Category: Social Justice

Before I was president of the National Education Association (NEA), I was a sixth-grade teacher in Utah.

Sometimes the lines in political and ideological fights are blurry; a series of skirmishes viewed by most from the sidelines with mild interest. This is not one of those times.  The gap between those of us who are determined to solve the inequality and climate change threatening all aspects of our lives, and those who […]

Right now, in Vancouver, Canada is hosting the Women Deliver 2019 Conference – the world’s largest conference on gender equality. That’s why, for the last 18 months, as Director of the Women Deliver 2019 Mobilization Canada campaign, I have used the opportunity that the Conference’s spotlight presents to connect with entities (academic institutions, teachers’ federations, […]

In 2019, there is no country in the world that has achieved gender equality. This is a startling fact. We are at a critical moment in time where we need to find ways to really move the needle on this issue. Canada has the opportunity to become the first country in the world to achieve […]

Betty Williams, Erin Meryn, Jody Williams, Juliana Dogbadzi, Loune Viaud, Labrda Paz, Marina Pisklakova, Sonita Alizadeh, Rosemary Sadlier, Mary Simon, Léonie Couture, Louise Arbour and Timea Nagy. These are just a few of the incredible women whose voices are heard through the Speak Truth to Power human rights education curriculum. Almost 20 years ago, I […]

I became the Secretary General of the Canadian Teachers’ Federation (CTF-FCE) in January 2015. I was almost 48; the CTF-FCE was 95. Despite the Federation’s long history proudly representing a profession primarily made up of women1, I was the first woman named to the role of Secretary General. As a member of the staff, with […]