Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Profiles: Seung Lee

For Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, AFL-CIO is spotlighting various Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders who have worked and continue to work at the intersection of civil and labor rights in the United States. Today's profile is Seung Lee of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT).

Seung Lee was born in Seoul, Korea, and raised in New York City. He has served as a special education and science teacher for 20 years. Lee is an executive board member with the United Federation of Teachers (UFT, AFT Local 2) and a board member of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA) New York chapter. He is chair of the UFT Asian American Heritage Committee and the AFT Asian Caucus. He is currently APALA’s national treasurer.

Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 05/25/2026 - 08:22

Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Profiles: Anita Seth

For Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, AFL-CIO is spotlighting various Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders who have worked and continue to work at the intersection of civil and labor rights in the United States. Today's profile is Anita Seth of UNITE HERE.

Anita Seth is president of UNITE HERE Local 8, representing over 9,000 hospitality workers in Washington and Oregon. Of South Asian heritage, she is the first woman of color to lead her local. She got her start organizing the union as a graduate worker at Yale University, a long-running drive that reached victory in 2023 after over 30 years of struggle.

Kenneth Quinnell Sat, 05/23/2026 - 08:22