Friends,
Excited to send along a wonderful, just completed interview AFT President Randi Weingarten (bio). Randi came by to talk about her timely new book, “Why Fascists Fear Teachers,” one that has already made it onto bestseller lists! Here’s Randi’s summary of her book:
The title of my new book, Why Fascists Fear Teachers, is intended as a warning, but it may belie what the book is at its core: a love letter to teachers. I write about teachers’ seemingly small everyday acts, like fostering empathy, confidence, critical thinking and mastery, that cultivate opportunity and humanity in our young people. And I look back at historic acts of heroism, such as the teachers in Norway who were among the first and most resolute to protest the Nazi takeover, even when the Nazis tried to violently force them into submission. When I heard that story many years ago, I would never have believed that echoes of authoritarianism would reverberate in the United States today. Nor could I have imagined that this book would come into the world at a time when heinous acts of political violence are occurring with horrifying frequency, violence that I condemn with every fiber of my being. Yet here we are.
Simply, Randi is one of the most important leaders in our pro-democracy movement today. She is fierce, tireless, determined, inspiring - a true patriot, and a powerful warrior for working people across our country. Our discussion goes deep into her book, the Trump’s regime ongoing assault on science and education, and her broader assessment of where we are in the fight for our democracy and freedoms. It’s one of the most compelling conversations I’ve recorded since launching Hopium, and I strongly recommend it for when you have the time. It will lift you up and give you hope - something we all need more of these days (even those of us here at Hopium!).
As I was putting this together we got word that the big White House meeting has ended and unsurprisingly no deal was announced. I will be talking about what comes next in tomorrow’s post and be sure to check out this morning’s post, We Must Keep The Military Off Our Streets, if you haven’t gotten to it yet….
So, watch this wonderful conversation with a powerful teacher, buy her great new book, and let’s channel Randi’s bountiful courage and passion into our own work in the days ahead - Simon
