Derby City CLUW

10/06/2026

Cancer Awareness Month

09/03/2026

Rest in Peace Gloria! 🌹

Steinem became the most visible symbol and potent voice of the U.S. women's movement in the '60s and '70s and a fierce advocate for feminist causes for the rest of her life.

08/03/2026

Thalidomide was one signature away from being sold to pregnant American women. Frances Kelsey stopped it and saved thousands of lives.

The year was 1960. Thalidomide was already the best-selling sleeping pill in Europe, handed out for morning sickness, marketed as completely safe. Its American manufacturer expected a rubber stamp, and the application landed on Kelsey's desk, one month into her job at the FDA, precisely because it looked easy.

She read the file and something bothered her. "Here was a drug that looked like it should be no problem," she said later, "but at the same time there was just a feeling that there was something in the data or the absence of data that was a cause of concern."

Under the law back then, a drug went to market automatically if the FDA didn't act within sixty days. So she used the one power she had: she asked for more evidence. And when the clock ran down, she asked again. For fourteen months.

The company came at her roughly fifty times, again and again going over her head to her superiors, and finally threatened to sue her for libel. They had the brochures printed and raw material waiting for fifteen million pills. Executives had names for her.

"Most of the things they called me, you wouldn't print," she recalled. Her own diagnosis was simpler: they "were losing money by my pigheadedness."

Then the news arrived from Europe. Babies born with devastating birth defects, more than ten thousand of them, everywhere the pill had been sold.

In the United States: seventeen cases, traced to samples the company had already handed to doctors as "research." Not because America was lucky. Because one scientist would not be moved.

On August 7, 1962, sixty-four years ago this week, President Kennedy presented her with the nation's highest award for civilian service, only the second woman ever to receive it.

"Her exceptional judgment in evaluating a new drug for safety for human use," the citation read, "has prevented a major tragedy of birth deformities in the United States." Congress then rewrote the drug laws around her example. The sixty-day automatic approval died. The "research sample" loophole closed. Proof came before profit, for every pill since.

The modern FDA, the agency standing between your family and the next thalidomide, was built on one woman's refusal to hurry. She stayed forty-five years.

Sixty-four years later, that is the exact species of public servant this government is driving out.

RFK Jr. fired all seventeen members of the CDC's vaccine advisory panel in a single day. The CDC director who refused to sign off on his vaccine changes lasted twenty-nine days. The FDA's top vaccine scientist is gone. And measles, which this country eliminated in 2000, is at 2,371 cases, the most since 1991, with America's elimination status now under formal review.

The scientists who say "prove it" are now being replaced by men who say "trust me bro."

They called her stubborn. Difficult.

Thank god they were right.

07/26/2026

The 2nd Kentucky Union Women’s Summit did not disappoint! Union women leaders came from near and far to attend the collaboration of women in unions. There were discussions of challenges in the workplace and work-life balance. Leaders shared their inspirations, and were told of those who were inspired by them. The tables were adorned with the faces of Union women that brought us this far! We laughed. We cried. We heard each other! We hugged each other. We know that we are our greatest support. Our sisters!

07/24/2026

There is still time for you to register!

07/02/2026

Derby City CLUW mourns the loss of a great union sister and labor leader.

July 2, 2026 – Vonda McDaniel, President of the Central Labor Council of Nashville and Middle Tennessee, passed away on Tuesday, June 30, 2026. Since 2013, Vonda has served as President of the Central Labor Council (CLC), a federation of more than 40 unions representing more than 20,000 working families in Nashville and Middle Tennessee. The CLC celebrates her long legacy of over 30 years in the labor movement.

Vonda is remembered as a visionary leader and bridge builder who spent her life bringing together people from all areas of the community to build multi-racial working class power. She believed deeply that unions were for everyone and was committed to making life better for working families in Tennessee and the South. Vonda embodied the courage of the labor movement’s history, while embracing innovation and moving us forward. She saw the potential in rank and file union members, young people, and people who didn’t even know they were part of the labor movement yet. She empowered them to learn how to organize and take action.

Throughout her tenure as CLC President, Vonda helped build and strengthen movement infrastructure across Nashville and the state. She was a founding member of Stand Up Nashville, the Nashville Justice League, Music City Construction Careers (MC3), and Tennessee for All. As a deep believer in building a more representative and inclusive labor movement, she intentionally invested in the leadership of Black union members and mentored the next generation of union leaders and activists. Her efforts did not stop at the edges of organized labor; she was a devoted member of her church, First Baptist Church Capitol Hill, where she continuously worked to integrate the fight for working people into her faith community. Vonda leaves behind an expansive community of freedom fighters who will carry on her legacy.

Vonda joined the United Rubber Workers (URW) in 1992 at the Bridgestone-Firestone Lavergne Plant, where she worked for more than 30 years. Shortly after joining the Union, she became a Shop Steward. In 1995, URW merged with the United Steelworkers (USW), and Vonda was trained in the USW’s Women of Steel initiative, which equipped her with vital tools to become a leader in her Union and community. She went on to become a trainer in the program herself. After serving for 10 years as the Union Pension and Insurance Representative for USW Local 1055L, Vonda was elected President of the CLC of Nashville and Middle Tennessee in 2013. She served as Vice President on the AFL-CIO Executive Council from 2017 until June 2026. A true unionist, she remained an active member of OPEIU Local 182. She was set to retire from her leadership at the CLC at the end of 2026 and embark on her new journey as Co-Executive Director of the Highlander Center.

Vonda’s legacy calls us to carry forward the work to organize unions for everyone, build bridges between community and labor, fight for racial and immigrant justice, and struggle for a better South and a better future for all. Honor Vonda by joining or forming a union. Honor her by building relationships with your neighbors and your coworkers. Honor her by door knocking, canvassing, voting, and fighting for democracy. We mourn the loss of an irreplaceable leader, and we will continue to fight like hell to realize her vision.

Vonda McDaniel, ¡presente!

The CLC will share more details regarding memorial arrangements as we know them. For media or other inquiries, please contact CLC staff Dana Smith, [email protected].

06/26/2026

We are excited as we near the date of our 2nd Kentucky Union Women’s Summit.
The Coalition of Labor Union Women
(CLUW) Derby City Chapter, with other Kentucky women in labor is hosting this great event.
Calling all union women and union members across Kentucky!

Saturday, July 25
10:00 AM–3:00 PM.
Teamsters Local 783 Union Hall,
Louisville Kentucky

This will be a day of leadership development, networking, advocacy, and skill-building in solidarity with union sisters from across the Commonwealth leading the discussions.

All CLUW and union members are welcome to register and attend. No one is excluded.
CLUW is inclusive to all union members,
women, men and everyone. No exclusions. If there are any questions regarding attendance to this event please reach out to me for any clarification.
In Solidarity

📱 Scan the QR code to RSVP, view the full event schedule and details, and share your contact information to receive event updates and important announcements.

RSVP: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScOr8e6UvK6HPfDCBfXeRd5UzYjEO65KtayjwZPBKJ8y4UozA/viewform

Women organize. Movements grow. We hope to see you there! 💜✨



06/25/2026

Derby City CLUW celebrated Juneteenth with a parade and a Unity celebration!🎉