25 Years, 25 Stories: Dan Cross-Viola, former CEJ Staff Member and Student Leader with UB Students Against Sweatshops

In celebration of CEJ's 25th Anniversary, we are telling 25 stories through this blog, at our 25th Anniversary Awards Banquet, and with a newsletter coming out in June. CEJ has been blessed to work with so many incredible people throughout our years, and we hope to shed a light on some of their amazing stories in order to inspire us all in our continued fight for jobs with justice! This week's story comes from former CEJ staff member and student organizer with UB Students Against Sweatshops, Dan Cross-Viola who helped take CEJ's work with student coalition members to a new level! (To purchase tickets to our 25th Anniversary Awards Banquet, click here. Sponsors include: Platinum Level - WNY Area Labor Federation; 1199 SEIU; New York State United Teachers/ Silver Level - UFCW District One; IUOE Local 17; Lipsitz, Green, Scime, Cambria LLP; Fr. Joseph Bissonette Memorial Foundation, AFTRA)

"Although it was only a few months, I thoroughly enjoyed my time working as the Interim Executive Director at CEJ. As a student organizer with the UB Students Against Sweatshops, I had worked with a number of the Coaliton's partners before, but it was great to work with them in a new context, as well as meet new partners, working to deepen CEJ's relationship with them all in the process. CEJ's work around the Erie County budget crisis was a perfect example of this. In the face of extremely debilitating budget cuts, it was empowering to be a part of a strong corp of CBOs, faith organizations, unions, county officials, and local politicians, all of us united for fiscal, social, and economic responsibility. The collaborative production of Understanding the Erie County Budget Crisis and Moving Forward was an amazing experience, as was the panel discussion we organized at the Historical Society to mark the report's release. I remember standing in the back of the room during the event and feeling so proud of our ability to bring such a diverse panel together, all united around a vision for a better future. Memories like this one are what make me look back fondly on my time at CEJ. Western New York is lucky to have such a dedicated and diverse coalition consistently working with and on behalf of those our society often turns its back on. Happy 25th anniversary CEJ!"

-Dan Cross-Viola