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The Watts Labor Community Action Committee (WLCAC) is a predominantly African-American antipoverty organization in Watts, California, officially founded in 1965. Its mission “is to improve the quality of life for the residents of Watts and neighboring communities.” 〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.wlcac.org/our-future.htm )〕 The WLCAC was established by labor unions and its elected representative, Ted Watkins, whom was part of the United Automobile Workers Union. WLCAC creation was influenced by the Watts riots in 1965 and the need to address the high unemployment rates and low education levels present in Watts, California. Theodore Watkins, better known as Ted Watkins, helped found the Watts Labor Community Action Committee. Watkins was born in Meridian (second source says Vicksburg), Mississippi in 1912. He moved to Los Angeles, California at the age of 13 after receiving a lynch threat, and soon began working for Ford Motor Company. Shortly thereafter he joined the United Auto Workers, quickly gaining prominence within the union. Watkins eventually married and had six children. He and his wife Bernice were active members of the Civil Rights Committee as well as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Throughout his years of involvement with the local chapter of the United Auto Workers, Watkins witnessed many instances of discrimination towards workers in the community. Eventually, with the help of the United Auto Workers, he founded the Watts Labor Community Action Committee. It grew to prominence as the primary agency responsible for helping rebuild communities most heavily affected by the Watts riots of 1965. The Watts Labor Community Action Committee was formed as a community development corporation (CDC). These grew rapidly in popularity after the riots of 1965, and worked to provide a multitude of services to residents in the communities they were established in with the intention of granting these communities greater control over their own economic development. The WLCAC was distinguishable from other CDC’s in that it was associated with both labor unions as well as the civil rights movement. Through the WLCAC, Watkins initiated various programs aimed at alleviating poverty in Watts and generally improving the quality of life for members of the community. During his lifetime, Watkins was involved in the construction of a financial institution and hospital in Watts, as well as the development of low-income housing and youth programs. Following the 1981 riots in London, England, the British prime minister contacted Watkins to fly out to London and help the British government by applying methods used by the WLCAC in the aftermath of the Watts riots. Aided by the relationships he was able to form with public officials and policymakers, Watkins implemented a multitude of programs through the WLCA. Despite his popularity, though, some took issue with the amount of funding Watkins received from both the public and private sectors. Right before his death in 1993, Watkins helped to rebuild the WLCAC after it was burned down in the Los Angeles riots of 1992. He is survived by his wife and children, as well as the Watts Labor Community Action Committee, which continues to serve his mission today under the guidance of one of his sons. == Organization == WLCAC was initiated largely due to the failure of the city and county of Los Angeles to establish a War on Poverty agency. Watts lacked an agency that addressed their concerns regarding the high unemployment rates, racism and inadequate living conditions. In the creation of the organization, the ideas of black nationalism motivated and influenced the community as they desired “for community control of economic resources, self-empowerment, and self-determination.” The WLCAC’s headquarters is located at 109th and Central Avenue in Watts, California. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Watts Labor Community Action Committee」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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