Black
August
A commemoration honoring resistance of political oppression
a month of resistance & Resilience
SAVE THE DATE!
You’re invited to join the Southern California Black Worker Centers and partner organizations with the So Cal Black Worker Hub for Regional Organizing for this year’s 2026 community commemoration of Black August.
THIS IS OUR HISTORY!
This will be a time of reflection, discipline, and renewed commitment to Black liberation resistance to political oppression and Black worker justice.
join the gathering
Date & Time
Wednesday, August 19, 2026
5:00 PM — 9:00 PM PST
Location
The BeeHive, 961 E. 60th Street, Los Angeles, CA
Format
In-Person
about the event
Black workers across Southern California are organizing for economic justice, and Black Worker Centers are leading the way.
During Black August, we honor the legacy of Black resistance while recognizing that today’s fight continues in workplaces, neighborhoods, and communities throughout Southern California, Los Angeles, the High Desert, the Inland Empire, and San Diego counties.
Black worker center are building power thorough the Echo Black Voices initiatives everyday by connecting workers to our APPs (Industry Access career pathways and protections ) Wellness organizing and community by connecting workers to resources, leadership opportunities, workplace protections, and community.
what is black august?
Black August is an acknowledgment and commemoration of the countless organizers, activists, and freedom fighters who have sacrificed their freedom and lives in the struggle for Black liberation.
HISTORY
Black August, observed each August, originated in California prisons during the 1970s by Black freedom fighters to commemorate the lives and deaths of Black political prisoners, raise awareness about prison conditions, and honor the radical tradition of Black resistance against systemic oppression and anti-Black state violence.
HOW TO ENGAGE IN BLACK AUGUST
The principles of Black August are: “study, fast, train, fight.” To participate in Black August on a deeper level, consider committing to higher levels of discipline throughout the month. This can include fasting from food and drink, frequent physical exercise, and political study and engagement in political struggle.
THE FIGHT FOR BLACK WORKER POWER
Black workers have been building worker power one generation after the next. On February 12, 1968, 1,300 Black sanitation workers in Memphis went on strike for better pay and working conditions, marking one of the early fights for Black worker justice. Martin Luther King Jr. joined their strike, delivering his final speech “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop.” Black August remembers the lives of those working to liberate Black struggle, honor Freedom Fighters, and highlight the ongoing need to build worker power and continue to honor those who have fought for racial and economic justice.
Fund the Movement
The Southern California Black Worker Hub advocates for the economic empowerment of Black workers throughout SoCal by supporting Black Worker Centers in Los Angeles, the High Desert, the Inland Empire, Long Beach, and San Diego, as they fight for economic inclusion and opportunity for the region’s Black workers. For generations, Black workers and their families have been excluded from economic advancement opportunities in Southern California and as a result, Black families are overwhelmingly represented in converging crises of housing affordability, health and community safety. Black Worker Centers, together with partners, policymakers and community members, are fighting to increase access to quality jobs, reduce employment discrimination, and expand pathways to gainful employment. By organizing and advocating for increased economic opportunity for Black workers, the SoCal BW Hub hopes to create a more equitable Southern California.
event Program
2026 SoCal Black Worker Hub #EchoBlackVoices Black August
Wednesday, Aug 19th
5:30 PM – 8:30 PM; 8:30 - 9 PM Mixer
Doors open at 5:00pm, event begins at 5:30pm, ends by 9:00pm
| 5:30 PM | Mix and Mingle: Food, Drinks, Photos | Ceremony |
| 6:00 PM | Welcome by SoCal Black Workers Hub | Keynote |
| 6:15 PM | Black August Grounding – Richie Reseda | KEYNOTE |
| 6:35 PM | Intro to the Southern CA BWC Region – Interactive Regional Partner Presentations | PRESENTATION |
| 7:00 PM | Special Guest – Senator Lola Smallwood Cuevas | Screening |
| 7:15 PM | Panel Discussion – Moderated by Richie Reseda | PANEL |
| 8:10 PM | Ripple Effect” Special Announcement! | Ceremony |
| 8:20 PM | Closing Performance – jj88 | Ceremony |
QUESTION Culture
from resistance to resilience today QUESTION culture and artform
Activ8tion
looking back at Black august
Black August 2024 event
Black August 2024 event
Our #EchoBlackvoices - Black August 2024 event was a success!
An evening with the Southern CA Black Worker Hub for Regional Organizing
#EchoBlackVoices
On Wednesday, August 21st, in recognition of Black Worker Power in Southern CA, we commemorated Black August and celebrated collective organizing for Black Worker Education and Engagement around worker rights. We unveiled the 2024 #EchoBlackVoices Docu-Series and saw preliminary results from the SoCal Survey on the current state of Black workers in the SoCal region.
We honored Black August with family, friends and a host of special guests. Black August is a month to reflect, honor, and acknowledge our ancestors, freedom fighters of the Black Liberation Movement. Each year, Black August calls for the release of political prisoners, condemn the oppressive conditions of the U.S. prison system, and to emphasize the continued importance of the Black Liberation struggle.
Black August 2025 event
Black August 2025 event
Our #EchoBlackvoices - Black August 2025 event was a success!
An evening with the Southern CA Black Worker Hub for Regional Organizing
#EchoBlackVoices
On Wednesday, August 21st, in recognition of Black Worker Power in Southern CA, we commemorated Black August and celebrated collective organizing for Black Worker Education and Engagement around worker rights. We unveiled the 2025 #EchoBlackVoices Docu-Series and saw preliminary results from the SoCal Survey on the current state of Black workers in the SoCal region.
We honored Black August with family, friends and a host of special guests. Black August is a month to reflect, honor, and acknowledge our ancestors, freedom fighters of the Black Liberation Movement. Each year, Black August calls for the release of political prisoners, condemn the oppressive conditions of the U.S. prison system, and to emphasize the continued importance of the Black Liberation struggle.
#Echo Black Voices
Build Black Worker Power with Us
In 2024, the Southern California Black Worker Hub launched the CA Worker Outreach Project (CWOP 4.0) in collaboration with our regional Black Worker Centers and partners effort to listen, engage, educate, and empower Black workers by organizing around worker rights labor laws, wellness at work and other protections throughout the year. #EchoBlackVoices is a Black Worker Power Building campaign to support collective Black Worker outreach, education, and engagement through the statewide CWOP program, intended for all Black workers. In 2025 we launched our CWOP 5.0 work and invite you to participate in our #EchoBlackVoices: Power & Pathways programming.