enough.” In our community you are an “Apple” if you are seen to be Red on the outside and White on the inside. In the 90’s it was not a problem to belittle someone’s heritage or cultural connections.

It's not the 90’s anymore.

What some call “wokeness” may also just be seen as mutual respect, consciousness, and empathy. It costs nothing to be respectful. It costs nothing to allow others to self assign their allegiance and cause.

Fuck racism.

Politicians and power brokers always sit at the intersection of bipolar and extremist philosophy which weakens the populous ability to unite, rally, and bargain for power. At the conclusion of my adolescence I become acutely aware of an ever-widening expanse and unpredictability of political positions and social concerns. It was 2004, and the USA was being reshaped by the optics of the 9/11. Blame for rapidly expanding government surveillance and reduced personal privacy sped across both aisles at global capitals, while individuals bought into a new social media landscape that encouraged sharing of intimate details and thoughts.

The polarity that was seeded during those early years of uncertainty and immaturity has hatched a culture where mutual respect is excluded from the social contract and the solidarity of the working class loosened into a tailspin. The Working Class 2020 campaign is the brainchild of independent and critical thought. It is our aim to empower the working class narrative and allow for an elevated sense of camaraderie and mutual respect which may be a platform for expanded understanding between trades and labor climates from nonunion to union, from migrant workers to domestic protectionism, and from business owner to employee.

Fuck politics 100%; look after our working class brothers and sisters first.

At 26 years old Brandon McReynolds, my little brother, impulsively hung himself cutting short a life that provided so much laughter and join and full of robust creativity and leaving a void in many lives. 

Within the working class there are innumerable stories of loss due to risk seeking behavior and suicide. Mental health conversations are often sensitive, difficult to have, and sometimes seen as weakness. 

Under the 988 banner we are working to encourage and engage proactive conversations between our brothers and sisters in the working class with the end goal of altering the negative stigmas associated with conversations surrounding mental health.

We work hard. We are undervalued. We should stand together to ensure that everyone understands they have a community backing them.

You’ll Never Walk Alone.

- Jared

Our Autism Awareness campaigns started in 2018 with a simple request from one of our NYC Local 46 street team members. He admitted that parenting his child presented unique challenges that not everyone in the working class understood.

We developed a single shirt for Ironworkers and other trades soon requested inclusion and representation. Flooded by requests each year we run the campaign in March and deliver in April which is Autism Awareness month in the USA.

Each year we are blown away by the stories of inclusion and empowerment that arise from having a heartfelt and open conversation with our community. This campaign has become ingrained in the fabric of our ethos and relationship with all OUTSIDERS.

Autism Awareness is now supported year round through our non-profit sticker campaign.