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AFT Maryland and many of our local affiliates once again participated in the AFL-CIO Community Services of Central Maryland's annual Holiday Basket and Toy Drive for union families in need. AFT Maryland staff, Kolade Balogun and Jeffery Johnson helped to coordinate with the AFL-CIO and our affiliates to set up donation boxes, collect non perishable food items and toys for families. 

On her very first day of student teaching at Linden Avenue Middle School in Red Hook, N.Y., Martha Strever pushed, pulled and pounded on the school’s door, which was locked. No one came. Where was everybody? It was, after all, the first day of school.

It turned out everybody was exactly where they were supposed to be: inside, having entered through the school’s front entrance. Strever had been knocking on a side door. Flustered but undeterred, she not only found her way inside, she also found her life’s calling.

Paraprofessionals and school-related personnel are often overlooked because of their support roles. They are the last ones hired and often the first ones fired when budgets get tight. This certainly seems true right now as the Trump administration withholds nearly $7 billion in education funds, effective July 1, which has hamstrung summer school programs, hindered English language support, halted professional development this summer, and left before- and after-school programs in limbo for the coming school year.

It is clear that higher education is under attack. The Trump administration has frozen funding for science, from cancer research to reproductive care; has hamstrung student financial aid programs; has stripped colleges and universities of diversity, equity and inclusion programming; has strangled affirmative action designed to expand access to college; and is demanding that some institutions sign a “compact” that forces them to adopt Trump’s ideology in exchange for federal funding.

Dr. Byrce Pulliam spends his nights in a community emergency room in Southern Oregon, where the line between life and death can come down to seconds—and insurance coverage.

“I show up 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year with one goal in mind: to provide excellent care for patients in crisis. Being a doctor is often challenging, but it has become harder because our nation’s healthcare system is on life support,” he said before a House hearing on Oct. 8.

Scarlett Ahmed has started counting the number of people sleeping outside the Queens Career Center in New York City when she arrives at work in the morning.

“It was already bad,” she said. “But this? This will just add to it.”

Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

We know this has been a challenging time for our neighbors and communities across the state. Uncertainty around access to basic resources, food, travel, and healthcare caused by decisions made at the federal level that left many wondering how they would put food on the table, visit loved ones this holiday season, or address health concerns.

Yet even with so much unfolding around us, the season welcomes moments of reflection and connection, reminding us of what matters most and the importance of making memories with the people we hold close.

Read more here.

AFT Maryland members and staff joined with an annual Community Trunk or Treat event for kids and families on Saturday, Oct. 25th, 2025 in the Sandtown-Winchester neighborhood of Baltimore. We were there with snacks and free books for the kids, and voter registration information for the grown-ups. It was a great afternoon for everyone.

AFT Maryland joined other sponsors of the event, including the A Philip Randolph Institute, the Coalition of Labor Union Women, Baltimore Metro Council AFL-CIO, several other unions, Hope Chapel Baptist Church, and the Rogue Auto Family. 

Join Us on Saturday, October 25, 2025 

from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm 

for Trunk or Treating with AFT Maryland 
and other community sponsors!

We will meet at 1000 N Stricker St, Baltimore, MD 21217
(between Riggs Ave and Mosher St.)

READ MORE...