Maryland

Workers at Howard Community College (HCC) and Frederick Community College (FCC) in Maryland filed for official union recognition on Aug. 21. More than 80% of the 170 faculty at HCC and 100 faculty at FCC petitioned the state Public Employee Relations Board to join the American Association of University Professors, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and AFT-Maryland.

Working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our regular Service + Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.

History has long been portrayed as a series of "great men" taking great action to shape the world we live in. In recent decades, however, social historians have focused more on looking at history "from the bottom up," studying the vital role that working people played in our heritage. Working people built, and continue to build, the United States. In our new series, Pathway to Progress, we'll take a look at various people, places and events where working people played a key role in the progress our country has made, including those who are making history right now. Today's topic is the story of Baltimore caulkers who bought their own shipyard in the face of systemic discrimination.