Roger Sheppard Testimonial

I first met Chuck and Reverend Graylan Hagler at a Greater Roxbury Workers Assoc. picket line calling for hiring members of the greater Roxbury community at the Suffolk Construction Co. Job at the Post office in Dudley Sq/, in January 1990.  My union was picketing another gate (Suffolk was non-union) and I suported on the spot the demands for hiring black workers, and community workers of all trades on the job site.

Chuck then agreed to speak at an anti Gulf war rally held on the eve of American bombing of Iraq, a rally keynoted by Minister Don, Mosque #11 at the African Institute at Northeastern. Jan. 14,1991.

I became involved in picketing other construction projects that had no workers from the Community and even briefly occupied the Mayor’s office with Chuck Turner and other members of the GRWO to get jobs access for minority people.

He has supported our community through our work over the years on jobs, peace and justice issues.  He helped me in 1994 to change a bad law that discriminated against unemployed Blacks, Latinos and construction workers and resulted in 100’s of thousands of dollars for the unemployed.

Chuck Turner is an upright man who has helped so many over the past 45 years. He is not only a fighter for his community and poor class people across this state, he is a fine, disciplined and non-violent warrior for all of humanity. I am a better man for having known and worked with him.

Yours in struggle, Roger Sheppard 42 year member of local 103 IBEW