A logger goes to the Senate

Guided by the principle that no one should have to choose between food, medicine, and basic necessities, FAM works for economic fairness and social justice through mutual aid and policy advocacy.

How can families meet their basic needs without having to choose among them or depend on the generosity of others? This is the question FAM sets out to answer. Its motto, "Solidarity, not charity," offers a response.

One program that embodies this spirit is Solidarity Harvest, held each year shortly before Thanksgiving. FAM uses the money it raises to purchase local produce, then works with volunteers to pack baskets containing the ingredients for a traditional Thanksgiving meal for ten people: turkey, potatoes, squash, cranberry sauce, pumpkin bread. These meal baskets are then delivered to union families, those facing hardship, churches, under-resourced schools, and homeless shelters.

Farmers find a market for their products, those in need receive a plentiful meal, and volunteers experience the warmth of belonging to a larger family. Food and human connection are shared through work in which everyone has something to contribute and everyone deserves care. This is not an act of charity, but the product of solidarity and mutual support.

But let us return to Troy Jackson. Jackson embodies Maine’s working people. He is a fifth-generation logger, part of a family whose livelihood has long depended on one of the state’s traditional industries. Before entering the U.S. Senate race this past July, he worked in logging and served for many years as president of the Maine State Senate. His supporters call him "a faithful friend of labor." Jackson brings an approachable manner, a deep commitment, and a promise to do everything he can for those with little power or voice.

Maine Democratic Senate candidate Troy Jackson speaks at an election night event, Nov. 4, 2026, in Portland, Maine. Photo by AP

Among the dozens of people attending FAM’s annual meeting that year, Jackson, then still president of the Maine Senate, was the first to approach me, shake my hand, and welcome me to FAM. It was also my first day in a new job. In this position, my responsibilities extended beyond studying policy and teaching students. More importantly, I was to help build connections with labor unions and community organizations across the state, support their work, and share knowledge they could put to use.

Although I have not left the classroom entirely, traveling across the state alongside working people, in a place where the median household incomes fall below the national average, has taught me a great deal. Among these lessons are the deeper meaning and practical value of solidarity in peacetime.

As a Vietnamese person, I am familiar with lessons about solidarity and the principle that "intact leaves shelter torn ones," especially during war or times of hardship. But living in the world’s most powerful nation, where economic abundance and individualism are defining features of American culture, it can be easy to lose sight of that spirit.

In Maine, as elsewhere, loggers, farmers, restaurant servers, and hospital workers have different jobs and face different circumstances. What they share is a need for material security and a voice in decisions affecting their livelihoods. Meeting people who labor each day to make ends meet, and those who persist in the struggle for fairness and justice, reminds me that the lessons of solidarity I learned as a child remain as meaningful as ever.

Each year during Solidarity Harvest, Jackson rolls up his sleeves to help us pack and deliver meal baskets to union families and some of the state’s most underserved and struggling communities. That powerful solidarity among people who believed in Jackson’s promises and his ability to fulfill them helped send him to Washington in the recent election. His remarkable victory over veteran Republican senator Susan Collins gave the Democratic Party an important Senate seat that had once seemed beyond reach.

Collins had won five consecutive elections and held the seat for nearly three decades. Challenging such an entrenched position required Jackson’s supporters to believe that their efforts could still bring about change. It required people who disagreed on many things to find something worth defending together: enough food to eat, access to medical care, fairly paid work, and a life of dignity.

In today’s increasingly polarized and unequal American society, sustaining hope can be difficult. People can grow weary of efforts that have yet to yield results, or of the distance between what they hope to achieve and what they actually have the power to do. But if we can recognize the value of our work, and find the courage to trust ourselves and one another as we continue building a shared path forward, we can find the strength to carry on.

*Nguyen Thuy An holds a PhD in History, specializing in U.S. foreign relations, women's studies and labor studies. She currently teaches and conducts research at the University of Maine in the United States.