october 18 20, 2019 ∙ montgomery, alabama · 2019 AFT CIVIL, HUMAN AND WOMEN’S RIGHTS...

october 18–20, 2019 ∙ montgomery, alabama

#ShowUp4Justice

AFT Executive Council Committee on Human Rights and Community Relations

Randi Weingarten

president

Lorretta Johnson

secretary-treasurer

Evelyn DeJesus

executive vice president

Philippe Abraham

Kathy Chavez

Melissa Cropper

Aida Diaz Rivera

Jolene DiBrango

Marietta English

Anthony Harmon

Louis Malfaro

Wayne Spence

Ann Twomey

AFT Civil and Human Rights Committee

Philippe Abraham

Adreina Adams

Michael Brunson

Brenda Chaney

Kathy Chavez

Patricia Crispino

Selina Durio

Jacqueline Elliot

Peggy Gladden

Susan Goodwin

David Gray

Tashaune Harden

Fedrick Ingram

Susan Jacobson

Jerry Jordan

Tracy Lai

Carla McCoy

John McDonald

Virginia Mancini

Yolanda Montalvo

Derryn Moten

Sharon Persinger

AFT Women’s Rights Committee

Shelvy Abrams

Julia Barcott

Aisha Cook

Deborah Crockett

Jolene DiBrango

Marietta English

Marty Fridgen

Connie Goodly-LaCour

Jacqueline Goosen

Karla Hernandez-Mats

Jennifer Higgins

Dianne Jackson

Teri Jones

Joan McGowan

Sheryl Pedone

Debby Pope

Alexis Rean-Walker

Jennifer Stenger

Jennifer Wasson

Copyright © American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO. Permission is hereby granted to AFT state and local affiliates to reproduce and distribute copies of the work for nonprofit educational purposes, provided that copies are distributed at or below cost, and that the author, source, and copyright notice are included on each copy. Any distribution of such materials to third parties who are outside of the AFT or its affiliates is prohibited without first receiving the express written permission of the AFT.

Our Mission

The American Federation of Teachers is a union of professionals that champions fairness; democracy; economic opportunity; and high-quality public education, healthcare and public services for our students, their families and our communities. We are committed to advancing these principles through community engagement, organizing, collective bargaining and political activism, and especially through the work our members do.

Host Committee

Alabama State University Faculty-Staff Alliance

Derryn Moten, co-president

Jefferson County AFT

Marrianne Hayward, president

Birmingham Federation of Teachers

Richard Franklin, president

2019 AFT CIVIL, HUMAN AND WOMEN’S RIGHTS CONFERENCE | 3

AFT Women’s Rights Committee

Host Committee

AFT CIVIL, HUMAN AND WOMEN’S RIGHTS CONFERENCE

October 18-20, 2019 Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa

Montgomery, Ala.

Fighting for a Better Life, a Voice at Work and in Our Democracy In the Not so New Jane & Jim Crow Era

#ShowUp4Justice

CONFERENCE AGENDA

THURSDAY, OCT. 17

4 p.m. – 8 p.m. Hotel Registration Area Registration

FRIDAY, OCT. 18

8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Hotel Registration Area Registration

10 a.m. – 11 a.m. Rally at the Alabama State Capitol (600 Dexter Ave.) A national cross section of leaders from the faith, civil rights, labor and education communities will converge at the Alabama State Capitol to rally for justice. From voter rights to reproductive rights to racial justice and LGBTQ rights, speakers will make their voices heard. Many will have just arrived to kick off the American Federation of Teachers’ 2019 Civil, Human and Women’s Rights Conference that is being held in historic Montgomery. Over the weekend, they will examine urgent social justice issues, including immigration, women’s rights, LGBTQ rights and civic and community engagement.

12:30 p.m. – 2 p.m. Alabama AB Ballroom Luncheon Plenary Session: We Care. We Fight. We Show Up. We Vote.

Greetings: Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange

Speaker: Randi Weingarten, president, American Federation of Teachers

Presiding: Lorretta Johnson, secretary-treasurer, American Federation of Teachers

2:30 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Workshops

He, She, They: Gender Identity Alabama C, 1st Floor Gender has become an analytical concept that is being heavily discussed from classrooms to the halls of Congress. This workshop will examine the evolution of gender theory, its importance in classrooms and communities, and the role that policy plays in fostering a supportive school climate, and it will equip participants with strategies for incorporating gender identity in schools.



Speakers: David Johns, executive director, National Black Justice Coalition Victoria Rodríguez-Roldán, senior policy counsel, National LGBTQ Task Force Moderator: Patricia Crispino, special representative, United Federation of Teachers; member, AFT Civil and Human Rights Committee Keep Your Policies Off My Body: Reproductive Rights Alabama D, 1st Floor People seeking pregnancy-related services need information and expert healthcare. Yet the recent bill signed into law by Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has politicized the situation and reignited a national cultural war that could force the Supreme Court to reconsider the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. This workshop will explore reproductive freedom as a human right, grass-roots organizations fighting for women’s rights, and ways we can renew our commitment to ensure that women maintain their right to reproductive choice and have access to all reproductive health services. Speakers: Randall Marshall, executive director, American Civil Liberties Union of Alabama Heather Shumaker, senior counsel for reproductive rights and health, National Women’s Law Center Nicole Watkins, field organizer, Planned Parenthood Southeast, Birmingham Rev. Leslie Watson Wilson, director, African American Religious Affairs, People For the American Way Moderator: Aisha Cook, vice president, New Rochelle Federation of United School Employees; member, AFT Women’s Rights Committee; member, NYSUT Women’s Rights Committee Immigration: Justice for All Montgomery 5, 2nd Floor Immigration is part of this country’s DNA. With the exception of Native Americans, who were here before the country was “discovered,” and enslaved Africans, who were forced to relocate to this country, America is a country of immigrants. This workshop will provide a foundational

framework for understanding immigration and the current crisis. Learn more about the country’s potential once we fix the broken laws, the common threads experienced by those who migrate here and the journey ahead to achieve justice for all. Speakers: J. Philippe Abraham, first vice president, New York State United Teachers; AFT vice president; member, AFT Civil and Human Rights Committee Ignacia Rodriguez, immigration policy advocate, National Immigration Law Center Hector Sanchez, executive director, Labor Council for Latin American Advancement Moderator: Jonathan Rodrigues, senior associate, AFT Human Rights and Community Relations Department Jane & Jim Crow: Racism in the 21st Century Alabama E, 1st Floor W.E.B. Du Bois was correct when he predicted that the problem of the 20th century would be the problem of the color line. Join us for a courageous conversation about how the problem of racism continues to persist in the 21st century. Learn more about the meaning of privilege, the lasting impact of the Jim Crow laws that were created to enforce racial segregation, and the persistent role that skin color continues to play in the 21st century. Speaker: Denise Davis-Maye, professor, Alabama State University Moderator: Derryn Moten, co-president, Alabama State University Faculty-Staff Alliance; member, AFT Civil and Human Rights Committee Fund Our Future, Part I—Betsy DeVos Is Going to Pay For It Montgomery 7, 2nd Floor Every good campaign needs a target. Across the country, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and the ultra-rich have pushed policies to starve funding for public education and vital services our communities need while avoiding paying their fair share. In this workshop, we will dive deeper into how we develop campaign strategies and tactics to win progressive funding for the public schools


and colleges our communities deserve. This three-part series of learning, growing and planning sessions will be offered for AFT members who want to be involved with moving the agenda of the AFT’s Fund Our Future campaign to the next level.

Speakers: Dmitri Holtzman, director of education justice, Center for Popular Democracy Bill Shiebler, deputy director, AFT Human Rights and Community Relations Department Sharon Smith, leadership development coordinator, Journey for Justice Alliance

4 p.m. Relax. Enjoy. Engage. Take time for dinner on your own while you enjoy the history of Montgomery.

6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Alabama A, 1st Floor Special Evening Conversation with Living Legends: We Were There Join us for an insightful, thought-provoking and eye-opening conversation with individuals who experienced some of the major historic events that set into motion the civil rights movement. Hear their stories and lived experiences. Learn the truth about the facts. Speakers include Doris Dozier Crenshaw, who was an NAACP youth coordinator; Jeannie Graetz, a pioneer in Alabama’s civil rights movement who, along with her husband, endured countless threats and had her home bombed by local white resistance; and Sheyann Webb-Christburg, who at 8 years old was the youngest person in the first march from Selma to Montgomery, known as Bloody Sunday, and who marched next to John Lewis across the bridge.

Speakers: Doris Dozier Crenshaw, former NAACP youth coordinator Jeannie Graetz, civil rights leader Sheyann Webb-Christburg, the youngest person in the first march from Selma to Montgomery

Moderator: David Johns, executive director, National Black Justice Coalition


8:30 p.m. – 10 p.m. Alabama B, 1st Floor Dessert Reception End the day with conversation, fellowship and sweets.

SATURDAY, OCT. 19

8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Hotel Registration Area Registration

9 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Alabama AB Ballroom Breakfast Plenary Session: Jane and Jim Crow—Bye!

Speaker: Hector Sanchez, executive director, Labor Council for Latin American Advancement

Presiding: John McDonald, president, Henry Ford Community College Federation; AFT vice president; member, AFT Civil and Human Rights Committee

10:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. Break

10:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

Workshops

Help—I Have to Use the Bathroom: Embracing Transgender Issues Alabama C, 1st Floor This workshop will unpack the challenges transgender students face at school and ways that unions have made a difference. Participants will learn about actions that educators and school employees have taken to embrace transgender issues that foster a welcoming and supportive school environment. They will also examine state and federal policies aimed at embracing transgender issues and ways to get involved.

Speakers: Carmarion Anderson, state director, Human Rights Campaign Project One America Alabama Patricia Crispino, special representative, United Federation of Teachers; member, AFT Civil and Human Rights Committee



Victoria Rodríguez-Roldán, senior policy counsel, National LGBTQ Task Force Moderator: Anthony Harmon, director of staff, assistant to the president, director of community and parent outreach, United Federation of Teachers; AFT vice president Hidden Inequities: Time to Expose, Speak Up and Fight Back Alabama D, 1st Floor Disparities in health and healthcare not only affect the groups facing the disparities—especially women and people of color—but also limit the overall gains in quality of care and health for everyone. This workshop will focus on the AFT’s exciting new work to address healthcare disparities and give you a chance to share your ideas. Speakers: Julia Barcott, RN, Washington State Nurses Association; chair, WSNA Cabinet on Economic and General Welfare Nate Gilliam, staff organizer, Wisconsin Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals Alexis Rean-Walker, secretary-treasurer, Health Professionals and Allied Employees Deborah Riddick, JD, RN, director of government relations and public policy, Oregon Nurses Association Moderator: Stephanie Johnson, RPSGT, president, Local 5051 LPN Technologists Open the Doors! K-12 Education for All Children Alabama E, 1st Floor Schools should be safe havens—sanctuary places of learning that embrace all students and families, regardless of citizenship and national origin. Especially since under federal law, all children are entitled to a K-12 education, regardless of their citizenship or residency status. This workshop will highlight the far-reaching impact of the Plyler v. Doe decision on immigrant and refugee children and provide guidelines for schools, educators and other school employees to follow. Speakers: Patrice Lawrence, national policy and advocacy director, UndocuBlack Network

Ignacia Rodriguez, immigration policy advocate, National Immigration Law Center Moderator: Jonathan Rodrigues, senior associate, AFT Human Rights and Community Relations Department Our Vote Is Our Voice Montgomery 5, 2nd Floor The power to change communities takes place at the ballot box, where voters decide who will represent them in city halls, state capitols and the nation’s capital. Yet as a result of the 2013 Supreme Court decision in Shelby County v. Holder, an estimated 24 percent of voters are at risk of being disenfranchised by discriminatory practices. We must do more to ensure that the voices of working families are heard, especially voters of color, women, youth, the elderly and differently abled voters. Learn more about ways we can fight back as we head to the polls for the 2020 presidential elections. Speakers: Brandon Boswell, deputy director, AFT Political Department Diana Cournoyer, executive director, National Indian Education Association Gabriela Lemus, president, Mi Familia Vota Education Fund Rev. Leslie Watson Wilson, director, African American Religious Affairs, People For the American Way Moderator: Wayne Spence, president, Public Employees Federation; AFT vice president Fund Our Future, Part II—Organizing Parents, Students and Educators at the School Level Star Light Foyer, 2nd Floor Schools are hubs of our communities and local organizing. From the school fundraisers, to supporting team sports, to volunteering in the community, our staff, parents and students mobilize every day to support their schools. How do we use that energy to organize at the school-site level to fight for the schools all students deserve? Learn more about the best practices in organizing conversations and a step-by-step guide in organizing your school! This three-part series of learning, growing and planning sessions will be offered for AFT members who want to be involved



with moving the agenda of the AFT’s Fund Our Future campaign to the next level.

Speakers: Vonne Martin, deputy director of education justice campaigns, Center for Popular Democracy Brendien Mitchell, senior associate, AFT Human Rights and Community Relations Department

12:30 p.m. – 2 p.m. Alabama AB Ballroom Luncheon Plenary Session: Women Hold Up Half the Sky

Speaker: Diana Cournoyer, executive director, National Indian Education Association

Presiding: Marietta English, president, AFT-Maryland; AFT vice president; chair, AFT Women’s Rights Committee

2:15 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.

Workshops

Pride & Protest Alabama C, 1st Floor This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, which is widely considered to be the spark that led to the gay liberation movement and the fight for LGBTQ rights. Through personal narratives and testaments, learn how our panelists use their identities and intersections to fight for themselves and others. Join us as we examine our collective power to move the needle on social change, acceptance, liberation and pride in the LGBTQ community.

Speakers: Victoria Delafuente, student, Alabama State University Kei Harris, student, Alabama State University Savannah Lenz, student, Alabama State University Desmond Pittman, student, Alabama State University

Moderator: Davida Haywood, vice president for student affairs, Alabama State University

#MeToo: Empowerment Now! Alabama D, 1st Floor Originally founded in 2006 to help survivors of sexual violence find pathways to healing—particularly black women and girls, and other young women of color from low-wealth communities—#MeToo is now a broad call to action against sexual assault and harassment for all women, especially in the workplace. Learn more about ways women are advancing empowerment to encourage others to speak up, demand change and dismantle barriers. Find out what you can do when you return home to strengthen the voice of women in labor, your union and the workplace.

Speakers: Jolene DiBrango, executive vice president, New York State United Teachers; AFT vice president; member, AFT Women's Rights Committee Rev. Leslie Watson Wilson, director, African American Religious Affairs, People For the American WayNicole Watkins, field organizer, Planned Parenthood Southeast, Birmingham Shreya Pokhrel, president, Planned Parenthood Generation Action at the University of Alabama at Birmingham

Moderator: Ann Twomey, president, Health Professionals and Allied Employees; AFT vice president

Excuse Me: You Cannot Ask That Question Alabama E, 1st Floor Everyone living in this country has certain basic rights under the Constitution, including people who are undocumented. Centered around “knowing your rights,” this workshop will focus on actions to fight forward at school, in the workplace and in our communities. From creating a family emergency plan, to interacting with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to fighting for state driver’s licenses, you will learn more about practical ways that communities are moving the needle on immigrant rights.

Speakers: Patrice Lawrence, national policy and advocacy director, UndocuBlack Network Ignacia Rodriguez, immigration policy advocate, National Immigration Law Center



Moderator: Brendien Mitchell, senior associate, AFT Human Rights and Community Relations Department If We’re Not Counted, We Don’t Count Montgomery 5, 2nd Floor This workshop will examine an important foundational issue for democracy and one of the most important civil rights issues of our day: the U.S. census. Required by the Constitution, the census collects data about our nation’s people, housing, economy and communities. An accurate census affects our ability to ensure equal representation and equal access to billions of government dollars, helps federal agencies monitor discrimination and implement civil rights laws, and assists state and local leaders in identifying needs for services such as healthcare, education, housing, food and income security. It is also used by every state to determine the districts for electing legislators to represent our interests at the local, state and national levels. Learn strategic steps to take now to make sure that we are counted in the 2020 census. Speakers: Diana Cournoyer, executive director, National Indian Education Association David Johns, executive director, National Black Justice Coalition Gabriela Lemus, president, Mi Familia Vota Education Fund Moderator: Melissa Cropper, president, Ohio Federation of Teachers; AFT vice president Fund Our Future, Part III—Winning in the Trump Era and Building Coalitions Star Light Foyer, 1st Floor Across the country, educators standing side by side with parents, students and community groups are turning the tide of austerity toward a path of full funding and more resources for the schools

our students deserve. Behind these wins are years of relationship and trust building. Join us to hear case studies and learn how you can start your own educator-community coalition with your local. This three-part series of learning, growing and planning sessions will be offered for AFT members who want to be involved with moving the agenda of the AFT’s Fund Our Future campaign to the next level. Speakers: Arlene Inouye, secretary, United Teachers Los Angeles Jonathan Rodrigues, senior associate, AFT Human Rights and Community Relations Department 4 p.m. Evening on your own

SUNDAY, OCT. 20 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. Alabama AB Ballroom Plenary Session: Righteous Resistance Speaker: Jitu Brown, national director, Journey for Justice Alliance Presiding: Jerry Jordan, president, Philadelphia Federation of Teachers; AFT vice president; chair, AFT Civil and Human Rights Committee 11 a.m. Adjourn



SPEAKER BIOS

J. Philippe Abraham is first vice president of New York State United Teachers, overseeing the union’s Member Benefits Department and social justice efforts. Abraham is the first higher education member to serve as a NYSUT officer. For six years, he was the elected statewide vice president for professionals of United University Professions, representing faculty and staff at the State University of New York. He began his career teaching Spanish and French in middle school, high school and college, then served as an academic advisor and as director of Career Services at SUNY’s University at Albany. In addition to serving as a union officer on the SUNY Albany campus, Abraham was also one of three elected senators representing the college on SUNY’s Faculty Senate. He is president of the Albany/Capital District Chapter of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement. Abraham earned a

bachelor’s in Spanish Education and a master’s in Spanish American Literature, both from U Albany. He is a graduate of the NYSUT Leadership Institute and the New York State AFL-CIO Cornell Union Leadership Institute.

Carmarion D. Anderson is a vibrant and visible trans woman of color with a passion for inclusion in the world. As the Alabama state director within the Human Rights Campaign’s Project One America, Anderson became the first trans person of color to serve in a leadership role with HRC in the organization’s history. Anderson was born and raised in Dallas, Texas, with family roots in Natchez, Mississippi. Before joining HRC, Anderson worked in the field of public health and education, managing both local and national prevention initiatives focusing on HIV/AIDS and other health disparities that impact marginalized communities. Anderson also brings a wealth of experience in faith spaces with her, currently serving as the national co-minister and south region coordinator for TransSaints ministry of TFAM (the Fellowship of Affirming Ministries). In addition to this role, Anderson previously served for 15 years as an associate minister at the Living Faith Covenant Church in Dallas. Anderson is the founder and former executive director of Black Transwomen Inc., a national nonprofit with a mission to uplift

the voices, hearts and souls of black trans women.

Julia Barcott has been a registered nurse, patient advocate and social justice champion for 25 years, dedicating most of her career to caring for patients in critical care, especially ICU and emergency medicine. In addition to her work at the bedside and her elected position as the chair of the Washington State Nurses Association’s Cabinet on Economic and General Welfare, Barcott dedicates her time advocating for people to have access to affordable healthcare. She feels privileged to have been able to participate in the AFT medical missions to the U.S. Virgin Islands the past two years. It was that opportunity that inspired her to start working in a rural hospital in the Yakima Indian Reservation to reach one of the most underserved populations in Washington state. Barcott also serves as a member of the AFT Nurses and Health Professionals program and policy council and was

appointed to the AFT Women’s Rights Committee.

Brandon Boswell has built a reputation for being a strong leader in the progressive movement with a diverse range of skills and experiences. He was bitten by the political bug in Texas, where he coordinated get-out-the-vote efforts in east Texas, served as the district director in the Texas state Legislature and worked for Rep. Lloyd Doggett. He branched out coordinating voter registration and GOTV efforts in Illinois, Missouri and Ohio. In 2005, Boswell joined the Service Employees International Union, where he coordinated union organizing campaigns, led national mobilizations, helped modernize union organizing technology, served as the political director in Ohio, and worked closely with union officers to set the direction for the union. Boswell now serves as the deputy political director at the

American Federation of Teachers. Boswell graduated from the University of Colorado, where he won a Big 12 championship in college football. He now lives in Reston, Va., with his lovely wife and two children.



Jitu Brown is the national director for the Journey for Justice Alliance, a network of 30 grass-roots community-based organizations in 25 cities organizing for community-driven school improvement. Prior, he served as a volunteer, board member, board president and education organizer at the Chicago-based Kenwood Oakland Community Organization, where he organized to bring community voices to the table on school issues. In 2015, Brown organized and participated in the historic 34-day Dyett High School hunger strike that resulted in the re-opening of Dyett as an open-enrollment neighborhood school with over $16 million in new investments. Brown’s

diverse background includes teaching African American history at St. Leonard’s Adult High School, the only accredited high school in the nation that exclusively serves people who have been formerly incarcerated. He has taken KOCO youth leaders to the United Nations, the Passamaquoddy Native American reservation in Maine and the UN Conference on Racism in South Africa. He is a sought-after thought leader for many news organizations and publications, including the New York Times, Ebony magazine, MSNBC, WBEZ’s Community Voices, Democracy Now and CLTV’s Garrard McClendon Live. Currently, he lives in Chicago with his wife and son.

Aisha Cook has been a fourth-grade teacher at Columbus Elementary School in New Rochelle, N.Y., since 1999. She earned a B.A. from Wesleyan University and an M.A.T. from Manhattanville College. She currently teaches Kaleidoscope, the school’s talented and gifted class. In addition to her classroom responsibilities, she is the vice president of her local union, the Federation of United School Employees. She is a member of the New York State United Teachers’ Women’s Committee, a member of the AFT Women’s Rights Committee and a founding member of the FUSE Women’s Committee. When she’s not teaching or advocating for women’s rights, Cook serves as 1st vice president of the New Rochelle Branch NAACP. She is a member of the Perpetual Praise Dance ministry and STAGE drama ministry in her church. Cook is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta

Sorority Inc. She has two daughters, Kyani and Kamara, and one grandson, Cameron.

Diana Cournoyer is the executive director of the National Indian Education Association, which advances comprehensive, culture-based educational opportunities for American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians. Her primary focus is to work closely with Native communities, organizations and researchers to provide support for community/academic partnerships that affect local and national policy. She also works on the implementation and assessment of the Common Core State Standards by supporting tribes and Native communities in their transition to utilize college- and career-ready standards. Previously, Cournoyer worked with the Oglala Lakota College Graduate Studies Department to manage the Education Administration Professional Development Grant. Her work realigned the current education administration curriculum and objectives with national and South Dakota state educational standards.

Doris Dozier Crenshaw is a senior grassroots coordinator for Sphere, a senior consultant to the Alabama Power Company and the founder/CEO of the Southern Youth Leadership Development Institute. Crenshaw has over 60 years of community activist experience. In 1955, at the age of 12, Crenshaw served as vice president of the NAACP Youth Council, when Rosa Parks was advisor to the council. After completing her degree at Clark College, Crenshaw worked with Martin Luther King Jr. in Chicago on the Open Housing Campaign conducting community outreach. In 2008, she founded the Southern Youth Leadership Development Institute to address educational policy issues affecting the community. Her work, vision, commitment and contributions have been recognized by

many prestigious organizations and leaders, earning her Rep. Terri Sewell’s Alabama Shining Star Award. In 2015, Crenshaw was honored to have her life works read into the 2015 U.S. Congressional Record. The accomplishment that she is most proud of is her daughter, Kwanza “Mikki” Crenshaw.



Patricia Crispino serves as the female identified head of the Pride Caucus of the American Federation of Teachers and has done so for at least 15 years. She was a high school printing teacher and served as chapter leader for 13 years. She worked as a PM staffer at the United Federation of Teachers helping those members affected and infected with HIV/AIDS. She is now a UFT special representative representing 60 schools and programs. Her dedication to inclusion and diversity is widely known and applauded. She represents the AFT on the board of the AFL-CIO’s Pride at Work Constituency Group, is a member of the AFT Civil and Human Rights Committee and serves on the New York State United Teachers’ LGBTQ Committee.

Melissa Cropper is the president of the Ohio Federation of Teachers, which represents 20,000 members in 55 locals across the state, including public school educators and support staff, higher education faculty and support staff, and public employees. Before being elected state federation president in 2012, Cropper was a library media specialist in Georgetown, Ohio, for 14 years, a longtime president of the Georgetown Federation of Teachers, a member of the OFT executive committee and the chair of the federation’s retirement committee. At the state level, Cropper serves on the Ohio AFL-CIO’s executive board and chairs its political committee. She is the secretary-treasurer of We Are Ohio, a state coalition of community and labor groups formed to preserve workers’ rights, and the chair of the Coalition for Public Education, an advocacy group that fights for charter and voucher accountability. She also has been an active leader in the Ohio Appalachian

Collaborative, a comprehensive approach for transformational change in rural education. At the national level, Cropper is a member of the AFT Teachers program and policy council and a co-chair of the AFT’s State Federation Presidents Advisory Committee. As OFT president, she has developed collaborative relationships with leaders and organizations across the state to help fulfill the union’s mission of advocating for issues that affect not only OFT members but also the children, families and communities that her members serve.

Denise Davis-Maye is a licensed independent clinical social worker and is the department chair and a professor of social work at Alabama State University. She is an alumna of Clark Atlanta University and completed graduate work at Hunter College of the City University of New York, and the University of Alabama. Davis-Maye trains community organizations and faith-based institutions in effective responses to community issues that have deleterious effects on community and family well-being. She has been published in the Journal of Children and Poverty, Affilia: Journal of Women and Social Work, the Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, the Journal of HIV/AIDS and Social Services, the Journal of Negro Education, and the Journal of Social Work Education. Her co-edited book, What the Village Gave Me: Conceptualizations of Womanhood, was published in the fall of 2013. She is currently working on her co-edited volume with Demeter Press, Black

Sisterhoods, which focuses on both the constructions of sisterhood in diasporic black communities and the individual and group gains from these relationships, as well as promoting factors and barriers.

Victoria Delafuente is a junior psychology major at Alabama State University. She is from Houston. Her ultimate goal is to graduate and receive a Psy.D., in order to become a clinical psychologist. She loves to help and see others prosper and grow—in all aspects of their lives.



Jolene T. DiBrango was elected executive vice president of the New York State United Teachers in April 2017. She oversees NYSUT’s research and educational services department and the union’s professional development arm, the Education & Learning Trust. She leads NYSUT’s advocacy with the New York State Board of Regents and the New York State Education Department. DiBrango, a longtime middle school teacher and union leader from the Rochester area, was elected to statewide office after serving three terms as president of the Pittsford District Teachers Association. From 2014 to 2017, she also served as one of three active teacher members on the board of the New York State Teachers’ Retirement System. An executive board member of the New York State AFL-CIO, DiBrango is a graduate of the NYSUT

Leadership Institute and attended the New York State AFL-CIO/Cornell Union Leadership Institute. She was elected as an AFT vice president in October 2017 and also serves on the AFT Teachers program and policy council. DiBrango began teaching in 1994 and spent the majority of her career teaching sixth grade. A graduate of SUNY Oswego and Nazareth College, DiBrango holds three teaching certificates in elementary education, reading and business education.

Marietta English is the president of AFT-Maryland and the former president of the Baltimore Teachers Union. She also serves as an AFT vice president. She is a tireless fighter for fair wages and improved working conditions for public school teachers, paraprofessionals and school-related personnel as well as state and local employees. English actively represents the state federation in Annapolis to advance change and fairness for all public employees. As a classroom teacher, she has taught all grades from pre-K through grade 8, and has worked as a special education instructor. She is the immediate past president of the National Alliance of Black School Educators, the nation’s premiere organization furthering academic success for children of African descent. English is a member of several civic, social and cultural organizations, and a life member of both Delta

Sigma Theta and the NAACP. English has served as the NAACP Baltimore County Branch’s youth director and chairperson of the Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Morgan State University and a master’s from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Nate Gilliam is an organizer with the Wisconsin Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals. He is also on the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute’s Advisory Board. A father and Milwaukee native, in his spare time Gilliam is a high school baseball coach. Jeannie Graetz became involved in the civil rights movement when her friend and neighbor, Rosa Parks, was arrested. She and her husband, Rev. Robert Graetz, had recently moved to Montgomery to pastor Parks’ church. While raising seven children, Jeannie was active in the Women’s Political Council and hosted public officials, church dignitaries, reporters and others. Once the family’s involvement in the movement was broadly known, they became targets of racist attacks. Their tires were slashed, they received abusive and threatening phone calls, and three dynamite bombs were thrown at their house. The Graetz family eventually moved to other cities to serve different Lutheran congregations. Today, they continue to be immersed in the civil rights movement—the oppression of women, the differently abled, the poor, the LGBTQ community and others. They were able

to purchase the 1957 handwritten letter by Rosa Parks about how the Ku Klux Klan bombed their home, which they donated to Alabama State University. Today, the Graetzes are consultants to ASU’s National Center for the Study of Civil Rights and African American Culture, where Jeannie returned to college to earn her degree in education. Currently, she is the 24-hour caretaker of her beloved husband of 68 years.



Anthony Harmon is a whirlwind who turns multitasking into an art form and seems to never get a moment’s rest. As an assistant to the United Federation of Teachers president, Harmon serves as the director of parent and community outreach; the director of Dial-A-Teacher, the union’s homework help service; the director of the Albert Shanker Scholarship Fund; and the chair of the UFT African Heritage Committee. He is always on the go with an abundance of duties and challenges to be met. In his capacity as the UFT’s point person on parent and community outreach, Harmon acts as the union’s ambassador to many grass-roots parent and civic organizations as well as cultural and religious institutions. Harmon was elected as an AFT vice president in July 2018. His many UFT duties keep him very busy, but Harmon still manages to serve in many other capacities, including as the president of the New York City chapter of

the A. Philip Randolph Institute, a member of the national board of directors of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, the president of the New York branch of the NAACP, a delegate to the New York City Central Labor Council, a member of the board of directors of the New York State United Teachers, a member of the board for the Greater New York Labor and Religion Coalition, a member of the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS and a delegate to the AFL-CIO convention. In May 2018, he was elected as executive vice president of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, one of the constituency groups of the AFL-CIO. He began his educational career in 1987 at the High School of Graphic Communication Arts in New York City. Harmon’s enthusiasm and drive make him a model for what a 21st-century educator and trade unionist can be. He is proud of the AFT’s long

tradition of supporting civil and human rights and fighting for social and economic justice.

Kei Harris is a 20-year-old young woman who responds to she/her pronouns. She is from Jamaica and currently is a student-athlete at Alabama State University. She is a marketing major due to graduate in May 2021. Harris also plays for and is the captain of her national golf team, as well as Alabama State University’s women’s team. Davida Loren Haywood serves as the vice president of student affairs and enrollment management at Alabama State University. In this capacity, she reports directly to the president and offers executive and administrative guidance to 15 area units. Haywood earned a B.S. in business administration (summa cum laude) from Johnson C. Smith University, and an M.A. in higher education and student affairs and a Ph.D. in educational

administration and higher education from Ohio State University. She has nearly 22 years of administrative experience in the areas of student recruitment and admissions, student activities, multicultural affairs, and student affairs. Prior to coming to Alabama State University, she was the senior executive director of the Student Life Multicultural Center at Ohio State University. When not meeting the needs of her students, she is just “Mommy” to two very energetic and endearing sons: Kenneth Jr. and Kole.

Davida Loren Haywood serves as the vice president of student affairs and enrollment management at Alabama State University. In this capacity, she reports directly to the president and offers executive and administrative guidance to 15 area units. Haywood earned a B.S. in business administration (summa cum laude) from Johnson C. Smith University, and an M.A. in higher education and student affairs and a Ph.D. in educational administration and higher education from Ohio State University. She has nearly 22 years of administrative experience in the areas of student recruitment and admissions, student activities, multicultural affairs, and student affairs. Prior to coming to Alabama State University, she was the senior executive director of the Student Life Multicultural Center at Ohio State University. When not meeting

the needs of her students, she is just “Mommy” to two very energetic and endearing sons: Kenneth Jr. and Kole.

Dmitri Holtzman is the director of education justice campaigns at the Center for Popular Democracy, where he leads a team that strives to create a high-quality and equitable public education system. To advance CPD’s education justice strategy, his team provides technical, strategic and campaign-building support to CPD affiliate organizations across the country with the goal of building grass-roots power and advancing progressive change to education policy at the local, state and federal level. Holtzman is a lawyer and organizer from South Africa, where, before joining CPD, he was the founding executive director of the Equal Education Law Centre, a public interest law organization engaged in advocacy and strategic litigation around the right to education. Prior to that, he was one of the leaders of policy, communications and research for one of South Africa’s most prominent national youth-led



movements, Equal Education. He has a B.A. from the University of Cape Town and a bachelor’s degree in law from the University of the Western Cape.

Arlene Inouye is a sansei who descends from George Shima, the California Potato King and early civil rights leader from Stockton who unsuccessfully fought against the passage of the Alien Land Law of 1913. Shima was the 1908 founder and first president of the Japanese Association of America. Inouye’s grandmother on her mother’s side was the first and only Japanese social worker in the city of Los Angeles in the early 1900s. Her family was incarcerated at numerous camps during World War II. Inouye was born and raised in Los Angeles with a B.A. and M.A. in communicative disorders from Long Beach State University. Inouye is a Spanish bilingual speech and language specialist and was elected as an officer of United Teachers Los Angeles, which represents more than 34,000 educators. She led UTLA through the “Build the Future, Fund the Fight” campaign, which addressed UTLA’s structural deficit to provide greater support for members and organizational sustainability, and the

UTLA bargaining team through a historic strike and contract settlement that included smaller class sizes; more nurses, counselors, librarians and mental health professionals; and a pay increase. Her background includes being a community organizer, human rights activist, parent educator, multicultural and human relations specialist, and leader in progressive educational reform. Inouye is a vice president of the California Federation of Teachers, serves on the executive board of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, and served on the California Teachers Association Pacific Asian American Caucus and the National Education Association Asian Pacific Islander Caucus as the California director.

David J. Johns is known for his passion, public policy acumen and fierce advocacy for youth. He is an enthusiast about equity—leveraging his time, talent and treasures to address the needs of individuals and communities often neglected and ignored. A recognized thought leader and social justice champion, Johns’ career has focused on improving life outcomes and opportunities for black people. On Sept. 1, 2017, Johns began his next life chapter as the executive director of the National Black Justice Coalition—a civil rights organization dedicated to the empowerment of black lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people.

Lorretta Johnson is the secretary-treasurer of the American Federation of Teachers. She was elected in 2011, following 30 years as an AFT vice president where she chaired the AFT Paraprofessionals and School-Related Personnel program and policy council. She also served as president of the Baltimore Teachers Union’s paraprofessional chapter and as president of AFT-Maryland. Her many accomplishments include spearheading the AFT Racial Equity Task Force and providing leadership for the teacher diversity initiative that has expanded into a Grow Your Own program and an upcoming research handbook on teacher diversity. Johnson started her career in 1966 as a teacher’s aide in a Baltimore elementary school where she earned $2.25 an hour and received no benefits. To improve the work situation of paraprofessionals, she organized them into the Baltimore Teachers Union. Johnson has

received numerous awards, recognitions and honors for her labor leadership and political activism, including an honorary doctorate from Coppin State. She received the Economy/Labor Service Award from the Baltimore County Democratic Party in 2018, and she was honored as Labor Leader of the Year by the Maryland Democratic Party in 2005. Ebony magazine also featured her in an article titled “Blacks of Influence in Unions.” She has held, and currently holds, several leadership positions outside of the AFT.



Stephanie Johnson has served as president of AFT Connecticut Local 5051, LPN Technologists, since 2011 and sits on the executive board as a vice president of AFTCT. She is the chair of the state federation’s Social Justice Committee. From 2014 to 2017, Johnson served as a commissioner for the African American Affairs Commission for the state of Connecticut. She has been employed at Lawrence + Memorial Hospital for 18 years, working as a registered sleep technologist. In 2014, after returning from a successful strike and lockout, Johnson’s union negotiated language in its contract to hire more employees of color by way of a diversity in hiring committee. Johnson understands that union rights and civil rights go hand in hand and that together they can level the playing field and offer opportunity to the many people of color in her community.

Jerry T. Jordan is the president of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers. Educated in Philadelphia public schools, Jordan came from a family of public school teachers, with his grandparents, an uncle, aunts and cousins teaching in the South and in Philadelphia. Jordan received his degree in education and Spanish from Temple University and began teaching high school Spanish and English as a second language in the Philadelphia school district. Jordan recalls the pre-collective bargaining, pre-civil rights era of his youth when teachers were not treated as professionals and African American teachers were barred from teaching in white schools, teaching in high schools or becoming principals. As a result, Jordan became active in the PFT and was elected the PFT building representative at University City High School. In 1987, he joined the PFT as a district staff representative, representing teachers and support staff in 50 schools and school district offices. He was elected legislative

representative on the PFT’s executive board and in 1989 was appointed special assistant to the PFT president and was elected general vice president by the members. A year later, he was appointed director of the PFT staff, a position he held until June 2007, when he was elected to serve the unexpired term of the previous PFT president. He was elected to a four-year term as PFT president in February 2008. Jordan has been a member of the PFT’s negotiating team since 1992 and has been chief negotiator since 2000. Jordan also is a vice president on the AFT executive council, vice chair of the AFT standing committee on civil and human rights and a member of the AFT constitutional amendments and convention committee. He has served on the AFT Teachers policy and program committee, the AFT urban schools initiative and the AFT task force on No Child Left Behind. He is assistant treasurer of AFT Pennsylvania and a vice president of the Philadelphia Central Labor Council and the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO. He also serves on the board of trustees of the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania and was appointed by Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter to the board of the mayor’s office of community services. Jordan has built effective coalitions with parents, education advocates and civic leaders to transform Philadelphia’s high schools, improve graduation rates and expand educational opportunities for all of Philadelphia’s children.

Patrice Lawrence is the recently appointed co-director for the UndocuBlack Network. She served prior as the network’s national policy and advocacy director, leading the network’s advocacy efforts on immigrants’ rights and racial justice. Lawrence works with the goal of transforming the realities of black undocumented people so that they live their fullest lives. Her work includes policy changes on Temporary Protected Status and the Diversity Visa program, and fighting against the public charge rule. She leads the work of those who are black, are currently or formerly undocumented, and are steadily leading the charge on what they need to thrive by making their demands clear on a local and national level. There is no power like people power, and the might of the UndocuBlack Network is a testament to that. Originally from Jamaica, Lawrence is a graduate of Hollins University and firmly believes that the sum of one’s experiences makes them whole regardless of their immigration status.



Gabriela Lemus was elected in July 2018 as the president of the Mi Familia Vota Education Fund, an innovator in voter engagement and civic participation for the Latino community. She also sits on the board of Netroots, the host of the largest annual conference for progressives from around the country and beyond. She is the former president of Progressive Congress, now the Progressive Caucus Center, where she built creative strategic organizing models between progressive leaders and visionaries, and the members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus to advance people-based policy in Congress. As an Obama administration appointee, she served as senior advisor to Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis and director of the Office of Public Engagement in the Office of the Secretary. She was appointed by Mayor Vince Gray to serve as a trustee of the University of the District of Columbia, an HBCU, from 2012 to 2018. Lemus’ trajectory has been one of “Primeras,” or Firsts. She was the first woman executive director at the Labor Council for Latin American

Advancement, an AFL-CIO constituency group, and the first woman and labor leader to chair the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda. At LCLAA, she co-founded the National Latino Coalition on Climate Change, which later evolved into GreenLatinos, and was a founding commissioner for the Commission to Engage African-Americans on Climate Change at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. She received her doctorate from the University of Miami, School of International Relations, where she was a North-South Center scholar. As a guest scholar at the University of Miami, she penned her dissertation, “Dancing with the Devil: The Politics of Drug Control in US-Mexico Relations.”

Savannah Lenz is a sophomore at Alabama State University, where she is a secondary education major with a minor in Spanish. She hails from Gadsden, Ala. Her desire in life is to make a place where she can be truly happy and free. She considers herself an activist because she feels that everyone should have the same opportunities—nobody should ever grow up feeling like they don’t belong. Randall C. Marshall is the executive director and the former legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Alabama. He has been with the ACLU of Alabama since June 2013. As executive director, he is responsible for the overall operation of the ACLU in Alabama. As legal director, he was responsible for supervising and overseeing all ACLU litigation in Alabama and coordinating with the national ACLU Legal Department. Before joining the ACLU of Alabama, Marshall was the legal director of the ACLU of Florida for 13 years. Marshall received his law degree from the University of Colorado in 1982. Vonne Martin is the deputy director of education justice campaigns at the Center for Popular Democracy, where Martin supports CPD partners working on education justice campaigns. Martin provides organizing and campaign-building support to CPD’s affiliates and allies, and comes to CPD after helping to build Californians for Justice’s youth-led education equity work for over 15 years. Martin brings an expansive amount of experience leading grass-roots organizing as well as youth and staff development. As a youth leader, lead organizer and director of organizing, Martin gained experience winning education justice campaigns around college access, tackling the school-to-prison pipeline and the implementation of restorative justice practices. Martin coordinated four regions across the state of California in surpassing Base Building and Youth Leadership & Development goals, helped build a statewide network of over 70

youth-led organizations, and secured significant investments and policy wins focused on school culture and climate. With deep-rooted values in transforming the material conditions for black, brown, immigrant, LGBTQ and all marginalized communities, Martin is committed to working across coalitions and partnerships to achieve education equity.



John McDonald has been the president and chief negotiator of the Henry Ford Community College Federation of Teachers, AFT Local 1650, in Dearborn, Mich., since 1978. He also has served as AFT Michigan’s vice president for higher education since 1978 and as a member of the AFT Higher Education program and policy council since 1991. He was first elected as an AFT vice president in 2012. McDonald represents AFT Michigan on the board of the Coalition for a Secure Retirement and is a member of the Metro Detroit AFL-CIO executive board. He is chairman of the United Schools Association, a political action committee representing Dearborn Public Schools and Henry Ford Community College employee unions. The president of Michigan’s State Board of Education recently appointed McDonald to a state board committee reviewing Michigan’s higher education attainment and success and strategy. McDonald received his bachelor’s

and master’s degrees from the University of Michigan. His teaching career at Henry Ford Community College has focused on English composition and 19th-century American literature. McDonald is past president of the Dearborn Rotary Foundation, serves on the board of the Henry Ford Community College Foundation and is active in many community organizations.

Brendien Mitchell is a social justice and community engagement organizer in the Human Rights and Community Relations Department for the American Federation of Teachers. In this role, he helps to strengthen the union’s engagement with community partners and allies. Prior to joining the AFT, he served as a communications fellow for the co-chairs of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Reps. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) and Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), and communications director for Rep. Alma Adams (D-N.C.). He received an early introduction into the social justice movement at age 10 when he helped reactivate his local NAACP youth council, and since has served in various leadership roles within the historic

organization, including as a member of the National Board of Directors, vice chair of the National Education Committee and vice chair of the NAACP Image Awards. He was a 2014 YP4 Fellow and 2013 Vote Everywhere Ambassador for the Andrew Goodman Foundation. Mitchell is a proud Howard University alumnus, where he served as president of the Howard University Student Association. He is currently pursuing his M.P.S. in political management at George Washington University, and is proud to be a “new” unionist and serve the 1.7 million members of the AFT.

Derryn E. Moten chairs the Department of History and Political Science at Alabama State University. He received his Ph.D. in American studies from the University of Iowa, his master’s in library and information science from Catholic University of America, and his bachelor’s in English from Howard University. He is co-president of the AFT Faculty-Staff Alliance at Alabama State University, and is a vice president for the Alabama AFL-CIO. Moten is also the vice chair of the AFT Higher Education program and policy council. In 2018, the Alabama Senate passed a proclamation commending Moten for his efforts to have the Alabama State Board of Education expunge the records of Alabama State College students punished for their 1960 sit-in protests in Montgomery, and for the ASC faculty terminated and forced to resign for alleged disloyalty to the state of Alabama.

Desmond Pittman is a senior at Alabama State University, pursuing an interdisciplinary degree. Pittman is from Dothan, Ala. With a commitment to being an inspiration to future generations of trans people of color, Pittman would eventually like to work in student affairs—specifically dealing with inclusion. Pittman does this work because he has a responsibility as a member of the LGBTQIA community to educate others about his community. He is a firm believer that a lot of homophobia stems from ignorance, and he wants to change the stigma against queer people.



Shreya Pokhrel (she/her/hers) is a senior at the University of Alabama at Birmingham majoring in public health with minors in global health, human rights and psychology. Pokhrel formerly interned with Planned Parenthood Southeast and currently serves as president of Planned Parenthood Generation Action at UAB. She is also the suicide prevention student assistant with UAB Student Counseling Services and is part of UAB Students for Diversity and Campus Safety, a grass-roots student coalition aiming to address white supremacy at UAB. Pokhrel strives to promote public health through advocacy by working toward a more just, equitable future for all. In her spare time, she loves analyzing hip-hop lyrics, trying new foods and spending time with friends and family.

Alexis Rean-Walker has been the secretary-treasurer of the Health Professionals and Allied Employees since October 2018. Prior to her elected position, Rean-Walker worked at UMDNJ-Rutgers University for over 29 years in a primary role as senior project management analyst for the Finance Controller’s Office. Rean-Walker obtained a Bachelor of Science in computer science with a minor in business management while working a full-time job. As of today, she is halfway through her Master of Business Administration. In her prior union experience, she served two terms as co-president of HPAE Local 5094 Central & Southern Jersey and Rowan University and two terms as co-secretary. In addition, she has been a member of the HPAE State Executive Committee for the past four years and has served on several committees, including the HPAE Retiree Committee, Pension Committee and Transition Committee. She is currently serving on the board of directors for the Work Environment Council in New Jersey, the AFT Healthcare Inequities Taskforce and the AFT Women’s Rights Committee. She is the first non-nurse member to serve as an

officer of HPAE and is looking forward to continuing the growth of the union in an upward, positive direction nationally in order to be a strong seat at any table.

Deborah Riddick is a public policy and community engagement expert with nearly 30 years of experience, advancing nursing practice, health equity and community initiatives in Pennsylvania, Michigan, New Jersey and Oregon. Currently, Riddick serves as the director of public policy and government affairs for the Oregon Nurses Association, representing the interests of 15,000 unionized registered nurses and nurse practitioners. In the recent legislative session, ONA helped to pass legislation advancing workplace safety, paid family medical leave and universal home visits for families with newborns. She is a registered nurse who holds a bachelor’s degree in social science from the University of Pennsylvania and a Juris Doctorate from Thomas M. Cooley Law School.

Ignacia Rodriguez is the immigration policy advocate at the National Immigration Law Center, where she engages in legislative and administrative advocacy focusing on immigration executive actions and congressional action on immigration. She also engages in policy analysis, education and advocacy to support the integration of low-income immigrant youth through access to education. Rodriguez’s experience as an activist in the immigrants’ rights movement and as an undocumented student has led to her devotion to improving the lives of low-income immigrants. She holds an A.A. from Santa Monica College, a B.A. from UCLA and a J.D. from UCLA School of Law.



Jonathan Rodrigues is a senior associate organizer in the Human Rights and Community Relations Department at the American Federation of Teachers. His work focuses on strategy and support for local and statewide coalitions fighting for education justice as well as helping support partnerships with AFT allies. Previously, Rodrigues worked as an organizer with the Boston Teachers Union for four and a half years, helping members grow their community-union partnerships and proudly standing together to defeat a statewide charter expansion ballot question in 2016. He also brings experience from the community, working for several years in the immigrant rights space in Illinois and south Florida. Rodrigues lives in Boston and holds a B.A. in

political science from the University of Chicago.

Victoria Rodriguez-Roldan is the Trans/Gender Non-Conforming Justice Project director/general counsel at the National LGBTQ Task Force. Particular areas of expertise and focus are the intersections of issues affecting transgender people with disabilities and mental illness, anti-trans workplace discrimination and gun violence prevention from a social justice lens. She has been in trans advocacy the entirety of her adult life, including advocacy in Puerto Rico and in Maine. She was awarded the Autistic Self Advocacy Network’s 2016 Ally of the Year Award and has been profiled in NBC News and Latina magazine, among other outlets. Prior to joining the task force, she worked as an equal opportunity specialist for the U.S. Department of Labor’s Civil Rights Center. Rodriguez-Roldan holds a B.A. in psychology with honors from the University of Puerto Rico, and a

J.D. from the University of Maine School of Law.

Hector Sanchez is the executive director of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement, a senior fellow at the GW Cisneros Hispanic Leadership Institute and the chair emeritus of the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda. In these roles, he is an indefatigable voice advancing policy priorities and fighting systematic injustices against Latinos, immigrants and the most vulnerable communities. Throughout his career, Sanchez has worked in nonprofit organizations with a focus on labor, education and human and civil rights. He has vast experience in policy advocacy, community organizing, nonprofit management, fundraising and media relations. Sanchez has launched national

campaigns to improve the conditions of working families and strengthen their voice on critical issues such as labor rights, women’s rights (Trabajadoras and Latinas Represent), immigration, civil rights, farmworkers, healthcare, education, diversity, underrepresentation in government and public office, criminal justice and the environment. He is also a strong campaigner having undertaken vigorous civic participation campaigns, organized and participated in national initiatives to empower the Latino community via voter registration drives, GOTV, voter education and efforts to combat voter suppression. He regularly appears as a commentator on national and international TV networks and frequently publishes opinion pieces on pressing policy issues. Sanchez is also a regular speaker at conferences across the country and has been recognized for his advocacy work, receiving numerous national and international awards.

Bill Shiebler is the deputy director of the Human Rights and Community Relations Department at the American Federation of Teachers. He has over a decade of experience in coalition building, union organizing, community engagement, public affairs and campaign management. He has helped numerous organizations develop strategies and build capacity to win victories that improve the lives of working people. Shiebler helps coordinate the AFT’s community engagement initiative to strengthen the relationships with grass-roots community partners. With a focus on racial, economic and education justice, he has successfully built community-labor partnerships that mobilize union members and communities to win campaigns. Before joining the AFT, Shiebler worked for 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, where he led numerous organizing campaigns to help healthcare workers form unions in the private sector. In his spare time, he is an adjunct trainer with RE: Power, which trains progressive leaders to win electoral,

political and community organizing campaigns.



Heather Shumaker is senior counsel for reproductive rights and health at the National Women’s Law Center. She works to advance state laws and policies that protect reproductive rights and promote access to comprehensive healthcare. Prior to joining the center, Shumaker was the state policy director at the National Abortion Federation and the senior public affairs director for Planned Parenthood Keystone. She is a graduate of Sweet Briar College and the Pennsylvania State University Dickinson School of Law. She also holds an L.L.M. from the George Washington University School of Law, where she studied international human rights law, and an M.A. from King’s College of the University of London.

Sharon Smith serves as the leadership development coordinator for the Journey for Justice Alliance. She is a trained community organizer and partnerships manager with specialties that include new program development, project management, outreach and engagement. Smith is proficient in working with parents and youth to create programs and projects that increase the capacity of parents and students to address community issues. She has a proven ability to work with leadership in communities across the United States to implement strategic plans that advance organizational mission and vision.

Wayne Spence became the first African American president of the New York State Public Employees Federation in June 2015. During his 24 years in state government working as a parole officer, he was very active in the PEF. Among his numerous leadership positions: vice president, shop steward, division health and safety chair, executive board member, Long Island political action co-chair and assistant council leader of Division 236 (New York state parole officers). Spence is known as a leader who demands the union and the state follow through on mandates, especially for member health and safety and community safety issues. He helped change parole policies to ensure that pregnant officers were not required to place themselves and their unborn children at risk by executing felony warrants, and he secured state management action to install metal detectors after incidents of violence with weapons affecting members. He currently serves as an appointed member of New York State Comptroller Thomas

DiNapoli’s advisory council and on the AFT Nurses and Health Professionals program and policy council. In addition, he is on the executive board of the Service Employees International Union and is a member of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists. Spence, who was born in Jamaica and moved to the United States when he was 10, is a graduate of the New York Institute of Technology with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. He was named to City & State New York’s 2016 Albany Power 100 list, is a certified police firearms instructor and instructor evaluator, is a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. and 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care, and sits on the First Baptist Church of Freeport board of trustees.

Ann Twomey, RN, is the president of the Health Professionals and Allied Employees, headquartered in New Jersey. She oversees and develops a variety of bargaining, educational, professional and policy issues for registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, pharmacists, social workers, medical technologists, physical therapists, and other healthcare professionals and ancillary employees in a variety of healthcare settings. She also oversees HPAE’s statewide organizing programs. Twomey is very active in her community and labor organizations; she serves as vice chair of the AFT Nurses and Health Professionals program and policy council, a member of the AFT Human Rights and Community Relations Committee, vice president of the New Jersey State AFL-CIO, co-chair of the Patients First Coalition in New Jersey, a board member of New Jersey Citizen Action, a board trustee of the American Labor Museum, and a member of the Advisory Board of the Felician College Nursing Program. Twomey’s awards include New

Jersey State AFL-CIO Labor Leader of the Year in 2014, Labor Leader of the Year from the Rutgers University Labor Education Department, and the Governor’s Award for Labor Excellence. She has also been honored by the Women’s Fund of New Jersey and the New Jersey Consumers for Civil Justice. Previously, Twomey worked on a



medical-surgical unit specializing in oncology and cardiac telemetry. From 1971 to 1991, Twomey was a staff nurse on a coronary care unit, where she worked in intensive care specializing in cardiac care. She served as charge nurse and preceptor of newly hired nurses and helped create and deliver patient and family teaching programs. Twomey attended Fairleigh Dickenson University’s medical technical/nursing program and the Englewood Hospital School of Nursing.

Nicole Watkins is a field organizer at Planned Parenthood Southeast. While the organization covers Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi, Watkins and two of her team members are based in Birmingham. Originally from Milwaukee, she moved to Alabama in 2007 and has adopted the state as her home. She believes sincerely in the fight for reproductive freedom and recognizes that this work is needed in the Deep South more than in any other geographical area. Her organizing work for Planned Parenthood Southeast involves connecting with volunteers, supporters and Planned Parenthood Generation Action college chapters. Her day-to-day work involves planning and running canvasses, creating events centered around reproductive health, and building coalitions

across Birmingham and Alabama that promote access to healthcare and the betterment of public health. A former history professor, she taught for two years at Lawson State Community College in Birmingham and has written published papers on the origins of social movements, riots and revolutions. Watkins is also an advocate for universal healthcare in her spare time; as a disabled activist, she fights fervently for universal access to healthcare for people with disabilities and has developed and presented workshops on promoting accessibility in organizing work.

Reverend Leslie Watson Wilson is the director of African American Religious Affairs at People For the American Way and People For the American Way Foundation. Representing 2,200 women and men from various Christian traditions across the country, AARA endeavors to build a strong association of progressive clergy, theologians, seminarians and ministry lay leaders who encourage African American churches and communities to become more civically engaged and promote social justice programs and policies. Recognized by the Center for American Progress as one of “15 Faith Leaders to Watch in 2015,” Wilson is the former national policy director for Balm in Gilead and served for nine years as the director of the Multicultural Programs

Department of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. She also served as the national coordinator and field director for the National Rainbow/PUSH Coalition. Wilson is a master trainer, and has provided training to over 25,000 leaders within the African American faith community for over 28 years. Wilson’s work has been featured in a number of national outlets, including NBC, Cosmopolitan and the Huffington Post.

Sheyann Webb-Christburg is a voice for hope, justice, equality and humanitarianism. Born in Selma, she was one of the youngest civil rights movement activists in the 1960s and was named by Martin Luther King Jr. as the “Smallest Freedom Fighter.” This experience was captured in her nationally recognized book Selma, Lord Selma: Girlhood Memories of the Civil Rights Days, which was turned into a Disney movie. Webb-Christburg attended a segregated public school before becoming one of the first blacks to integrate an all-white junior high school. During this traumatic period, she faced daily racial brutality, which included being physically and verbally attacked. She went on to graduate from the Tuskegee Institute. Driven by encounters with racism and poverty, Webb-Christburg has helped thousands of youth gain the confidence to break out of

non-productive patterns and reach for success through her youth development and modeling program, through her mentoring program and as a pageant consultant. A recipient of numerous awards, she was featured in the PBS documentary Eyes on the Prize and has appeared on major network shows, including The Oprah Winfrey Show and CNN. A popular speaker, she is called upon to inspire others to face life challenges with the confidence to not let anyone turn them around.



Randi Weingarten is the president of the American Federation of Teachers, a union of 1.7 million professionals. She was elected in 2008, following 12 years as president of New York City’s United Federation of Teachers and six years as a teacher at Clara Barton High School. Weingarten spearheaded the development of Share My Lesson, the nation’s largest collection of free educational resources for educators and parents. Weingarten and the AFT lead a partnership to transform McDowell County, W.Va., one of the poorest counties in the United States, through efforts to improve the quality of education, and to focus on jobs, housing, healthcare and social services. Since 2014, the AFT has led the way to invest $16 billion in pension assets in U.S. infrastructure, creating more than 100,000 jobs. Weingarten served on the congressional Equity and Excellence Commission, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Common Core Task Force and the 2016

Democratic National Committee platform committee. Weingarten’s column “What Matters Most” appears monthly in the New York Times’ Sunday Review.

Randi Weingartenpresident

Lorretta Johnsonsecretary-treasurer

Mary Cathryn Rickerexecutive vice president

OUR MISSIONThe American Federation of Teachers is a union of professionals that champions fairness; democracy; economic opportunity; and

high-quality public education, healthcare and public services for our students, their families and our communities. We are

committed to advancing these principles through community engagement, organizing, collective bargaining and political activism, and especially through the work our members do.

october 18 20, 2019 ∙ montgomery, alabama · 2019 AFT CIVIL, HUMAN AND WOMEN’S RIGHTS...

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