Reflecting on the 25th anniversary of the historic I-70 Shutdown in St. Louis, a key moment in the fight for civil rights in the construction industry.
Yaphett El-Amin, Executive Director, MOKAN. Image by UAPO
Reflections on the 25th Anniversary of the Highway Protest
Twenty-five years ago, I went to jail with countless others in what became known both locally and nationally as the Shutdown of Highway (Interstate 70). I “sat down” and was arrested for impeding the flow of traffic at a.m during morning rush hour traffic on July 12, 1999. Hauled away in police vans along with more than three hundred brave soldiers committed to sending a message to the construction industry that they’d demand fairness and justice at any cost in the hiring of women and minorities in the construction trades.
On the hot July morning, on the steamy concrete, those might 300 “sat” so that other African-Americans could “stand” in spaces of opportunity, work in “our” communities, and extract the benefits from livable and high-paying construction jobs and meaningful careers that transformed the social and economic conditions of families and our communities.
I am forever thankful for my father Eddie Hasan, past president and CEO of MOKAN for his visionary leadership in this historical feat in shutting down the highway on July, 12, 1999, which brought national leaders Reverend Al Sharpton and Martin Luther King III to St Louis to bring attention to the hiring inequalities in the construction industry,
a fight that continues today but is much easier because of the foundation laid from this movement. The Highway 70 Shutdown made it possible for thousands of people to enter into the construction trades through the establishment of the Construction Prep Center (2000-2014), which further continued through the MOKAN Pre-apprenticeship Training Program (2015-present). I would also like to recognize the other leaders who assisted in the organization of the Highway 70 Shutdown who have transitioned this physical life:
Attorney Eric E. Vickers, Tiahmo Rauf, and Larry Ali. Our community also benefitted from strong Black elected officials and leaders who did not run from political activism and who also went to jail and assisted in the negotiations with the State of Missouri by speaking truth to power: Sen. Paula J. Carter, Rep. Charles Quincy Troupe, Sen. J.B. “Jet” Banks, and Jim Buford, former Urban League President. I also must acknowledge the leadership and steadfast activism of Brother Anthony Shahid, who continues to stand up for workforce diversity and equity. A special thanks to my sister Jamillah Nasheed ,who went to jail and continued sacrificing her freedom in subsequent years for blocking the Metro trains from operating to fight contract inequities for Black contractors at the Metro/Bistate Transportation Agency.
After her ascension to becoming a State Representative, then State Senator, she continued to advocate for MoKan through her efforts of allocating hundreds of thousands of dollars for training and placement of young African-Americans and females into the construction trades. I am thankful for the hundreds of Black people, old and young, who went to jail that day, like Walle Amusa, Zaki Baruti, Talibdin El-Amin and hundreds of others who stood on the sidelines cheering us on. I want them all to know that their stance was not in vain. Their commitment continues to improve the lives and financial stability of thousands of minority men and women that MOKAN has trained and continues to train, who color our local construction workforce and business industry with a hue of diversity.
The shutdown of Highway 70 on July 12, 199,9 made it possible for MoKan to become a leader in the construction training and education of people of color. Thus leading to a more diversified local workforce in St. Louis, Missouri. I am proud to stand today continuing this mission as MOKAN’s Executive Director.
A luta continua, Vitoria e certa
(The Struggle continues, victory is certain)
Yaphett El-Amin
#I70Shutdown, #CivilRights, #ConstructionEquality
