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Non-profit

Workers Center for Racial Justice (WCRJ)

Website:

www.center4racialjustice.org/
Location:

Chicago, IL
Tax ID:

45-4461270
Tax-Exempt Status:

501(c)(3)

Budget (2021):

Revenue: $1,269,942
Expenses: $1,105,203
Assets: $651,020
Type:

Left-of-Center Activist Organization
Formation:

2012
Executive Director:

DeAngelo Bester
Executive Director's Salary (2021):

$96,354, via affiliated 501(c)(4) 1

References

  1. “Workers Center for Racial Justice – IRS Form 990.” ProPublica, February 16, 2022. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/454461270
Affiliated Organizations:

Racial Justice PAC, Center for Racial and Gender Equality

Contact InfluenceWatch with suggested edits or tips for additional profiles.

Workers Center for Racial Justice (WCRJ) is a Chicago-based advocacy organization that promotes a left-of-center, pro-labor-union, and anti-police “Black Liberation” policy agenda on criminal justice, economic, social services, and election access issues. 1

Together with its affiliated lobbying group Center for Racial and Gender Equality and Racial Justice political action committee (PAC), WCRJ supports Democratic and left-of-center policy priorities in Chicago and across the country through voter registration, get-out-the-vote efforts, political advertising, and other efforts. 2 3

History and Leadership

DeAngelo Bester is the executive director and founder of Workers Center for Racial Justice. Bester previously worked as a community and labor organizer with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and National People’s Action. 4 He is a former board member of the National Black Worker Center Project. 5

The president of the WCRJ’s board is Renaye Manley, an SEIU executive who manages the union’s efforts to leverage pension fund investments to pressure public corporations to implement and support pro-organized-labor and left-of-center policies, often in alignment with the environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) activism model. 6 7 8

Funding

Workers Center for Racial Justice has received grant funding from major left-wing donors including the Chicago Community Trust, Good Ventures, Needmor Fund, Open Philanthropy, Vera Institute of Justice, Woods Fund of Chicago, and the Piper Fund collaborative hosted by Proteus Fund. 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Advocacy

Workers Center for Racial Justice promotes a variety of left-of-center positions on economic, criminal justice, social services, election access, and other policy issues. 16

Economic Policy

In 2023, WCRJ supported efforts to eliminate cash bail and tipped minimum wages in Chicago, as well as the creation of the most expansive paid time off mandates among America’s major cities. 17 18 19

Passed in November 2023, the Paid Time Off ordinance requires employers in the city to give workers up to 80 hours of paid time off in a 12-month period, split between 40 hours of sick leave and 40 hours of general leave. Workers may carry over 16 hours of general leave and 80 hours of sick leave into the following year. 20

WCRJ’s other policy priorities include publicly funded “living wage” jobs programs for paroled inmates, government funding of campaigns for elections in Chicago, increased child tax credits, and government funding for childcare services. 21 22 23 It also advocated passage of the Biden administration’s “Build Back Better” legislative package and supported its policy agenda. 24

Criminal Justice

Workers Center for Racial Justice advocates for defunding the Chicago Police Department by cutting the city’s police budget by more than half and redirecting that funding to social services and public health programs under a model it describes as “Equitable Public Safety Reinvestment.” 25

While Workers Center for Racial Justice advocates for increased collective bargaining rights for organized labor unions in most circumstances, it is a fierce critic of police unions and actively works to minimize the scope of collective bargaining agreements for police officers. 26 27

WCRJ executive director DeAngelo Bester admitted in a 2017 interview that “There’s a slippery slope when you start beating up on unions,” but described police unions as “separate from the larger labor movement,” in part because they “go and endorse people like Donald Trump.” 28

In testimony that year to the Illinois House of Representatives, Bester characterized the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police as having “worked in bad faith to undermine the rightful intentions” of collective bargaining and accused them of having “White Nationalist, White Supremacist, anti-democratic allies like the Proud Boys and American Identity Movement.” 29

Racial Justice PAC

Workers Center for Racial Justice operates the Racial Justice PAC and Center for Racial and Gender Equity social-welfare advocacy nonprofit to engage in political activities and support candidates for public office. 30 WCRJ executive director DeAngelo Bester and director of operations Yolanda Godwin are the chair and treasurer of the PAC, respectively. 31

In 2022, Center for Racial and Gender Equity donated $118,000 to Racial Justice PAC, which was $94,000 more than Illinois state law allows a single political action committee to accept from a single donor. The PAC then made $39,000 in contributions to seven Chicago-area candidates for public office, five Chicago Board of Aldermen candidates, a state senator and a candidate for the Chicago Police Council. 32

The Illinois State Board of Elections brought an enforcement action against the PAC, giving it 30 days to return the excess donations to its affiliated 501(c)(4). 33 When it did not do so, the Board of Elections voted unanimously to fine Racial Justice PAC $9,400 and require it to disgorge the $94,000 in illegal donations to the state treasury. 34

In a letter to the State Board of Elections, Bester claimed to be “confused about some of the rules governing political action committees” and said that he “completely forgot about Illinois campaign finance laws that limit contributions to $24,000 from one corporation.” 35

In his letter to the Board of Elections, Bester said that WCRJ operations director and Racial Justice PAC treasurer Yolanda Godwin would oversee compliance for the PAC moving forward. The previous treasurer of the PAC was Louisa Manske, who was then the WCRJ’s policy and communications director and is now Senior State Campaigns Manager at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. 36

As of December 2023, the Illinois State Board of Elections website listed Racial Justice PAC as having not paid its $9,400 fine from 2022, as well as $5,000 in other outstanding assessments for failure to meet filing deadlines. 37

At the time of the State Board of Elections’ action, the Racial Justice PAC had reported a negative fund balance of $7,869.46. 38 That negative balance grew to $16,130.98 by the end of the third quarter of 2023, thanks in part to payment of a $5,000 fee to the State Board of Elections. 39

References

  1. “Our Demands.” Workers Center for Racial Justice. Accessed December 11, 2023. https://www.center4racialjustice.org/demands.
  2. “AGENDA STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS Board Meeting Tuesday, August 15, 2023 10:30 a.m.” Illinois State Board of Elections, August 15, 2023. https://www.elections.il.gov/NewDocDisplay.aspx?%2fM0cs48zOKUVo8NHFkkNhVwyxu6isYxmIQBUuKl3cnXZ14OCwk8xSlTDqHmM4r1%2fs4vCJdp%2fBAULh0fhhOvNcfi0PbtcYk76MwkCPU%2bEYsAJhviZIBkIswvtwVaEJgLmpEpfhvxecmM%3d
  3. “Committee Details.” Illinois State Board of Elections. Accessed December 11, 2023. https://www.elections.il.gov/CampaignDisclosure/CommitteeDetail.aspx?ID=NC5y4RgVuECKdRXVDHV71w%3D%3D.
  4. Bester, DeAngelo. “WCRJ Executive Director Testifies in Il House Judiciary Committee Hearing.” Workers Center for Racial Justice, January 11, 2021. https://www.center4racialjustice.org/post/wcrj-executive-director-testifies-in-il-house-judiciary-committee-hearing.
  5. “Board of Directors.” National Black Worker Center Project (Accessed via Wayback Machine), June 16, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210616083847/https://nationalblackworkercenters.org/board/.
  6. “Workers Center for Racial Justice – IRS Form 990.” ProPublica, February 16, 2022. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/454461270.
  7. “Workers Center for Racial Justice – IRS Form 990.” ProPublica, February 16, 2022. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/454461270.
  8. “Contributor BIOS: Proxy Preview 2023.” Proxy Preview. Accessed December 11, 2023. https://www.proxypreview.org/2023/contributor-bios.
  9. Preacely, Jalen. “Trust Expertise Ensures Donors Make a Difference.” The Chicago Community Trust, May 7, 2022. https://www.cct.org/stories/trust-expertise-ensures-donors-make-a-difference/.
  10. “Workers Center for Racial Justice – Prosecutorial Accountability.” Good Ventures, November 4, 2020. https://www.goodventures.org/our-portfolio/grants/workers-center-for-racial-justice-prosecutorial-accountability/.
  11. “Grants List.” Needmor Fund. Accessed December 11, 2023. https://www.needmorfund.org/index.php?submenu=GrantsList&src=directory&view=Grants&srctype=Grants_lister.
  12. “Workers Center for Racial Justice.” Proteus Fund, 2020. https://www.proteusfund.org/grant/workerscenterforracialjustice-3/.
  13. Strode, Jazmyn. “Vera Announces Funding for Organizations Transforming State and Local…” Vera Institute of Justice. Accessed December 11, 2023. https://www.vera.org/newsroom/vera-announces-funding-for-organizations-transforming-state-and-local-justice-systems-in-rural-america.
  14. “2022 Grantees.” Woods Fund Chicago. Accessed December 11, 2023. https://www.woodsfund.org/2023-grantees.
  15. “Workers Center for Racial Justice – Prosecutorial Accountability in Chicago (2020).” Open Philanthropy, August 2020. https://www.openphilanthropy.org/grants/workers-center-for-racial-justice-prosecutorial-accountability-in-chicago-2020/.
  16. “Our Demands.” Workers Center for Racial Justice. Accessed December 11, 2023. https://www.center4racialjustice.org/demands.
  17. “Giving Tuesday Is Tomorrow and Our Annual Match Is Live! Your Donation to WCRJ Will Be Doubled by a Group of Generous Supporters – $5K Raised from Supporters like You = $10K for Black Liberation! https://T.Co/NIYBYYWSIT Pic.Twitter.Com/jHX4aGRemm.” Twitter, November 27, 2023. https://twitter.com/C4RacialJustice/status/1729220809946779650.
  18. Feurer, Todd, and Sabrina Franza. “Chicago City Council Votes to Phase out Subminimum Wage for Tipped Workers.” CBS News Chicago, October 6, 2023. https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/chicago-city-council-votes-to-phase-out-subminimum-wage-for-tipped-workers/.
  19. Masterson, Matt. “Cash Bail Officially Ends in Illinois Monday. Here’s What You Need to Know.” WTTW News, September 15, 2023. https://news.wttw.com/2023/09/12/what-you-need-know-cash-bail-officially-ends-illinois-monday.
  20. Rigney, Erinn L., Sang-yl Lee, Brian E. Sprang, and Jin J. To. “Chicago Employers: Prepare for New Paid Leave Ordinance Effective 31 December 2023.” Chicago Employers: Prepare For New Paid Leave Ordinance Effective 31December 2023 | HUB | K&L Gates, November 30, 2023. https://www.klgates.com/Chicago-Employers-Prepare-For-New-Paid-Leave-Ordinance-Effective-31December-2023-11-30-2023.
  21. “Safer Communities Act.” Workers Center for Racial Justice. Accessed December 11, 2023. https://www.center4racialjustice.org/safer.
  22. “Small Donor Matching.” Workers Center for Racial Justice. Accessed December 11, 2023. https://www.center4racialjustice.org/smalldonormatch.
  23. “Our Demands.” Workers Center for Racial Justice. Accessed December 11, 2023. https://www.center4racialjustice.org/demands.
  24. “Grassroots Power Secures House Passage of the Build Back Better Plan.” Workers Center for Racial Justice, February 9, 2022. https://www.center4racialjustice.org/post/grassroots-power-secures-house-passage-of-the-build-back-better-plan
  25. “Public Safety Reinvestment.” Workers Center for Racial Justice. Accessed December 11, 2023. https://www.center4racialjustice.org/reinvest.
  26. “Demands.” Workers Center for Racial Justice. Accessed December 11, 2023. https://www.center4racialjustice.org/demands.
  27. “End Police Impunity.” Workers Center for Racial Justice. Accessed December 11, 2023. https://www.center4racialjustice.org/endpoliceimpunity
  28. Emmanuel, Adeshina. “How Chicago’s Police Union Contract Ensures Abuses Remain in the Shadows.” In These Times, June 26, 2017. https://inthesetimes.com/features/chicago_police_union_contract_reform.html.
  29. Bester, DeAngelo. “WCRJ Executive Director Testifies in Il House Judiciary Committee Hearing.” Workers Center for Racial Justice, January 11, 2021. https://www.center4racialjustice.org/post/wcrj-executive-director-testifies-in-il-house-judiciary-committee-hearing.
  30. Meyers, Scottie Lee. “How the Milwaukee Metro’s Electorate Is Shifting in 2022.” Milwaukee PBS, October 22, 2022. https://pbswisconsin.org/news-item/how-the-milwaukee-metros-electorate-is-shifting-in-2022/.
  31. “Committee Details.” Illinois State Board of Elections. Accessed December 11, 2023. https://www.elections.il.gov/CampaignDisclosure/CommitteeDetail.aspx?ID=NC5y4RgVuECKdRXVDHV71w%3D%3D.
  32. “Racial Justice PAC D-2 Quarterly Report 1/1/2023 to 3/31/2023.” Illinois State Board of Elections, April 17, 2023. https://www.elections.il.gov/CampaignDisclosure/ItemizedExpenditures.aspx?FiledDocID=n1yP8f3SYy112ZrrOG1g4A%3D%3D&ExpenditureType=r34gXozZlTO3H61gM2p1tbOJ6ZV1FXvz%2FqFDb0Wy6RE%3D.
  33. “AGENDA STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS Board Meeting Tuesday, August 15, 2023 10:30 a.m.” Illinois State Board of Elections, August 15, 2023. https://www.elections.il.gov/NewDocDisplay.aspx?%2fM0cs48zOKUVo8NHFkkNhVwyxu6isYxmIQBUuKl3cnXZ14OCwk8xSlTDqHmM4r1%2fs4vCJdp%2fBAULh0fhhOvNcfi0PbtcYk76MwkCPU%2bEYsAJhviZIBkIswvtwVaEJgLmpEpfhvxecmM%3d
  34. “AGENDA STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS Board Meeting Tuesday, August 15, 2023 10:30 a.m.” Illinois State Board of Elections, August 15, 2023. https://www.elections.il.gov/NewDocDisplay.aspx?%2fM0cs48zOKUVo8NHFkkNhVwyxu6isYxmIQBUuKl3cnXZ14OCwk8xSlTDqHmM4r1%2fs4vCJdp%2fBAULh0fhhOvNcfi0PbtcYk76MwkCPU%2bEYsAJhviZIBkIswvtwVaEJgLmpEpfhvxecmM%3d
  35. “AGENDA STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS Board Meeting Tuesday, August 15, 2023 10:30 a.m.” Illinois State Board of Elections, August 15, 2023. https://www.elections.il.gov/NewDocDisplay.aspx?%2fM0cs48zOKUVo8NHFkkNhVwyxu6isYxmIQBUuKl3cnXZ14OCwk8xSlTDqHmM4r1%2fs4vCJdp%2fBAULh0fhhOvNcfi0PbtcYk76MwkCPU%2bEYsAJhviZIBkIswvtwVaEJgLmpEpfhvxecmM%3d
  36. “Louisa Manske.” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Accessed December 11, 2023. https://www.cbpp.org/about/our-staff/louisa-manske.
  37. “Fines Due and Owing.” Illinois State Board of Elections. Accessed December 11, 2023. https://www.elections.il.gov/CampaignDisclosure/UnpaidFines.aspx.
  38. “Racial Justice PAC D-2 Quarterly Report 1/1/2023 to 3/31/2023.” Illinois State Board of Elections. Accessed December 11, 2023. https://www.elections.il.gov/CampaignDisclosure/D2Quarterly.aspx?id=n1yP8f3SYy112ZrrOG1g4A%3D%3D
  39. “Racial Justice PAC D-2 Quarterly Report 7/1/2023 to 9/30/2023.” Illinois State Board of Elections. Accessed December 11, 2023. https://www.elections.il.gov/CampaignDisclosure/D2Quarterly.aspx?id=5kE%2FBBpIS%2BWhNMvShCPsQA%3D%3D.
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Nonprofit Information

  • Accounting Period: December - November
  • Tax Exemption Received: August 1, 2014

    • Available Filings

    Period Form Type Total revenue Total functional expenses Total assets (EOY) Total liabilities (EOY) Unrelated business income? Total contributions Program service revenue Investment income Comp. of current officers, directors, etc. Form 990
    2021 Dec Form 990 $1,269,942 $1,105,203 $651,020 $44,314 N $1,269,939 $0 $3 $0
    2020 Dec Form 990 $1,525,410 $1,137,828 $477,784 $39,314 N $1,525,410 $0 $0 $80,000
    2019 Dec Form 990 $687,446 $695,545 $61,564 $10,676 N $687,446 $0 $0 $0 PDF
    2018 Dec Form 990 $968,788 $1,014,893 $59,111 $124 N $968,788 $0 $0 $95,634 PDF
    2017 Dec Form 990 $780,305 $728,105 $92,697 $146 N $780,305 $0 $0 $82,542 PDF
    2016 Dec Form 990 $616,301 $598,368 $87,496 $146 N $616,301 $0 $0 $0 PDF
    2015 Dec Form 990 $251,953 $233,593 $30,500 $0 N $251,953 $0 $0 $51,917 PDF
    2014 Dec Form 990EZ $137,755 $137,030 $12,139 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 PDF
    2013 Dec Form 990EZ $124,394 $106,476 $11,414 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 PDF
    2012 Dec Form 990EZ $28,400 $28,921 $353 $874 $0 $0 $0 $0 PDF

    Workers Center for Racial Justice (WCRJ)


    Chicago, IL