From Conviction
to Community Champion
Aaron Barnett is not who you think he is. And that is exactly the point.
Aaron J. Barnett did not arrive at community service by accident. He was born into it. His grandfather, David Barnett, was known throughout Turner Station as the 'Mayor of Turner Station' — a man so deeply embedded in the fabric of his community that the title was not honorary; it was earned. David Barnett was also president of the mechanics union, a living example of what it means to fight for working people. That example never left Aaron.
His cousin Glenn Middleton went on to serve as Executive Director of AFSCME Council 67, one of the most powerful public-sector unions in Maryland. Both of Aaron's parents were proud union members: his father retired from the International Longshoremen's Association, his mother from Maryland Mass Transit. In the Barnett household, organized labor was not a political position. It was a way of life.
After graduating from Woodlawn High School, Aaron enlisted in the United States Navy at age 17. He served overseas with Submarine Squadron 16 and as a member of Assault Group 2 — a specialized amphibious unit. He received an honorable discharge during the first ceasefire in Beirut. The discipline, sacrifice, and brotherhood of military service became the bedrock of everything that followed.
He built his professional life on the docks of the Port of Baltimore as a ship foreman with ILA Local 333 — representing over 1,000 workers. He rose to Vice President, becoming the face and voice of the union's most critical moments, including leading the 2013 strike that secured improved wages and benefits for the entire workforce.
More than twenty years ago, Aaron faced his most personal reckoning — a conviction that stripped away his freedom and tested every relationship he held dear. He has spoken openly about those years: 'Although I was temporarily short-sighted, at my lowest moments it was their influence — my grandfather's, my parents', my cousin's — that shaped my decision to get up, dust myself off, and focus on growth through service.' He returned to faith and made a deliberate decision to transform pain into purpose.
After his release, he worked alongside ex-offenders and homeless individuals at the Prisoners Aid Association of Maryland. Something lit up. Then one night, he woke up and wrote five letters: RBLOCK. A month later, the mission was named — Removing Barriers Limiting Our Community Kids. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit was born, self-funded and sustained by faith alone, serving District 4 youth ages 8 to 18 across nine active programs.
In 2010, The Honorable James T. Smith — the same judge who had once sentenced Aaron to prison — presented him with the Baltimore County Martin Luther King Content of Character Award. He has also received the NAACP Outstanding Community Service Award and the DMV Christian Music Awards Humanitarian of the Year. That arc is not a talking point. It is testimony.
"I decided not to wear my incarceration as a badge of honor — but use it as a tool of motivation and inspiration for others."