Our Voices - Articles

A ‘cup of joe’ for democracy

Photo of coffee cup with American flag design in the coffee. Civic engagement in a cup. | Credit: Chpua / iStock / GettyImages

A good cup of coffee can fill your soul with warmth, comfort and security. It helps start the day on the right foot. Coffee also can bring a community together. Neighbors can meet with their lawmakers over a cup of joe, PSRP leader Jeff Whittle writes in AFT Voices. These meetups aim to pass along information to constituents, field questions and discuss any plans or bills coming up. They are a great opportunity to meet your representatives and talk with other activists. Where can you learn more about your community and advocate for your profession? At your legislator’s coffee hour. Grab a cup right here. Photo Credit: Chpua / iStock / GettyImages
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Defending public education: A national call to action

AFT President Randi Weingarten gathered AFT leaders and national organizers in a virtual town hall Feb.19 to deliver an urgent call to action: On March 4, stand up for our schools. Fight for our communities. Protect our kids.

The call to action is part of the AFT’s newly launched nationwide campaign, “Protect Our Kids,” mounted in response to the Trump administration’s threat to cut the Department of Education and the funds that go with it—a move that ultimately amounts to a large-scale attack on the nearly 50 million American children who attend public schools. Speakers shared their plans for the day, in addition to resources to help the nearly 1,000 attendees plan their own community-level actions.

Educators and activists rally to save our schools

AFT President Randi Weingarten speaks in the middle of the Elon Out Rally

On Feb. 12, a bundled-up group of educators, activists, labor leaders and elected officials braved freezing rain on the snow-covered lawn of the Capitol in Washington, D.C., to demand that lawmakers protect our schools, our kids and our teachers. The refrain? Get billionaire Elon Musk out of the government’s business and save our schools.

Educators, parents, students want #ElonoutofED

One day before the confirmation hearing for secretary of education nominee Linda McMahon, parents, students and educators rallied online to ask her to protect the private data of millions of people and get #ElonoutofEd.

Billionaire Elon Musk, an unelected official operating without congressional approval, has hijacked the private data of millions of Americans—including Social Security numbers, bank records and medical data—through the Education Department, the Office of Personnel Management and the Treasury Department. Earlier this week, the AFT joined two other unions to sue all three departments for violating the Privacy Act.