Community Partner : United Workers Intern : Evan Drukker-Schardl Site Supervisors : Adriana Foster
What is United Workers ? United Workers is a non-partisan poor people ’ s multi-racial and bilingual human rights organization fighting to secure the human rights of everyone , everywhere . We do this by organizing low-wage workers around human rights values of respect , dignity , and sanctity of human life , and by developing leaders from the ranks of the poor .
" Two weeks into my summer at United Workers , my duties brought me to three different meetings around Baltimore . I found myself navigating totally new spaces full of people I had never met before . They seemed to all know each other very well , and I sensed a kind of mutual understanding to which I was not yet privy . People were talking and joking with one another . I was the newcomer in this world of Baltimore organizing , and I felt like I couldn ’ t possibly feel at home here by the end of the summer . I didn ’ t speak at these meetings — I just listened closely , introduced myself , and chatted with a few people . As June ended , and I began petitioning , I stopped thinking about becoming a “ part ” of the community . There was too much going on — running around the city collecting signatures , formulating systems for following up with people we met , calling our membership about various events , and dealing with the odd catastrophe here and there . We strategized for the end of the summer , researched the city and its finances , and more . Things were hectic , and I was meeting people left and right on the streets and in the office . Then , at the end of July , I mentioned to the other organizers at United Workers that I would be leaving in a little over a week . “ No !” they said . “ Like , forever ?” I clarified that I would still be around , but my formal internship ended the next week . Later that week at the another Baltimore Housing Roundtable meeting , I found myself joking and laughing with my friends in the room , sharing little stories and chatting about music , the stifling heat , and community land trusts . I became a part of the community without realizing that it was happening . People form special bonds in this kind of organizing — it ’ s physically and emotionally draining , and it ’ s entirely based on forming relationships with people . I ’ m proud and happy to have found a Baltimore community this summer , and a group of kind , dedicated , smart people whom I call my friends ." -Evan
• Collected petition signatures for Baltimore ' s 20 / 20 Vision for Fair Development , asking the city to invest in permanently affordable housing , jobs , and environmentally sustainable communities .
• Strategized with the Baltimore Housing Roundtable , the Remington Housing Working Group , and other BHR-affiliated groups to determine how to form community land trusts in Baltimore and present the 20 / 20 Vision to the City .
• Conducted correspondence for United Workers and the Baltimore Housing Roundtable , including updating members about meetings , inviting interested Baltimoreans to join the campaign , and talking one-on-one with prospective leaders .
• Researched neighborhoods in Baltimore and the Baltimore City budget process .
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