The Pittsburgh Chapter of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) hosted its annual fundraiser, ¡Que Viva Clemente!, on Friday, Oct. 14. Jessica Rios Viner, President of LCLAA Pittsburgh and member of USW Local 3657, MC’ed the event.
This year’s fundraiser was held at the Jeron X. Grayson Community Center in Pittsburgh’s Hill District Neighborhood and featured the screening of an original film produced by the members of USW Locals 6135 and 6871 in Puerto Rico.
The documentary celebrated the accomplishments and humanitarian efforts of Roberto Clemente – a Puerto Rican baseball player who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates who was well known off the field for his charity work in Latin America and the Caribbean.
In addition to the film, there were Latino artists doing live paintings, a voter registration drive, and guest speakers who talked about LCLAA’s work in the Pittsburgh community.
The proceeds from the event will go to El Fondo Solidario de Pittsburgh (the Pittsburgh Solidarity Fund). The organization helps families going through immigration procedures, workers that are facing wage theft or occupational injuries, and for the last three years, has been donating to Puerto Rican organizations that uplift the island.
This year, those organizations were Comedores Sociales de Puerto Rico, an anti-hunger organization based in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Taller Salud, a community-based feminist organization dedicated to improving women's access to healthcare, reducing violence in the community, and fostering economic development through education and activism.
This yearly celebration is made possible because of the hard work of the planning committee which includes USW members from Local 3657, 6135 and 6871, and donations from many USW Locals, Districts and the International Office.