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District 75 political action workshop

‘The building blocks of organizing’

New York Teacher
Two colleagues engage in a group activity during a workshop.
Jonathan Fickies

Steven Mintzer, the chapter leader at P177 in Queens, and teacher Kathleen Morgo Collins (second from right) of PS 75 in Queens engage in group work during the workshop.

About 30 District 75 members learned how to organize their colleagues to become politically active and advocate for their interests as workers at a political action workshop at union headquarters on Feb. 25. The event, led by American Federation of Teachers national representative Jesse Ziegler, featured a presentation on the basics of face-to-face organizing. Ziegler had participants role-play the kinds of conversations they could have at schools to motivate their co-workers to get involved in the union. “One-on-one conversations are the building blocks of organizing,” said Ziegler, who also emphasized the importance of giving people a solid plan to make a difference. “People need to believe there’s a way to win,” he said. Participating in politics was a no-brainer for Undrea Polite, a paraprofessional representative from PS 369, a District 75 school in Brooklyn. “I believe if you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem,” she said.

Related Topics: Political Action