On this edition of Your Call, we continue our Authoritarian Playbook series with AFT president Randi Weingarten, author of the new book, Why Fascists Fear Teachers: Public Education and the Future of Democracy.
She says it's a love letter to public school educators and an expose of the well-funded strategy behind the vilification of teachers and war on knowledge. Educators are facing intimidation, censorship, and political attacks across the country. Weingarten opens her book with a history lesson about teachers resisting Nazis in Norway and makes the connection between historical authoritarian movements and today’s efforts to dismantle public education.
How are teachers and public school advocates fighting back to defend public education, critical thinking, opportunities for all, and the right to build a strong union?
Guest:
Randi Weingarten, president of the 1.8 million-member American Federation of Teachers, former head of the United Federation of Teachers and social studies teacher at Clara Barton High School in New York, and author of Why Fascists Fear Teachers: Public Education and the Future of Democracy
Web Resources:
Rolling Stone by Randi Weingarten: Why Fascists Hate Critical Thinking
ProPublica: These Activists Want to Dismantle Public Schools. Now They Run the Education Department.
ProPublica: Five Ways the Department of Education Is Upending Public Schools
The Center for American Progress: Public Education Under Threat: 4 Trump Administration Actions To Watch in the 2025-26 School Year
