For Immediate Release: April 27, 2015
Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization to Speak at AFL-CIO for International Workers Memorial Day Event “Badges, A Memorial Tribute to Asbestos Workers” and Day of Remembrance
Washington DC – April 27, 2015 – The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO), which combines education, advocacy, and community to prevent exposure and ensure justice for asbestos victims, is pleased to sponsor the traveling photography exhibit, “Badges: A Memorial Tribute to Asbestos Workers” in honor of International Workers Memorial Day. The special exhibit, previously featured as an interactive part of the ADAO 11th Annual International Asbestos Awareness Conference on April 18, 2015, in Arlington, Virginia, is the work of renowned photojournalist Earl Dotter and is scheduled to show next at the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) on Monday, April 27, 2015, at 2:00 PM in honor of International Workers Memorial Day.
International Workers Memorial Day, April 28, honors workers around the world who were killed, disabled, injured, or otherwise harmed due to their jobs. This exhibit features ID badges worn by asbestos workers alongside historic photographs of work sites, product advertisements, vintage photos, and product catalogs from industrial companies connecting the human faces to the industry. Speakers and honored guests at the exhibit’s AFL-CIO showing include Elizabeth Shuler, AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer; Earl Dotter, featured photojournalist; Peg Seminario, AFL-CIO Safety and Health Director; Dr. Steven Markowitz, Occupational and Environmental Medicine Professor, Queens College/CUNY; Linda Reinstein, ADAO President and Co-Founder; and Dr. David Michaels, Occupational Safety and Health Administration Assistant Secretary (OSHA).
“My goal in creating this exhibit is not just to touch those viewers who are already sympathetic to the overwhelming number of tragedies faced by asbestos victims and their families, but to command the attention of those who might forget them today,” stated Mr. Dotter. “It is to a new generation of the public that this exhibit, with the malfeasance and travail it portrays, is aimed.”
“On behalf of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO), it is an honor to join the AFL-CIO for Earl Dotter’s important ‘Badges, A Memorial Tribute to Asbestos Workers’ exhibit,” stated ADAO President and Co-Founder, Linda Reinstein. “ADAO is grateful for the opportunity to partner with the AFL-CIO, who represents 12.5 million working people, to remember workers negatively impacted by their jobs. These workers paid the ultimate price for doing their job – their life, and today we join in solidarity to strengthen and advance awareness and prevention.
ADAO will somberly remember those who suffered or have died from preventable work-related diseases on April 28’s Workers Memorial Day, and hopes that exhibits such as Mr. Dotter’s will drive further awareness and action around the world.
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About the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) was founded by Linda Reinstein and Doug Larkin in 2004 and headquartered in Redondo Beach, California. ADAO is the largest independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit in the U.S. dedicated to preventing asbestos exposure, eliminating asbestos-related diseases, and protecting asbestos victims’ civil rights through education, advocacy, and community initiatives. ADAO, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, does not make legal referrals.
Media Contact:
Kim Cecchini
Media Relations
Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO)
(202) 391-5205
Kim@asbestosdiseaseawareness.org