AFT Book Club: A Conversation with Heather Cox Richardson

Join us for our October AFT Book Club session featuring AFT President Randi Weingarten and esteemed historian Heather Cox Richardson, discussing her latest New York Times best-selling book, Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America.

Dive into a compelling conversation as Richardson, author of How the South Won the Civil War: Oligarchy, Democracy, and the Continuing Fight for the Soul of America unpacks the intricate history and ongoing struggles of American democracy. With her signature clarity and engaging style, she traces the historical roots of today’s political climate, revealing how modern conservatism has capitalized on discontent and distorted history to consolidate power.

In this session, Richardson will illuminate the lessons of the past that offer a road map for navigating the current political crisis. She'll connect the dots from the Founders to the abolitionists, through Reconstruction and the New Deal, up to the Jan. 6 insurrection, highlighting the enduring impact of these pivotal moments on our democracy.

AFT President Randi Weingarten will join the discussion, bringing her insights on the challenges facing American democracy today and the role of education in fostering an informed and engaged citizenry.

Don’t miss this enlightening discussion that promises to provide a deeper understanding of the historical forces shaping our present and future, and a call to action for preserving democratic ideals.

Save the date and join us for this crucial dialogue on the state and future of American democracy.

REGISTER HERE

Learn more about the AFT Book Club: https://bit.ly/aftbookclub

Heather Cox Richardson is a professor of history at Boston College. She has written about the Civil War, Reconstruction, the Gilded Age, and the American West in award-winning books whose subjects stretch from the European settlement of the North American continent to the history of the Republican Party through the Trump administration. She is the author, most recently, of the best-selling Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America. Jane Mayer has called the book “a vibrant, and essential history of America's unending, enraging and utterly compelling struggle since its founding to live up to its own best ideals.” Heather Cox Richardson’s work has appeared in the Washington Post, the New York Times, and the Guardian, among other outlets. Her nightly newsletter, Letters from an American, reaches over a million readers.

Randi Weingarten is president of the 1.7 million-member AFT, AFL-CIO, which represents teachers; paraprofessionals and school-related personnel; higher education faculty and staff; nurses and other healthcare professionals; local, state and federal government employees; and early childhood educators. The AFT champions fairness; democracy; economic opportunity; and high-quality public education, healthcare and public services for students, their families and communities. The AFT and its members advance these principles through community engagement, organizing, collective bargaining and political activism, and especially through members’ work.

Professional Credit

Available for one-hour of PD credit. A certificate of completion will be available for download at the end of your session that you can submit for your school's or district's approval.

Share My Lesson is a New York State Education Department-approved provider for Continuing Teacher and Leader Education (CTLE) requirements, an Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) approved professional development provider, and a Texas Education Agency (TEA) approved professional development provider.

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