Retired United Workers Blog

Veronica Dorsey is one of the spokespersons of the United Workers as a member of the Media and Communications Committee. She is also a participant of the New Organizers Project, an intense three-year leadership development and community organizing training program for leaders from the ranks of the poor. Veronica attended the conference as part of a delegation that included members Armando Tema, Bennie Witherspoon, Carl Johnson, Dayonan Donaldson, Ernest Lindsay, Jeffrey Thompkins, Lamont Pollard, Michael Coleman and Tanya Diggins. Allies Megan Wakefield, Ryan Harvey and Marilyn Hunter also participated.

The following phone interview was conducted the day after the conference between Veronica and Tom Kertes, a leadership organizer of the United Workers.

Q: How did you first become involved in the United Workers?

I became involved in the United Workers because I agree with its values.  I was thinking about this this weekend at the conference, reflecting on some of what was said at the conference and I came up with this quote to express why I want to keep working with the Untied Workers, and to help it carry out its mission:

“If you think life is measured by monetary value, that’s a lie. I was told all life is sacred and we all qualify.”

I was a low-wage worker at Camden Yards, and this was before the living wage victory, and my pay was less than the cost of a hot dog.  I wanted to be paid at least a roast beef level, to have at least roast beef status.  So I saw a whole bunch of people in yellow shirts out at the stadium, and finally one day I went up to them and I asked can you do anything to get me up to roast beef status, since I don’t want to be paid less than a hot dog anymore?  And they said we can do a lot more than it, but it comes from us all working together.  They said how they were fighting for human rights of everyone, starting here at the stadium. And with that I was sold, and I said to sign me right up.

Q: You are currently a new organizer of the United Workers.  Could you describe this program and how you got involved in it?

The New Organizers Project is a program at an educational level where we learn about leadership development and how to community organize.  It’s a paid program, but its focus is on education and training and on learning the skills for how to be an effective community organizer.

It’s actually a three year process, starting with year one that focuses on the three c’s of leadership.  That’s commitment, conscientious, and cooperation.  We learn a lot of that by looking back in history and reading and writing about leaders before us.

Q: What are you doing in year two of the program?

During year two I focus on facilitating workshops, doing outreach, giving speeches and presentations and media skills.  Also, I am developing a strategic plan for a co-op that members are starting together, and doing a lot of outreach to students at colleges.

And one other thing, in the first year, which I already graduated from, we read two books and wrote about what they covered.  We read “I’ve Got the Light of Freedom: The Organizing Tradition and the Mississippi Freedom Struggle” by Charles M. Payne and “Don’t Be Afraid, Gringo: A Honduran Woman Speaks From The Heart” by Medea Benjamin.  It took one year to go through Light of Freedom because we had to deconstruct and write. It gave us insights into the civil rights movement.  Don’t Be Afriad was about a woman from Honduras and how they are organizing to get land for food.

Q: What went into preparation for your part of the presentation at the conference?

Me being an African American woman, I was centered on my faith so I did a lot of praying because there was not a lot of time to prepare this time.  The day before I spent six hours from 9 AM to 3 PM with one of our media specialists and a leadership organizer, and Carl and some other allies and we practiced until it gave me a headache. So I went home and mediated on the messages and went over it some more in my mind.

Q: Were you nervous?

I was at first. We prayed right before the presentation as a group with all the members and staff who were there with me and I was nervous even then.  But after I talked a little it was just like talking with some friends.  I became more confident, just a little too much because I was talking and talking and then I ran out of time.

Q: What did you want to accomplish this weekend?

I wanted the whole audience, everyone at the conference actually, to realize that this problem is bigger than any one in that room.  It’s much bigger than any of us are, so we got to unite and work together.

Q: Do you think that was accomplished?

From talking more in-depth with people, and at the panel that I was part of later, I heard a lot of people say that they want to work together for everyone’s human rights, for the dignity of everyone.  So yes, I think people realized that it’s about unity, being united together.

Q. Is there anything you want to end with?

Yes, another quote that I thought of as I was reflecting on the conference:

“If life has to be measured by monetary value, how many of us would be measured? But if life is measured around human rights values it would include all of us.”

Q: Thank you.