Tuesday, December 8

Livestreaming on YouTube at bit.ly/watchbw

English captions and a call line for live interpretation into Spanish will be available.

6:55 PM Pre-show - Test your audio/video and say "hi" in the chat

 7 PM Opening Welcome with Host Dr. Patricia Campos-Medina

Reflections on the Year from Brandworkers Members

Remembering Juan Nito Castillo

Dr. Patricia Campos-Medina in Conversation with Brandworkers Executive Director, Daniel Gross

Brandworkers Members on How We Build Solidarity

Conversations with Champion of Economic Justice Honorees Rebecca Dixon & the Children of Smithfield

Live pledge raising funds for Brandworkers with special guest Phela Townsend 

7:45 PM Closing Celebration with Host Dr. Patricia Campos-Medina

To sponsor and/or make a donation with a check or a donor-advised fund, please download and return the form linked here.

Hosted By Dr. Patricia Campos-Medina

Dr. Patricia Campos-Medina is a visionary leader, activist and educator with a rich background in field research, policy, and the development of strategic union organizing, electoral and worker justice community campaigns. Currently, she is the Co-Director of The Worker Institute, ILR-Cornell University where she leads research and education to advance collective bargaining, workers rights, and economic and racial justice. Dr. Campos-Medina is a policy expert on workplace and labor issues, women rights, voting rights, trade and US immigration policy. She serves as the current President of Latinas United for Political Empowerment Inc., is a board member of PODER PAC, an Advisory Committee Member for Eleccion Latina/Ready to Run, and host of Activista Rise Up, a forum for activists to engage everyday people on the work of promoting social and economic justice. Dr. Campos-Medina has been recognized as one of New Jersey’s most influential political leaders by several publications and can be found on Twitter at @Dr.CamposMedina.

Honoring Champions of Economic Justice

Rebecca Dixon, Executive Director, National Employment Law Project

As executive director of the National Employment Law Project (NELP), Rebecca leads NELP’s work to build and contribute to a strong workers’ rights movement that dismantles structural racism, eliminates economic inequality, and builds worker power.  When Brandworkers members from Tom Cat Bakery decided to organize in the wake of an ICE I-9 audit in 2017, NELP provided critical solidarity to support their campaign. NELP’s guidance for employers faced with I-9 audits helped workers envision a concrete path toward protecting their coworkers and raising a higher standard throughout the industry. Rebecca’s motivation for advancing workers’ rights and commitment to economic justice is deeply rooted in her lived experience growing up in rural Mississippi at the intersection of race, class and gender—characteristics that have long defined our ability to participate in our democracy and economy. 

The Children of Smithfield

The Children of Smithfield is a group that was born during COVID-19 out of a common concern for the health and safety of their parents who are employees of Smithfield Foods, a company that operates meatpacking plants. They believe people are their own best advocates and they encourage people to use their own voice, but they are here to advocate for the people who are not ready to use theirs. In a time when workers face life-threatening danger at work, the Children of Smithfield have modeled solidarity by bringing attention to the risks their parents and loved ones face. By connecting their struggle to the struggle of other meatpacking workers and collaborating with movement allies, they have amplified their voices and helped build their power.

Thank you to the sponsors of the Brandworkers Awards!

 - Visionary - 

Tom Cramer & Michele Burger

- Movement Builder - 

Shelley Levine & Larry Schwartz

Myrna & Steve Greenberg

Vladeck, Raskin & Clark, P.C.

- Trailblazer - 

Anne Clark & Tom Hyland

- Catalyst - 

Levy Ratner P.C.

- Solidarity Partner -

Jake Ratner

Gladstein, Reif & Meginniss LLP

Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU)

Pasternack Tilker Ziegler Walsh Stanton & Romano LLP Attorneys at Law

Schotter, Millican, Sinaniyeva & Masilela, LLP

Cohen, Weiss and Simon LLP

- Ally -

Russell Pearce

Henry Kaminer

Jennifer Martinez

Ana & Mark Langer 

Paul Duke

Gwynne A. Wilcox

Cristina E. Gallo

Evan Hudson-Plush

Irene Ribner

RWDSU Local 1102

Ritz Clark & Ben-Asher LLP

The Labor and Employment Committee of the National Lawyers Guild (NLG)

- Sustainer -

Zan Jacobus

Ted Auerbach

Alice & Nahum Lainer

Eric Dirnbach

Beth Baltimore

Carmi & Shelly Fredman

Karen Ranucci 

George Suttles

Harvey Weiss

Rajesh Nayak

Jews for Racial & Economic Justice

CAAAV Organizing Asian Communities

Thank you to the Brandworkers Awards Host Committee!

Alexa Aviles

Amelia Tuminaro

Amy Engeler

Anne Clark

Beth Baltimore

Christa Tandana

Cristina Gallo

Daniel Ucko

Eric Dirnbach

Evan Hudson-Plush

Frank Gattie

Garrett Kaske

Gwynne Wilcox

Henry Kaminer

Janice Chua

Jezz Bold

Josh Lee

Larry Schwartz & Shelley Levine

Marisa Holmes

Marni Halasa

Melanie Greenberg

Melissa Lardo Stewart

Naomi Heisler

Ria Julien

Sean Reilly-Wood

Sonia Singh

Tom Cramer & Michele Burger

Yasmine Shihab