Filipino American labor activists Silme Domingo (1952-1981) and Gene Allen Viernes (1951-1981) were murdered in Seattle on June 1, 1981, while attempting to reform the Local 37 of the International Longshoremen's and Warehousemen's Union (ILWU) and organizing against Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos and his wife Imelda Marcos.

At first, authorities thought the murder was an isolated incident and concluded with the arrest of the gunmen. However, friends and family of the victims founded The Committee for Justice for Domingo and Viernes and launched a decade-long campaign which resulted in the conviction of the former ILWU Local 37 President and family friend Constantine “Tony” Baruso (a supporter of Marcos) for organizing the assassination, and also proved that the murders had been ordered by the Marcos regime with U.S. government knowledge.

This August 1981 newsletter from the Committee for Justice for Domingo and Viernes provides an update on the impending trial of the two gunmen, Pompeyo Benito Guloy Jr. and Jimmy Bulosan Ramil; reports on the growing support of unionized and nonunionized workers for the efforts to seek justice for Domingo and Viernes; and gives updates on the Committee for Justice outreach efforts to the Filipino, Asian, Latino, Black and women’s communities.

Caption information source: The Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project, University of Washington, retrieved from https://depts.washington.edu/civilr/cindy_domingo.htm