Noticias de la campaña

How can we ensure success in our future if we do not invest in our children? More importantly, if we don’t work towards an equitable education system, how will America close the wealth gap, remove racial disparities with respect to income, and creates a strong economy that works for everyone?

I attended the Chicago Teacher’s Union Strike in Chicago today to show solidarity. On the day that General Motors and UAW arrived at a tentative agreement, the Chicago Teacher’s Union went on strike. 

I’m excited to see people waking up and demanding more from their elected leaders. Many signs called on Mayor Lightfoot to keep her campaign promises. We are living through one of the highest levels of income inequality in American history and Chicago’s budget could do a better job of making education a priority.

If we as a nation want to make our education system more equitable, we need to give students the support staff they need. We need to allow teachers to reach each student on an individual level by having smaller class sizes. These are the reasons that CTU is striking. They want a CPS budget that puts students first.

The UAW Strike, CTU Strike and even my campaign for congress are some of the ripples of change that reflect a growing angst among working people who are fighting for political system and economic system that works for everyone.

I wore my #TEACHERSTRONG T-shirt to the strike to also call attention to teachers who are members of Joliet District 86 who have been working without a contract since August 31st.

Two months ago, I attended a rally at College of DuPage where educators have been without a contract since August 14th.

If we as a nation don’t make education a priority and don’t challenge conservative talking points that demonize teachers, more and more young people will choose a different profession out of college. In 2015, I became an “emergency substitute teacher” in Washington because the State of Washington didn’t have enough teachers.