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Founders
William Lucy
| Nelson Edwards
| Cleveland Robinson
| Charles A. Hayes
| William H. Simons
Original CBTU
Leaders
Cleveland Robinson (deceased)
President
District 65 Distributive Workers of America
 Cleveland
Lowellyn Robinson "Cleve" was reverently spoken of as
the historian of CBTU. His direct participation in all the major
labor organizations, civil rights struggles and human rights campaigns
during the last half of the 20th century made his voice the authority
in any discussion. He was a former advisor on labor to the Rev.
Martin Luther King, Jr., and was the administrative chairman of
the historic 1963 March on Washington. This militant Jamaican-born
labor leader was a gifted speaker and organizer, who served as vice
president and then president of the Negro American Labor Council,
the forerunner of CBTU. That body took up the struggle to get minority
representation in the leadership of the AFL-CIO and its affiliates.
Robinson was the first elected 1st vice president of CBTU. Throughout
the years, Robinson was a relentless opponent of apartheid in South
Africa. In 1990, he was co-chairman of the official visit of Nelson
Mandela to New York. He led District 65 and its 30,000 members for
40 years, until his retirement in 1992. He died in August, 1995,
but his indomitable spirit is alive.
About CBTU
Leadership
Founders
History
Mission Statement
The Need for CBTU
Bell-Ball Scholarship
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