Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates received congressional recognition for her dedication to educational equity in Chicago and beyond.
U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-IL, the only serving Latina U.S. congresswoman in the Midwest, commended the longtime labor leader on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives Tuesday morning. She called Davis Gates a friend and “an unapologetic champion of our Chicago communities.”
Ramirez has repeatedly stood up against President Donald Trump for his hard-line immigration enforcement that has affected the Chicago area. She made another strong statement Tuesday by nodding at Davis Gates’ support of that work.
“(Davis Gates) secured sanctuary protections for immigrant families and supported students and families experiencing homelessness, putting Chicago’s children at the center of everything she does,” said Ramirez.
Ramirez’s announcement came just days after Davis Gates won her bid for reelection with 64% of the union membership vote. In the winter months, a slate of challengers formed to challenge the incumbent teachers union president and her contingent, arguing that the CTU wasn’t practicing financial transparency and was shedding other union allies.
Notably, Davis Gates’ reelection followed the settlement of a teachers’ contract for the first time in 15 years without a strike or a strike vote. Davis Gates repeatedly held up that accomplishment as the “forcefield” needed to protect Chicago Public Schools from repeated probes by the federal government on the district’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
On Tuesday, Ramirez acknowledged the precedent Davis Gates’ labor work, referencing the 15-day strike that Davis Gates helped to lead in 2019 as an example of her “bold campaigns that build schools.”
In the face of federal warnings, the teachers union continues to fight against what it deems as efforts to corporatize public education.
“There is no shrinking from the fight coming from Washington and from the administration’s Illinois lackeys like IPI and Paul Vallas, the local right-wing forces who spent millions attacking our leadership,” CTU said in a statement Saturday afternoon.
“The good news is, there are more workers than billionaires. We’re not confused about who makes up the workforce today, where our people come from, or who we represent and are in service to,” the statement said.
Ramirez also recognized Madeline Talbott and Keith Kelleher, longtime Chicago labor organizers, and Illinois teacher of the year Victor Gomez.
Gomez, a six-year teacher from Wheaton, mentors other aspiring bilingual educators, according to Ramirez.
“As a fluent, bilingual, Latina daughter of immigrants, I know the importance of having teachers and mentors who look and sound like me,” Ramirez said.
