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President's Message

Activism: Everyone Has a Role!

 
For decades, I have proudly watched NEA and NEA-Retired make a difference on critical retiree issues while working to protect public education at every level. We’ve scored important victories.

But we can’t afford to rest on our laurels. Instead, retirees must remain engaged in critical national issues—like the push for common sense immigration reform and the call for congressional passage of sensible gun safety measures that are truly preventive.

At the local level, we must support NEA affiliates’ battles to defend pensions and to preserve the right to bargain over health care. And we’ve got to help affiliates protect public school funding and stay on the watch for bad legislation that would harm our nation’s students and educators.

But here’s the truth: Whether a battle is local or national, what matters is that every single one of us must uphold NEA-Retired members’ legacy of activism and join the fight to protect public education. That was the focus of the NEA-Retired Organizing Conference, held in Orlando, Fla., in March: getting stronger so we can continue moving forward.

Join in! Visit EducationVotes.org to stay up to date on national issues and find out what you can do to make an impact. Then, make your voice heard on important public education issues. Call NEA’s toll-free Educator Connector Line at 1-866-293-7278 to get connected directly to the offices of your senator or representative.

Let’s use the experiences we gained yesterday to make a big difference today!

—Tom Curran

 

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Published In

May, 2013