February 9, 2021, will be remembered as a milestone for Steelworkers who belong to Local 8888 and a day of honor for a trailblazing Black woman from Hampton. The City of Hampton hosted an emotional groundbreaking ceremony for a new neighborhood center named for Mary W. Jackson, who grew up in Olde Hampton and went on to become the first Black female engineer at Langley/NASA space center.

Local 8888 President Charles Spivey led a delegation of Steelworkers who displayed a a commemorative poster “Hidden No More” at the special event. “Today the soul of Mary Jackson has come home to the community that raised her and later revered her,” he said. “Our members are proud to be part of this ground-breaking ceremony for the new Mary W. Jackson Neighborhood Center. This is truly a defining achievement for our union.”