John,

Democracies can die, and many have. The question is: Will we in America work to safeguard ours? That’s why this summer I asked educators to be guardians of democracy, and it’s why on Tuesday the Albert Shanker Institute, in partnership with the AFT and Onward Together, is hosting a daylong conference on defending democracy.

The stakes are higher than ever, and no one can sit on the sidelines in 2020.

At 9 a.m. Eastern time, I will be introducing Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton as the opening keynote speaker at the “In Defense of Democracy” conference in Washington, D.C. The Shanker Institute, the AFT and Onward Together are hosting this conference, and we have a lineup of incredible speakers. I’m proud that we’re a part of this conversation.

We’re livestreaming the entire conference, and I wanted to make sure you had the link. Watch the livestream of the morning session live on the AFT’s Facebook page.

We’re at a turning point in America. With white supremacy, white nationalism and hatred on the rise, it’s up to us to show up and protect our democracy and defend decency. I hope you’ll watch and join the conversation online.

After Clinton’s keynote, I will be moderating a panel titled “Civic Participation in an Age of Democratic Peril.” I’ll be joined by Amanda Terkel, Washington bureau chief at HuffPost; Leah Greenberg, co-executive director of Indivisible; Joy Reid, MCNBC host; and Gara LaMarche, president of Democracy Alliance, to have an open and honest conversation about how to interact with a democracy that is under attack.

Around 1:30 p.m. Eastern time, we’ll have a panel on voting rights with Andrew Gillum, chair of Forward Florida, former mayor of Tallahassee and 2018 Democratic nominee for governor of Florida; Eric Holder, former U.S. attorney general and chairman of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee; Maria Teresa Kumar, president and CEO of Voto Latino and MSNBC commentator; and Ari Berman, author and senior reporter for Mother Jones. The panel will be moderated by Shanker Institute Executive Director Leo Casey.

Follow and engage on social media using the hashtag #DefenseOfDemocracy.

We’ll be live soon. You don’t want to miss this!

In unity,

Randi Weingarten
AFT President