Pittsburgh APRI is the local chapter of the A. Philip Randolph Institute, building equity through workforce training, advocacy, and voter engagement across our region.
The A. Philip Randolph Institute was founded nationally in 1965 to carry forward Randolph's coalition between labor and civil rights. Randolph organized the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters in 1925, the nation's first predominantly Black labor union, and was a principal organizer of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. The Pittsburgh chapter opened in August 1968 as one of APRI's earliest, and has organized for jobs, justice, and equity in Southwestern Pennsylvania ever since.
Today, the chapter works on three fronts. Breaking the Chains Pre-Apprenticeship trains adults across our region for family-sustaining careers in construction, manufacturing, and emerging energy. The advocacy arm engages elected officials and industry partners on workforce policy, equity in the trades, and the conditions working families face. Voter engagement, including the PA Black Votes Matter coalition we lead across eight Pennsylvania counties, registers, educates, and mobilizes voters so the issues most affecting working people show up at the ballot box.
Learn about the national A. Philip Randolph Institute
Pittsburgh APRI extends democracy, education, and opportunity to those traditionally disenfranchised or discouraged from participation, advancing social progress for minorities, the poor, and working people.
A Pittsburgh region where labor power and racial equity build family-sustaining careers, healthy communities, and a fair democracy for everyone who lives here.
Solidarity. We stand with workers and communities together.
Dignity. Every participant comes in worthy of respect.
Equity. We organize to remove the barriers for Black workers, women, and working families.
Action. We turn movements into measurable change.
Through the Breaking the Chains program, I learned that I was still a man capable of getting back up and moving forward. Now I'm a proud father, a first-time home buyer, and an upstanding member of society. I carved a career path as a union millwright. I graduated an apprenticeship program and now sit as the vice president of Carpenter's Local 443.
Three ways to stand with Pittsburgh APRI. Pick the one that fits where you are right now.