“I am honoring Beatrice Lumpkin, who died at the age of 107. She spent almost 90 years fighting for labor unions and civil rights.”
“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the remarkable life and work of Beatrice ``Bea’’ Lumpkin, a union organizer, workers’ rights activist, academic, and writer who passed away on June 14 at the age of 107 years. Bea was a fierce defender of working-class people and an active fighter for civil rights. She was called by some the rock of the labor movement, because she grounded us and taught us how to stay committed to the search for justice and equity for those without power. Bea marched along with Dr. Martin Luther King in Chicago and was an ally of the Black Panther Party. She was present at every key moment of our labor and civil rights movement for nearly 90 years, up to the recent No Kings marches. Her engagement with the movement began with a factory job when she was 14 years old. She helped organize the Metal and Machinery Workers Industrial Union, a part of the newly formed Congress of Industrial Organizations. Her persistence and determination were best exemplified when Wisconsin Steel, the plant her husband, Frank, worked at, abruptly closed and 3,400 workers lost their jobs. For 17 years, the Lumpkins led a successful fight for those workers to receive back pay. As recently as 2024, Bea was focused on intergenerational work with youth activists and joined the Starbucks workers as they began organizing. As a retiree, she expanded her activism on issues such as climate justice, the rights of retired workers, and consumer protection against overcharges from utility companies. Mr. Speaker, Bea believed our job is to make the world a better place. She found joy in the work she did and inspired others, including me, to continue fighting. The labor movement has lost a giant. Rest in power, Bea Lumpkin.”
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the remarkable life and work of Beatrice ``Bea’’ Lumpkin, a union organizer, workers’ rights activist, academic, and writer who passed away on June 14 at the age of 107 years. Bea was a fierce defender of working-class people and an active fighter for civil rights. She was called by some the rock of the labor movement, because she grounded us and taught us how to stay committed to the search for justice and equity for those without power. Bea marched along with Dr. Martin Luther King in Chicago and was an ally of the Black Panther Party. She was present at every key moment of our labor and civil rights movement for nearly 90 years, up to the recent No Kings marches. Her engagement with the movement began with a factory job when she was 14 years old. She helped organize the Metal and Machinery Workers Industrial Union, a part of the newly formed Congress of Industrial Organizations. Her persistence and determination were best exemplified when Wisconsin Steel, the plant her husband, Frank, worked at, abruptly closed and 3,400 workers lost their jobs. For 17 years, the Lumpkins led a successful fight for those workers to receive back pay. As recently as 2024, Bea was focused on intergenerational work with youth activists and joined the Starbucks workers as they began organizing. As a retiree, she expanded her activism on issues such as climate justice, the rights of retired workers, and consumer protection against overcharges from utility companies. Mr. Speaker, Bea believed our job is to make the world a better place. She found joy in the work she did and inspired others, including me, to continue fighting. The labor movement has lost a giant. Rest in power, Bea Lumpkin.