Social Justice: Strengthening Our Union, Empowering Our Communities
At NYSUT, we believe that fighting for fairness and opportunity is at the core of what it means to be a union. Whether we’re protecting collective bargaining rights, pushing back against education privatization, or standing up for the rights of our members, we know that real change starts from the ground up.
Our Social Justice initiative is about turning our commitment into action—going beyond fundraising to create meaningful, lasting impact on the issues that matter most to our members and the communities they call home. Together, we’re building stronger schools, stronger workplaces, and a stronger future for all.
Who We Are
We advocate for racial, social, economic, and environmental justice for ALL through the labor movement and through partnerships with community organizations.
What We Do
- Coalition Building
- Community Engagement
- Personal & Professional Development
- Literacy Awareness
- Scholarship & Award Recognitions
- Cultural Education
Why We Do It
Our vision is to create a world where every person’s basic social, emotional, and economic needs are met. A world every person can reach their fullest potential. A world where diversity is celebrated, equity is the norm, and oppression, in all forms, is eradicated. A world filled with love, respect, and empathy for everyone.
How We Do It
Just to name a few of our signature programs:
NYSUT's Social Justice Initiatives
Many Threads, One Fabric - A series of virtual town halls run jointly by NYSUT and AFT to explore and discuss racial justice, diversity and equity issues.
Celebrating Diversity - NYSUT pays tribute to the diversity of its membership.
- Hispanic Heritage Month - NYSUT celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month with an annual poster and a variety of programming to highlight the contributions of Hispanic individuals.
- Black History Month - NYSUT celebrates Black History Month with an annual poster and a variety of programming to highlight the contributions of Black individuals.
- Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month - NYSUT celebrates Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month with an annual poster and a variety of programming to highlight the contributions of Asian American Pacific Islander individuals.
- Native American Heritage Month - NYSUT celebrates Native American Heritage Month with an annual poster and a variety of programming to highlight the contributions of Native American individuals.
Civil and Human Rights Committee - NYSUT's Standing Committee on Civil and Human Rights advances the union’s efforts to promote equity and social justice.
Women's Committee - the NYSUT Women’s Committee encourages locals to develop in-house women’s committee chapters; educates female members about the work of the union; highlights women-specific issues, including inequities in pay, health care and education; and seeks to involve more union women in leadership roles.
LGBTQ Committee - NYSUT's LGBTQ Committee educates peers and advocates for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning/Queer members.
What you can do
Remember, social justice begins with you.
- Educate yourself and others about the issues. It's hard to fix a problem if you don't know it exists.
- Use the resources provided to engage your local or retiree council members, students and individuals in your community.
- Make a pledge to host one or more social justice actions, events or activities, and ask others to do the same.
- Forward us your ideas for future actions and activities.
- Send us your lesson plan ideas so we can share them with others.
- Take pictures of, and let us know about, any social justice events your members, students or community participate in. Let's make social justice matter all year round!