John,

On Friday, July 25, the Trump administration announced it was releasing funds for education that it had been illegally withholding from schools and students. Our collective activism, which included AFT members and leaders coming to Washington, D.C., last week to lobby their members of Congress about this and other key priorities, put enough pressure on President Donald Trump and Education Secretary Linda McMahon to reverse course and no longer hold these funds as ransom.

It was fitting that the reversal happened just as I was about to give a speech at our biennial TEACH conference in D.C. When I announced it to the attendees, teachers and school staff from around the country cheered and celebrated the news.

But TEACH was more than that. It was about not just what we’re fighting against, but what we’re fighting for: safe, welcoming, engaging and relevant public schools. From discussing how the AFT is leading the way on artificial intelligence and reading instruction, to focusing on how to make learning engaging and relevant, educators came away from the TEACH conference empowered and energized to continue teaching and supporting all students.

In my speech I discussed the core challenges facing educators and school staff. I examined how we must fight back but also fight forward for a better life, as educators, workers, trade unionists and Americans. And why we must be beacons for our communities, as never before. Because we are in a moment like never before.

I addressed the attacks on educators and schools for teaching critical thinking, honest history, pluralism. Those attacks are a key reason I wrote my upcoming book, Why Fascists Fear Teachers.

So many Americans are anxious and struggling to get by. We need an agenda of affordability, opportunity and dignity, a pathway to a better life for everyone. Our members are going to keep fighting, the way we fought for Trump to release the funds our students need, against the terrible cuts to education, healthcare and good jobs in his big, ugly bill. That’s who we are in the AFT—we care, fight, show up and vote for our values and our priorities. Thank you for all you do.

As always, I’d love to hear from you. You can email me at [email protected] with feedback or ideas anytime.

You and your fellow members of the AFT make a difference every day in the lives of students, patients and communities. Thank you.

I hope you’re having a great summer,
Randi Weingarten
AFT President