Randi Weingarten delivers major address in defense of public education
This Tuesday, March 28, AFT President Randi Weingarten delivered a major address, titled “In Defense of Public Education.” In the address she enumerated the many threats against our public schools, which have come under renewed attack from extremist, culture war-peddling politicians.
Yet her leading message was one of hope, as she laid out a clear and powerful pathway to realize the potential of public education, including supporting community schools and experiential learning, addressing teacher and staff shortages, and ensuring genuine partnerships among parents, families, and educators.
“We are at a crossroads: Fear and division, or hope and opportunity,” Weingarten said. “A great nation does not fear people being educated. A great nation does not fear pluralism. A great nation doesn’t have a gun epidemic problem. A great nation chooses freedom, democracy, equality and opportunity. All of that starts in our public schools. We, the United States of America, we are that great nation, and we must act together—to defend, support and strengthen our public schools. And we must do that now. Our children deserve no less.”
For more details and to watch the speech, go to the AFT website.
Help for communities impacted by flooding in Pajaro
The members of the Pajaro Valley Federation of Teachers could use our help in urging the Biden administration to make a federal disaster declaration for those impacted by the recent flooding in their community.
On March 11, 2023, increased storm runoff of the Pajaro River caused a 110-foot breach of the levee protecting the town of Pajaro. More than 33,000 individuals were under evacuation orders or warnings in the region due to the major, life-threatening flooding in the area, including more than 1,700 residents forced to evacuate their homes.
Please take a moment and use your voice by signing the Community Bridges petition to request federal disaster assistance on behalf of Pajaro flood survivors, and urge President Biden to send federal resources to areas impacted by the storms, including the Central Coast counties of San Benito, Santa Cruz, and Monterey.
Tony Thurmond visits Berkeley to discuss financial literacy with students
This week Berkeley High School teacher Crystal Rigley hosted State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond in her Personal Finance and Advanced Placement Macroeconomics class to discuss how to strengthen financial literacy coursework throughout the state of California. Rigley developed the elective course to make sure that students had the opportunity to gain financial literacy before graduating from high school.
Thurmond took the opportunity to listen to students and their thoughts about what a statewide course on financial literacy might look like.
Honoring César Chávez
Today is the day we honor labor icon César Chávez on what would have been his 96th birthday. By recognizing César Chávez we also recognize the labor movement connected with civil rights advocacy. In this Share My Lesson collection, you will find resources on his founding of the United Farm Workers Association with Delores Huerta and all his contributions to the labor movement and to the United States.
Celebrating International Transgender Day of Visibility
Today is International Transgender Day of Visibility. We honor the lives, autonomy, validity and contributions of transgender people. Trans people deserve love, acceptance and freedom, which are too often denied. In this era of culture wars targeting trans people, let's lift them up and show our support today (and every day).
