My Turn: Baltimore County CARE Liaison Cortly Witherspoon

Meet Cortly Witherspoon, a neighborhood college liaison at Baltimore County’s Winfield Elementary Faculty. He’s a longtime social and political activist and now, as a member of the Schooling Assist Professionals of Baltimore County (ESPBC), a union activist. This 12 months, he’s a part of MSEA’s 2024-2025 Minority Management Coaching cohort, certainly one of MSEA’s signature management growth packages.

At Winfield Elementary, I apply the ideas of humanity which have guid­ed me my total life to my place as CARE (Caregiver, Help, Useful resource, and Engagement) liaison. We’re a neighborhood college, and I work intently with our neighborhood college coordina­tor as I assist and encourage fami­lies and caregivers to turn into engaged and concerned. We wish to construct their capability as caregivers, encourage shared choice making about their scholar’s success, and discover methods to assist them assist their scholar’s studying.

I’m primarily based out of our Group Useful resource Cottage the place we inventory meals, college provides and uniforms, and home goods. It’s additionally the place we assist our households discover different community-based providers to advertise their wholeness and strengthen their high quality of life.

After I began this job two years in the past, I researched the union and located my constructing rep inside the week. Though I hadn’t been a union member earlier than, I had labored with unions and revered the mission and core values of unionism and was prepared to seek out my place in our native.

Social and political activism isn’t new to me. My scholar activism and neighborhood service dates again to center college days, the place I labored with the NAACP to advocate for packages and initiatives to uplift the African American expertise. Extra not too long ago, I served as president of the Baltimore Metropolis Southern Christian Management Convention and fought for a $15 minimal wage.

This summer time, I labored with the ESP Summer season Organizers to share the ESP Invoice of Rights and join one-on-one with potential members. This highly effective work allowed me to fulfill fellow CARE liaisons, paraprofessionals, college workplace professionals, and others, all preventing for respect and decency on the job. Subsequent, I attended the 2024 MSEA Summer season Management Convention the place I used to be blown away by the workshops and displays of passionate and skilled union members. There I met new union brothers and sisters and constructed relationships with different educators beginning their journey with MSEA or their native.

Most not too long ago, I joined ESPBC’s effort to work on racial, social, and financial justice (RSEJ) points, and am amongst a number of members of the 2024-2025 MSEA Minority Management Coaching cohort the place I’ll construct on my data of RSEJ points and the intersection of public training and the union motion. In my non-public life, I’m a foster father or mother.

I imagine that service is the lease we pay to stay on the earth, and I’m devoted and dedicated to neighborhood service, preventing for justice, supporting the union, and serving to to arrange the subsequent era to make their mark.

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