CLARA CALDWELL

1941-2024

Clara Caldwell played an outside role in keeping the flame of civil rights alive in the Texas labor movement through her role as President of the Texas A. Philip Randolph Institute. 

But Caldwell’s activism in Texas organized labor is multifaceted. 

A former deli manager, Caldwell held key positions in the United Food and Commercial Workers. She served as Director of Human Resources for the Texas AFL-CIO. She worked in the state government in the Texas Workers’ Compensation system.  She was Vice Chair of the Texas Democratic Party, a lifetime member of the NAACP, a Commissioner of Licensing and Regulation under Gov. Ann Richards, and an active member of several labor constituency groups in addition to APRI.

Caldwell remains a member of the Texas AFL-CIO Executive Board and of the Texas AFL-CIO Scholarship Committee. 

Caldwell’s role in expanding the influence of Texas APRI is largely unsung but critical to the development of labor’s agenda. The constituency group, traditionally a voice in civil rights, voting rights, and other key matters, was instrumental in agitating for a place on the Texas AFL-CIO Executive Board and a stronger say in the governance of the state labor federations. Texas APRI has regularly held conventions under Caldwell’s leadership and remains a powerful force for promoting workplace dignity.

While Caldwell is retired in her work life, she has not dropped a beat in her labor leadership, continuing in the great tradition established by A. Philip Randolph himself nearly a century ago.