The Amazon Labor Unionist on His Experiences with the Gaza Freedom Flotilla
Above all, Chris Smalls is a labor organizer. After being fired from his job at an Amazon warehouse in Staten Island, Smalls organized the first Amazon union and strikes at Amazon facilities in the United States.
Smalls gave a talk at Busboys & Poets in Washington DC last Thursday, August 15th. As a big admirer of his work with the Amazon Labor Union as well as his advocacy for Palestine, I knew I had to attend.
From being fired after working for Amazon for five years, to leading a historic victory against Amazon by unionizing the Staten Island JFK8 warehouse, to joining the Gaza Freedom Flotilla ship The Handala, Smalls has led an incredible life in the pursuit of justice.
Chris Smalls spoke about the beatings and mistreatment he suffered as being part of the Freedom Flotilla’s Handala mission. He was the only one in the 19 person crew who was beaten and choked by the Israeli military; it is no coincidence that he was also the only crewmember who was Black. Regarding Palestine, he made an extremely important observation. He said that while he was organizing the Amazon Labor Union, he would get mainstream news coverage as well as admiration from top political figures such as US president at the time Joe Biden. But the second he got vocal about Palestine and joined the Freedom Flotilla, immediately mainstream media started to ignore him, and the same politicians that once praised him like Biden and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez were suddenly nowhere to be found.
What struck me most about Smalls’s campaign against Amazon was how much of himself he put on the line and how consistent he was, no matter if he was organizing a big crowd or a smaller one. It is estimated that Amazon spent around $14 million in campaigns against his labor union, with one Amazon executive infamously referring to Smalls in a leaked memo as “not smart or articulate.” Now that I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Chris Smalls speak in person and electrify a crowd like few others could ever dream of doing, I can only assume that this comment was made due to ignorance or racial prejudice.
I found Smalls to be an extremely down to earth and approachable person. During the Q&A section, he encouraged everyone to reach out to him anytime; he is someone who wants to build solidarity with all causes for justice around the world.
Smalls is now working on reviving the US Labor Party. He as well as many other Americans feel that the two party system we have right now is ineffectual and only serves the interests of the elite class, so there needs to be a new party that actually addresses the needs of the majority of Americans. You can find a link to The Labor Party’s website below.
Related Links:
Link to Full Video at Busboys & Poets
Chris Smalls on Media Hypocrisy Video
The New Republic Article on Chris Smalls’s Torture in Israel
PEOPLE BETWEEN WORLDS 
Leave a comment