Who we are

Our mission

It is the mission of the Heartland Center for Jobs and Freedom to create opportunities for workers to learn and exercise their rights, realize their collective power, and develop the leadership skills necessary to advocate for a racially and economically just society.

Our vision

Our vision is that working people of all races and backgrounds will have the power and influence to ensure that everyone who works can live a full life free of abuse, exploitation, and poverty.

The history guiding us

We take our name from the 1963 March on Washington. The lesser-known but full name of the march was the “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.” When tens of thousands of Americans gathered that day, they called for an end to discrimination and segregation, and for full employment and living wages.

We draw our vision from those who believed that racial equality and good jobs for all were not only imperative, but inextricably bound and critical to the welfare of our entire nation.

Ella Baker, a brilliant strategist, organizer, and leader, helped build the civil rights organizations that drove the movement. She believed, as we do, that social change can only come about when masses of ordinary people come together, unite, and organize. We look to her example as we provide training to the low-wage workers leading movements for change.

For our legal work, we draw inspiration from civil rights pioneer Charles Hamilton Houston — fondly called “the man who killed Jim Crow” — who crafted the legal strategy that led to Brown v. Board of Education. Like him, we believe the highest calling of an attorney is to work toward the transformation of society.

We also look to Frances Perkins, the Secretary of Labor who, as workers organized from the outside, crafted the legislation that gave us the minimum wage, the eight-hour day, and Social Security.

What we do

The Heartland Center for Jobs & Freedom handles employment and consumer cases on behalf of low-wage workers, hosts know-your-rights workshops, and provides leadership training to workers leading movements for justice.