As Black History Month 2026 begins, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) is highlighting its historical role in supporting African American workers within the labor movement. The IAM points to figures such as Frederick Douglass, who led the Colored National Labor Union in 1872, and A. Philip Randolph, organizer of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters in the 1920s, as examples of early Black labor leaders. The union also notes that it welcomed African American members before the Civil Rights Act was passed in the 1960s.
“It’s mind-boggling to learn about the tremendous history that links labor activism with the upward economic mobility of the Black Americans,” said IAM Union International President Brian Bryant. “Our union has been at the forefront of civil rights and Black History Month is a great time to share our union’s story.”
In 1944, IAM District 727 encouraged local chapters to diversify by admitting African American workers. Six years later, Roman Mayfield became one of the first African Americans to join IAM as a production worker at Boeing in Seattle. Despite initially being barred from membership due to lodge policies, Mayfield attended meetings regularly and was eventually accepted in 1950 when IAM changed its stance on minority membership. His acceptance paved the way for more Black workers at Boeing to become union members over subsequent decades.
Other milestones noted by IAM include former president Al Hayes meeting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in New York City in 1962; predominantly African-American lodges being established in Washington, D.C., and Richmond, Virginia during the 1960s; and support for rebuilding Watts, California after riots in 1965 with help from union representative Herb Ward.
The union also highlights contract negotiations during the 1970s at General Dynamics in Fort Worth, Texas where many Black production workers were represented by District 776. In leadership roles, Robert Roach Jr. became IAM’s first African-American General Vice President in 1999, followed by Diane Babineaux as the first Black woman to serve as General Vice President in 2013.
IAM maintains partnerships with organizations like the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU) and the A. Philip Randolph Institute to continue advancing economic fairness and racial justice for Black workers.
