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Statement on the passing of Nat LaCour

It is with deep sorrow AFT-Maryland shares the passing of Nat LaCour. Nat was a high school teacher in New Orleans and got his start as a union leader who was at the forefront of school integration in New Orleans. Additionally, Nat was the first Executive Vice President AFT and Secretary-Treasurer Emeritus of the national federation. His fingerprints are all over the public sector labor movement as he was a pioneering giant on issues of workers' rights as well as racial justice. Nat continued to push AFT to lead on racial equality in school districts across the country, in public health care

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Statement on the Passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg

AFT-Maryland joins a grateful and sad nation in mourning the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Affectionately known as "Notorious RBG" by supporters, Justice Ginsburg was a passionate advocate for working people and was most well known for her work to ensure gender equality. Her poignant and insightful opinions modeled to young girls and women everywhere that they do not have to dim their lights so male lights can shine brighter.

Justice Ginsburg was a proud Jewish woman and her passing during Rosh Hashanah is a devastating blow to our Jewish sisters and brothers. She did not hide her

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Healthy Workplaces and COVID-19


AFT Health Issues has several resources for public employees during COVID-19. Follow the links below to open these helpful information sheets.
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On the Passing of Congressman John Lewis and Rev. C.T. Vivian

[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"69230","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image media-image-right","style":"width: 25%; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; margin: 3px 2px; float: right;"}}]]AFT-Maryland President Marietta English Statement
on the Passing of Congressman John Lewis and Rev. C.T. Vivian

When giants the size of Rev. C.T. Vivian and Congressman John Lewis passed, the country rightfully paused to reflect on the way they helped shape our nation into a more perfect union. It's important that we reflect on what these men fought for and how that fight remains. They fought for justice and equality here in the United States. Rev. Vivian was heralded by none other than Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as the "greatest preacher to ever live." His moral clarity and willingness to sacrifice are a guide to every freedom fighter. One such fighter was 16 years his junior but would go on to be his colleague.

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AFT-Maryland at Workers First Caravan

[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"68852","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","style":"width: 100%; margin: 5px 2px;"}}]]The challenges of COVID-19 have altered a number of normal routines and activities. The need to alter isn’t the same as canceling however, and unions have demonstrated that better than perhaps anyone. Ordinarily, if there was important legislation that affected union households, union activists would flood Capitol Hill to agitate for their issues. The mandates for social distancing created by the ongoing global pandemic meant that labor had to be creative in how they lobbied; and creative labor was with a mass worker caravan circling through downtown Washington, DC and the U.S. Capitol complex.

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Statement on the Deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd

[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"68666","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","style":"width: 100%; margin-top: 5px; margin-bottom: 5px;"}}]]The past week and a half has been perhaps the most challenging time for the United States in the 21st century. The high profile deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd (two of which we witnessed the heartbreaking video) has awakened a deep sense of unequal treatment of Black Americans by police and white vigilantes. This has led to protests and rebellions across the country where a number of police departments have responded brutally to journalists and protesters ironically protesting police brutality.

The wake of this has brought on rebellions and uprisings reminiscent of the long hot summer of 1968. Many historians direct our attention to the race riots of 1919 as a more apt comparison. Locally, we don't even have to go that far back. We vividly remember the 2015 uprisings in response to the death of Freddie Gray in police custody. Unequal treatment of Black people by law enforcement is abhorrent and must end if this nation is to live up to the full promise of its words. Dr. King reminds us that "a riot is the language of the unheard. And what is it that America has failed to hear?"

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