Where We Stand: Honoring Our Past and Inspiring Our Future, by Randi

WHERE WE STAND

Honoring Our Past and Inspiring Our Future RANDI WEINGARTEN, AFT President

THE AMERICAN FEDERATION of Teach- resources they need to give children the tion Fund cultivates promising union-led ers reached a significant milestone in May: education they deserve. ideas to strengthen public education. Our the centennial of our founding. As I’ve The AFT has grown to include other student debt clinics have helped members pored over historical documents from our school employees, professors, government sharply reduce crushing college debt. And archives, it’s clear that, from generation to workers, nurses and healthcare profession- AFT members—from registered nurses generation, our union has been a vehicle als, and early childhood educators. While and adjunct professors to paraprofession- to fight for positive change both in public the AFT and the larger labor movement als and parole officers—practice solution- schools and in society. As we enter our grew, so did America’s middle-class and driven unionism, using our expertise to second century, we remain fiercely com- working families’ standard of living. The improve the quality of our work. mitted to creating educational opportu- labor movement helped nity, building professional voice and ensure that working people, agency, and advancing economic, racial, not simply special interests, and social justice for all. had power in our democ- The seeds of teacher unionism were sown racy. Collective bargaining in the late 19th century, with teachers like provided AFT affiliates Henrietta Rodman, who helped found a leverage to advocate for teachers union in New York City and led the quality, agency, and voice fight to allow women teachers to keep their on the job—the embodi- jobs when they married or had children. In ment of our motto: “A union Chicago, Margaret Haley worked through her of professionals.” local union to challenge pervasive poverty, The AFT has also used teachers’ lack of resources and low pay, and collective action to advance a curriculum imposed by bureaucrats. Rec- racial and social justice. ognizing the strength they would have as As early as 1918, the AFT affiliates of a national union in a larger labor demanded equal pay for movement, in 1916 both women’s unions African-American teachers

joined with six other local unions to form the and lobbied for equal edu- MICHAEL CAMPBELL American Federation of Teachers. cational opportunities for Weingarten, right, with Michael Mulgrew, president of the Then, as now, working people had many African-American children. United Federation of Teachers (AFT Local 2), and Karen reasons to be angry. The AFT has worked In 1953, the AFT filed an Lewis, president of the Chicago Teachers Union (AFT Local 1). to channel the aspirations underlying that amicus brief in support of anger into positive action. From the start, the plaintiffs in the Brown v. Board of Educa- You don’t hit 100 without some set- our leaders have known that power is nec- tion case before the Supreme Court, the backs. Austerity has caused harmful cuts to essary to bring about change, and that only educational organization and union public education and services throughout working people build power through their to do so. Hundreds of AFT members trav- our history. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker collective action at the ballot box and the eled south in the 1960s to register new and other governors intent on destroying bargaining table, and through their skills, African-American voters and teach in any curb on their power have waged war knowledge, and ideas. AFT-run Freedom Schools. Today, the AFT on public sector unions. Many elected For 100 years, the AFT has worked to is working to attract and retain teachers of officials have sought to destabilize public build power and use it for good. In the color and to promote racial equity in edu- schools and services in order to promote 1920s, the AFT lobbied Congress for chil- cation, the economy, and criminal justice. flawed privatization schemes. dren’s rights, improved teacher salaries, And we stand up against bigotry in all its It’s all the more reason to honor the and programs to combat adult illiteracy. forms. example of the AFT’s founding mothers and We have continued that work. For example, The AFT’s greatest strength has always fathers, to take our anger, build on our aspi- in 2015, as Congress worked to reauthorize been our members, professionals whose rations, and channel them into action—for the primary federal education law, AFT skills, knowledge, and ideas both our cause, our country, and our members, members took more than 120,000 online strengthen, and are strengthened by, their and for those we serve and those who will actions and met face to face with legislators union. The AFT’s Share My Lesson is the follow. From one generation to the next, we to help shape the law so it could have the fastest-growing free digital collection of are honoring our past and inspiring our potential to give educators the voice and resources for educators. The AFT Innova- future.

Follow Randi Weingarten: twitter.com/rweingarten. AMERICAN EDUCATOR | SUMMER 2016 1