NYSUT to host inaugural Members of Color conference
fter a successful virtual launch of the NYSUT Members of Color Affinity and Action initiative last fall, the statewide union is ready to launch its first in-person conference dedicated to “celebrating, empowering and connecting educators of color.”
The Members of Color conference: Community, Organizing, Advocacy and Belonging, takes place Dec. 7–8 in Albany. The event will feature inspiring sessions, valuable networking opportunities and meaningful discussions, said NYSUT Secretary-Treasurer J. Philippe Abraham, whose office coordinates the union’s social justice initiatives.
“Our members of color bring unique perspectives, experiences and talents not only to the work they do, but also to the community and our union,” Abraham said.
Workshop topics include: Life at the intersections; Navigating spaces: Colorism, model minority myth and codeswitching; Community and belonging; Know your rights as an educator; Creating an anti-racist union and more.
Award-winning journalist and author Michael Harriot will be the closing speaker. Harriot is a celebrated poet and public historian whose debut book, Black AF History: The Unwhitewashed Story of America, has received recognition as a New York Times bestseller, an NAACP Image Award nominee, American Library Association nonfiction book of the year and made several best-of lists.
The conference is sponsored by NYSUT’s Many Threads, One Fabric program. To register or for more information, visit nysut.cc/mocaa-2024. Nov. 8 is the registration deadline.
To learn more about NYSUT’s social justice programs, visit nysut.org/socialjustice.