Portland working families, national comics from Laughing Liberally, and the Oregon AFL-CIO wrapped three days of events, workshops, and actions Feb. 19-21 as part of the AFL-CIO’s new Work Connects Us All campaign. The effort is part of a broader push by the AFL-CIO to recognize the ways in which work connects everyone, and the value of each person’s contribution through work.
The collaboration between Laughing Liberally and the AFL-CIO had several components, including a comedy show as well as comedy trainings for activists and a campaign at the Portland Jazz Fest to “thank” workers for their help in making the festival a success.
The events kicked off on Sunday, Feb. 19 with “Laughter Works,” a free show at Helium Comedy Club that featured a line-up of nationally-renowned comedians, including Lee Camp (who has appeared on Showtime and is a contributor to The Onion), Negin Farsad (who has appeared on Comedy Central and MTV), and Katie Halper (who has appeared on MSNBC and Huffington Post), as well as local Portland comedians.
A crowd of 350 attended the show, which focused not only on politics but work and how work is the tie that binds all Americans together.
Activities continued into the week with workshops run by Camp, Farsad and Halper for local organizers on using humor in their work to reach new audiences and best practices on Twitter to assist with organizing campaigns.
On Feb. 20 and 21, the comedians, along with Working America canvassers, distributed “thank you” cards to stagehands, ticket-takers, and other workers involved in the Portland Jazz Festival. Participants distributed hundreds of cards throughout the two days to highlight the behind-the-scenes work that is often not recognized but is vital to the festival’s success.
The events come on the heels of the launch of the Work Connects Us All campaign, with television ad buys in Portland, Pittsburgh, and Austin, Tex., as well as an online component with an interactive website at www.WorkConnectsUsAll.org, and outreach in communities to spark innovative initiatives and new community partnerships.
Laughing Liberally is a national political comedy tour that uses humor and laughter to spread understanding of liberal ideas and advance progressive values. The tour showcases comedians from Comedy Central, HBO, The Onion, MTV and C-SPAN and aims to “save democracy one laugh at a time.”
WATCH THE WHOLE SHOW HERE [contains some strong language]:
