When I became president of this great union of educators in September, I said I wanted NEA to lead a movement to unite our members and this nation to reclaim public education as a common
good, and transform it into something it was never designed to be: a racially and socially just and equitable system that actually prepares every student— not one, not some, but every single student—to succeed in a diverse and interdependent world.
Today, we are moving toward the realization of that vision. We are not there yet—but we can see it in our future, if we remain determined, if we remain focused, and if we don’t stop calling for what we know our students and families need.
No question. This school year has been extraordinarily difficult. As educators, we have faced challenges we could never have imagined. I have seen in your faces and heard in your voices the toll that this past year has taken on your mental, emotional, and physical health.
Meanwhile, the abuse and assault on Black people and People of Color— men, women, and children—by police and other law enforcement continues. In April, while the nation relived the horror of George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis, 20-year-old Duante Wright was killed just miles away from the courthouse where the trial of Floyd’s killer was being held. Days later, 13-year- old Adam Toledo was shot dead by Chicago police as he turned his body to an officer, his empty hands raised above his head.
These killings, and myriad similar killings that came before, have forced America to finally begin facing its 400-year-old pandemic of racism.
Necessarily, NEA’s pursuit of racial and social justice—and, ultimately, education justice—must continue to be the work we do together.
The guilty verdict in the killing of George Floyd is just a start, albeit a critical one. Our students, colleagues, schools, and communities are depending on us to continue moving forward.
This spring, President Joe Biden signed the American Rescue Plan. The new law provides $170 billion to education, including money to hire more educators, improve school ventilation, and provide mental health services to students.
This package never would have become a reality without educators calling for what we know students need. But that’s what we do. We stand up for students and educators. And that’s what we’re going to keep on doing for every student in this country—Black, White, brown, Indigenous, Asian American and Pacific Islander, LGBTQ+, and differently abled.
Every student, every one, deserves a chance to live their dreams, to chase their curiosity, to fulfill their potential.
Now, it’s summer—finally! I hope you can find a few moments of respite to enjoy a ray of sunshine on your face. Please take care of yourselves and each other. We need to heal our whole selves so we are ready for the work ahead. Together, we will create a system that works for each and every one of our students and supports you—the amazing educators who have dedicated your lives to making it so.
