I had this plan in life where I was going to teach for about three years, earn a master’s degree, and then get a doctorate degree. Bottom line: I was going to leave the classroom. I thought I could make more change by leaving. I found the opposite to be true. As a union member, I effect more change in my classroom and district, and I can see the difference I make and how far my advocacy goes.
The union has helped me to find my voice, and so I don't have a fear of speaking up, especially through an equity lens. Unions are more than bread and butter. We care about salaries and working conditions, but we also care about social justice – a pillar of the Wisconsin Education Association Council and NEA. For me, that was a selling point to increase my union involvement.
I’m currently the vice president of the Green Bay Education Association. This year, the president and I are looking within our own local union to ensure our leaders makes equity-based decisions, as well as recruit more educators of color into the union. This will strengthen our local by helping us better understand each other, which, in turn, will benefit students.
Our local may not be as diverse as others, but I appreciate how NEA is diverse. At one of the first Representative Assemblies I attended, I learned there was an API caucus. I remember thinking at the time:
'This is so cool. There are other people like me who are passionate about advocating for educators and their students.'
It was nice to see because sometimes the work around equity can feel isolating. But nationally, there's so much support out there and it's great to be part of something so huge.
