Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1503521
IN SOLIDARITY by Marisol Garcia AEA OFFICERS Marisol Garcia President Angela Philpot Vice President Amber Gould Treasurer AEA STAFF Randy Parraz Executive Director Emily Kirkland Editor Roxanne Rash Graphic Design Advertising e AEA Advocate is published by the Arizona Education Association, 345 East Palm Lane, Phoenix, Arizona 85004-1532. Phone: 602- 264-1774 or 800-352-5411 Fax: 602-240-6887. Email: Emily.Kirkland@ArizonaEA.org. AEA's website may be found at www.arizonaea.org. Permission to reprint any material originating with this publication is granted provided that credit is given to the AEA Advocate. e AEA Advocate (ISSN 0194-8849) is published in Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer for $3.50 per year by the Arizona Education Association, 345 East Palm Lane, Phoenix, AZ 85004-1532. Periodicals postage paid at Phoenix, Arizona. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the AEA Advocate, 345 East Palm Lane, Phoenix, AZ 85004-1532. Moving? Please let us know before you go. Simply clip your mailing label from the back of the Advocate and send it along with your new address to: AEA Advocate 345 East Palm Lane Phoenix, Arizona 85004-1532 Marisol Garcia, President Arizona Education Association Dear AEA, We are a democratic union—and that's democratic with a small "d." Whether it's a local union bargaining with a school district over the salary schedule, or our national union deciding who to endorse for president, all of our decisions are based on the preferences and priorities of our members. It's one thing to see democracy in action, but with our union, you can hear it. At AEA's Delegate Assembly in May, 500 union educators fi lled a hotel ballroom in Scottsdale, all of us chosen to be there by the members of our local association. Amidst cheers, applause, and very occasional booing, we debated and voted on AEA policy, down to the placement of commas in our written resolutions. ings were even louder at the July Representative Assembly for the National Education Association, which brought together union educators from around the county–6,000 of us, to be precise. But even when it feels chaotic, we wouldn't have it any other way. We're a member-led union, and we serve the needs and interests of Arizona's public school educators, as determined by educators. Unlike most other organizations, we don't have to raise money from foundations with their own agenda, or partner with corporations. We take orders from no one, and we aren't waiting for a politician or a judge to solve our problems. We're building the power we need to solve our problems ourselves. If you're waiting for a sign that it's time for you to get involved, consider this it. We need you in the fi ght—because the only people who are going to save us are us. In solidarity, 4 ADVOCATE | SUMMER 2023