Our History
Born in Struggle
When injustice & inequality becomes too much to bear, something's got to give. The patience of a determined few oppressed workers of Knoxville's American Book Company had run out. In July of 1999, seven poor workers came together to make a stand against racial and gender-based discrimination, poverty wages, wrongful termination, lack of training, lack of placement, lack of promotion, lack of benefits and unethical treatment.
Theresa Reed, Terry Taylor, Felice Thompson, Kenneth Glass, Ronald Grant, Shannon Matthews and Perry Redd began what would turn out to be a movement to teach and motivate workers of color in the South.
The Sincere Seven was born out of a faith in God, who serves justice for those who serve Him. They knew that it would mean serving others. The fellow workers in the community who had suffered under the abuses of their employer were the target. Getting out the word of the law was a challenge to the S7, who just a few months earlier, didn't know themselves.
Through education from reading, labor consultants, labor union representatives and networking, the Sincere Seven gained enough knowledge to organize a labor drive to unionize in their workplace. Perry Redd, Terry Taylor and Theresa Reed filed charges with the State of Tennessee Human Rights Commission (THRC) and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Reed and Redd were still employees of the company when they filed these discrimination charges. Along with International Representative, Dave McIlwaine of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, the struggle to unionize was on.
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Benchmarks
1999
Founded
Seven of the 100+ employees met, strategized and committed on July 22, 1999 in East Knoxville, Tennessee and became the Sincere Seven with the objectives of justice & equality in their workplace.
2000
Knoxville's Workplace Talk
Underwent television production training via Knoxville's community television broadcasting station, CTV, in the spring of 2000 and became certified as camera operators, video editors and studio producers and began broadcasting the S7-led series, "Knoxville's Workplace Talk" hosted by various members of the Sincere Seven
2007
Re-Located to Washington, DC
Following the 2004 federal accusation and indictment of S7's Executive Director, Perry Redd, and the subsequent passing of co-founder and Treasurer, Theresa Reed, the operations of the organization re-located to the nation's capitol, where a re-structuring took place.
S7 Legends
The people that chose to join the S7...and gave their best to our community. Though they are no longer here doing the work with us, they're legacy walks alongside us every working, living day.
