It is with a heavy heart that AFT-Maryland joins Baltimore and the world in mourning the passing of Thomas D'Alesandro III. Mayor D'Alesandro's contributions to the city are immeasurable but he'll be most remembered for his efforts to attack racial discrimination head on. His work as both City Council President and later as Mayor to end discrimination in this city took political courage unique to the time he served.
Mayor D'Alesandro expended political capital to build new schools and to appoint African-Americans to important, high-ranking city positions. While most remembered as a part of a political family dynasty, the individual accomplishments of the man Baltimoreans called "Young Tommy" shall never be forgotten. The collective state federation offers our deepest sympathies and heartfelt condolences to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the entire D'Alesandro family.