Nine years ago, USW member E.J. Jenkins had a vision -- he wanted to start conversations and ignite change in his community of Gary, Ind., a lakeside city just outside of Chicago struggling with mass joblessness and a housing crisis caused by a history of segregation and steel industry downturns. That vision led to what is now Black Labor Week, an annual five days dedicated to labor, to blackness and to the community members of Gary. Listen to this Solidarity Works episode to learn about the Steelworker event that is growing into a movement, the activists who make it all happen and the city they serve.

For information about the USW's Next Generation program, visit usw.org/nextgen.

Credit to Uniq for the main music theme used throughout this episode: soundcloud.com/uniqofficial.