Statement of Wade Henderson on AFSCME’s Decision to Discontinue Relationship with UNCF Over Koch Brothers Partnership

Washington, D.C. – Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement regarding the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees’ (AFSCME) decision to sever its scholarship partnership with the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) over that organization’s new partnership with the Koch brothers, who are among the nation’s most significant funders of causes anathema to the civil and human rights movement:

“AFSCME made a thoughtful and principled decision to sever ties with UNCF and to fulfill its African-American scholarship program through other means. For generations, AFSCME’s dedication to the advancement of civil and human rights has made it a cornerstone of our movement, exemplified most notably by its organizing of African-American sanitation workers in Memphis in the 1960s. This was the same cause that drew Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to Memphis where he delivered his legendary ‘mountaintop’ speech, which would become his last. 

Today, AFSCME has continued its role as a stalwart partner in the civil and human rights struggle, fighting the rollback of workers’ rights and voting rights in the states, and supporting efforts in Congress to raise the minimum wage, ensure a quality education for all students, and pass comprehensive immigration reform. 

So it was noteworthy when the UNCF decided to partner with the Koch brothers, the leading funders of a variety of causes that are antithetical to the protection of civil rights for all Americans and to government service writ large.  I respect AFSCME’s choice to discontinue its partnership with UNCF and award their African-American scholarships through alternate means.

Principles matter. While the financial struggle of African-American students is a matter of national concern , no organization should  have to burnish the reputations of those who oppose equality in order to fulfill its mission.”

Wade Henderson is the president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its 200-plus member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.

###