The undeniable chill in the air and the early hour that darkness falls over us leaves no question that the Winter Holiday season is upon us. The many religious and cultural holidays celebrated around this time of year symbolize our collective commitment to gather and share our love among those we hold most dear. We call upon the sacred values learned from those traditions, to show one another the best versions of ourselves. We do this through fellowship, kindness, food, gift giving, and charity.
Many of these ideals are present year-round in the labor movement. Our activism is one of solidarity, fellowship, and wanting the best for one another as we would want for ourselves. This is best demonstrated in the annual tradition of the Metro Baltimore AFL-CIO food and toy Holiday Basket Event. As always, AFT-Maryland was right there to lend a helping hand to our labor siblings in need. The collective efforts of AFT-Maryland and our AFL-CIO family represent the best parts of the holiday season and remind us that the greatest joy is in giving, rather than receiving.
This holiday season, it is my hope that you are able to gather with friends, family, and those you hold dear to celebrate the cultural and/or religious holiday that serves as your moral compass to engage the world with love, decency, compassion, and care. I hope this is a season of rest because one thing every good labor activist knows is that we cannot care for one another, if we have not first cared for ourselves. In the coming year, our work will continue, and AFT-Maryland will lead the way.
We will be ready to make sure the Blueprint continues to be fully funded to meet the needs of all of our students. We will lead the way to ensure that education professionals at institutions such as the Maryland School for the Deaf and the Department of Juvenile Services are vital contributors to any modifications or implementation to the Blueprint policy, we will work to ensure public employees have safe and healthy working environments, as well as the freedom and democracy in the workplace to advocate for themselves and coworkers without retribution, and we will continue our work to foster an environment where public health professionals can work with the dignity and respect they deserve as they endeavor to keep us safe.
This year also will bring the 2024 election, and AFT-Maryland will be deeply engaged in the political process. As always, we will take our cue from the membership for preferred candidates in the open United States Senate in Maryland, and Mayoral election in Baltimore City. We will also be following a host of legislative and ballot initiatives in Baltimore City that will dictate the state of public employees in the city and potentially beyond.
We have all this and more to look forward to in the coming year. All of that will come in due time. For now, my hope is that everyone gets the rest they deserve and has a chance to surround themselves with a community of love and support that nourishes the soul and prepares you for the upcoming year.
Happy Holidays, from all of us at AFT-Maryland.
Kenya Campbell, President