ABOUT BLW
BLW Work & initiatives
Community Service
Community Service
Community Service
Our Community Service team stays active on the ground, driving our initiatives to provide meals to those in need throughout the year.
Youth Outreach
Community Service
Community Service
BLW prioritizes youth outreach by delivering hundreds of hours of educational programming and resources to participating institutions.
Social Campaigns
Community Service
Social Campaigns
Our social campaigns drive voter registration, advocate for workers' rights, and empower communities through education, activism, and economic development initiatives.
Through the Lens of Giving: Black Labor Week Project photo gallery
FOUNDER'S BIO
Ephrin "EJ" Jenkins
Ephrin "EJ" Jenkins is a credentialed labor activist, community leader, father and founder of the Black Labor Week Project Inc, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to developing leadership and channeling economic and educational resources into Black communities. Jenkins, a proud Gary, IN native has dedicated over 23 years of service as a laborer in the steel-working industry, using his platform to advocate for workers' rights, social justice and community empowerment. It's with his decorated leadership background (Civil Rights Chairman, Assistant Griever, USW Next Generation Advisory Council appointee, USW District 7 Next Gen Sub Coordinator) that the stars aligned for him to carve out his own path in community activism, ultimately leading to the birth of BLW in 2012. Since then, EJ and the Black Labor Week Project family have consistently poured their passions into Black Labor Week, a week-long collaborative conference of advocacy that strives to elevate the standards and status of the Black community, UNAPOLOGETICALLY.