Hundreds Gather at Annapolis Jobs Rally

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)The warmth of solidarity was never more evident than last night in Annapolis as several hundred labor activists gathered closely together in sub-freezing temperatures for a jobs rally at the State Capitol. The memory of Rev. Martin Luther King’s struggles for economic justice and worker rights was repeatedly invoked by speakers from Maryland Lieutenant Governor Anthony Brown to Maryland State and District of Columbia AFL-CIO President Fred Mason. “What would Martin do?” asked Brown, “Dr. King’s struggle continues today as the 99% worry about their jobs and their future.” Brown cited several jobs measures recently introduced by Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley and invited labor allies to return each week during the legislative session to ensure that the needs of the state’s working families are being met. “It was cold when we got here but it’ll be hot when we leave,” promised Rev. C. D. Witherspoon, President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Baltimore. “We want jobs and we want justice and we want it now.” - report/photo by Chris Garlock