Tacoma is a thriving working class city represented by several union organizations. We pride ourselves on being hardworking and gritty, and I wanted this piece to represent the broad spectrum of workers this city is home to— railroad workers, longshoremen, carpenters, educators, healthcare workers. But at the center of this piece I wanted to represent the unpaid, unrecognized labor running quietly behind the scenes, supporting our community and the next generations of Tacomans— parents. Motherhood is a physical labor rarely acknowledged, from growing and birthing, to feeding and rearing. Mothers and parents raise the next generation of Tacoma, her artists, her workers, her organizers. So the mother figure with her infant is at the center of this piece while the hustle and bustle of the city’s labor orbits around her.

The quote nestled throughout the image is one from labor activist and organizer Cesar Chavez, and speaks not only to the tireless work of labor union organizers throughout history, but also to the society-wide struggles against oppression and fascism we’re living through today.

Together we are stronger than those who would seek to keep us oppressed, and together we can imaging and organize for a better future.