AI is the Future of Work: Are Black Coastal Communities In It?

In this episode of Shoresides, we hear from Charles Seaton, President of International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) Local 1766 in Wilmington, North Carolina, as he speaks on the fight to protect jobs from automation in the maritime industry. Historian David Cecelski connects the modern labor struggle to the long and often-overlooked legacy of African American maritime labor on the North Carolina coast, while Portia Allen-Kyle of Color of Change provides a critical perspective on how automation and AI are reshaping labor markets, with disproportionate impacts on Black workers. Together, they explore the intersections of history, technology, and equity, and portray a vivid picture of coastal North Carolina's future.Useful report to read for more context:McKinsey Institute for Black Economic Mobility. The Impact of Generative AI on Black Communities. McKinsey & CompanySend us Fan MailSupport the showwww.shoresides.org