From beginning to end, the second annual NYSUT Members of Color Conference was a vibe. #IYKYK.
More than 400 NYSUT members from across the state convened under the theme, “Reclaiming Our Joy: Building Power Through Hope.”
“Joy is resistance. Hope is our strategy. Power is the result,” declared NYSUT Board member LeRoy Barr, United Federation of Teachers secretary, who served as host for the conference. “As union members of color, we know what it means to carry a lot. We carry our work, our families; we carry our histories. Many days we carry the weight of systems that were never designed with us in mind.”
The conference, held Dec. 6–7 in Albany, was part of the union’s Members of Color Action and Affinity initiative and sponsored by the NYSUT Many Threads, One Fabric program. NYSUT Secretary-Treasurer J. Philippe Abraham noted the conference was taking place just after the 70th anniversary of Rosa Parks’ historic arrest.
“She refused to give up her seat and, in doing so, changed the direction of a nation. Rosa Parks didn’t just sit. She stood for all of us and sparked a movement ... 70 years later, we’re still fighting,” Abraham said.
“People of color are still under attack. Our students and our identities are under attack. Education itself, the profession we dedicate our lives to is being pulled into political warfare. They’re banning books, censoring truth, devaluing educators, and undermining the right of every child to learn fully, freely and honestly. And yet, here we stand in community, in purpose and in power.”
The 2025 conference continued themes explored in the inaugural event, including the unique challenges members of color face in the workplace, from navigating white spaces to intersectionality in action, but also shared tools on growing the next generation of teachers of color, engaging in courageous conversations to advance racial and social justice and knowing your rights as a member of color.
While James Taylor, a member of the Rochester Teachers Association, is nearing retirement, he was excited to attend the conference and be in a space amongst like-minded educators who have the same goals for students. “I’m motivated by seeing my former students ... there are a lot of injustices in education, and we need to get rid of them for our kids.”
The conference kicked off with greetings and words of wisdom from a host of speakers including Albany Mayor-Elect Dorcey Applyrs, who thanked educators for the work they do every day.
“I have found that most people in the education space, especially who look like me, you do it because you know our generations behind and ahead depend on us being in the room,” said Applyrs, who will be the first Black mayor in Albany’s history. “Thank you so much for all that you do to mentor, to pour into, to shape the next generation. You all were made for this moment, and you show up because you love and care and our children deserve nothing less.”
NYS AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Terry Melvin encouraged members to stay united for the fight ahead. “NYSUT, I need you to stand up like never before. I need you to be proud of the work you are doing. I need you to stand proud as educators in this state,” Melvin said. “We are unstoppable. We are unbossed. We are unbought. We are unbreakable.”
Other speakers included L. Joy Wiliams, president of the New York state NAACP; Karla Hernández- Mats, vice president of AFT Florida; and Jessica Tang, president of AFT Massachusetts. Conference attendees also had plenty of time for networking and building connections with colleagues from across the state.
“It’s no secret that our country is going through some difficult times. Working people, immigrants and people of color are under attack. I’m really proud of who NYSUT is in this moment in our history,” said NYSUT President Melinda Person, noting that while the union certainly exists to ensure working people have access to strong benefits, fair wages and healthcare, it is also much more. “Who we are is a moral and democratic anchor for this country. I’m proud to say that we stand for the simple but radical notion that every person deserves opportunity, dignity and a voice.”
Closing keynote speaker Stacy Davis Gates, president of the Illinois Federation of Teachers and Chicago Teachers Union, fired up attendees and encouraged them to prepare for the fights ahead.
“Create the capacity ... to renegotiate a social contract that sees all of us. And you do that by picking fights,” Davis Gates said. “You pick them in the Legislature; you pick them in your workplace when you fight for your raise and your benefits. ... And you can fight for the capacity of your union to undergird the common good in this country and in your local.”
“In this moment we are the only ones missing from the story of how we tell our history, stake your claim to this history being told forward and let’s save ourselves.”
To learn more about NYSUT’s social justice work, visit nysut.org/MOCAA.
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