More Than Support Staff: The Strength of Local 2921

AFSCME Local 2921 is the voice of dedicated paraprofessionals, administrative staff, and support workers across D.C. Public Schools. Representing those essential to student success and school operations, Local 2921 fights for fair wages, better working conditions, and professional respect. Whether it’s advocating for safer classrooms, stronger benefits, or more inclusive policies, Local 2921 stands united to uplift its members while keeping students’ best interests at heart. This union is more than a bargaining unit—it’s a community committed to dignity, equity, and progress for all.

Member Highlight: Saqiyna Gray Saqiyna Gray is officially a paraprofessional/small group reading specialist at Stanton Elementary School. But the winner of AFSCME’s Never Quit Service Award is so much more. “I want to make sure when my students leave here that they have the skills to be able to go out into the community, go out into the world, and spread more leadership, and spread more things that they learned here while with me and with this school,” Gray says. One former student said Gray’s impact is so huge that she thinks of her as her mom.