Becky Pringle addresses delegates to the 105th Representative Assembly

My husband wrote me this love letter for my birthday the year he died.

Dearest Beck,

I forget sometimes, but thankfully you continually remind me. You are a treasure.

I lose myself in the splendor of your eyes more often than you know.

Your wisdom and strength…your voice…you speak to me, my soul, when I need it. And so often it is your words that fuel and instruct my quixotic pursuits, my dreams. I would be lost without you.

Forged over so many years and countless trials, our connection is nothing short of a quantum entanglement. You are the strongest person I know. And because of this rare phenomenon, I am stronger.

I wish you all you deserve on this day on which I annually rejoice.

Happy Birthday Becky…and Thank you for sharing your life with me.

With love,
Nate

Delegates, I wanted you to know a little more about the source of my support throughout the span of my career - pushing and pulling me; loving and catching me; listening and discerning what my heart was saying; helping me understand my calling, and supporting me through my journey of leadership.

I share Nate's words with you, in this my final keynote to the delegates of the highest governing body of the largest labor union in this country because…

Everything is about relationships.

Connectedness is essential to life.

Belonging is how we build community.

And love. Love is a powerful elixir. A way in the darkness. Strength for the fight. Energy for the liberation movement. Joy for the journey. Fuel for the spirit. Love is… everything.

Nate said we had a quantum entanglement. He was a man of precise words. He was a lawyer who always said to the scientist: Everything is about physics. Quantum entanglement. He meant those words in ways that would continue to reveal themselves to me long after he passed. Quantum entanglement is a phenomenon in quantum physics where two or more particles become inextricably linked such that the physical state of one particle instantly determines the state of the other, no matter how vast the distance separating them; it affects each particle in a group so forcefully that it cannot be described independently of the state of the others.

That definition of quantum entanglement also helps me fully understand us-the members and leaders of the National Education Association. What motivates and inspires us. What compels us to keep going, even when we think we can't take one more step. It's the power of the connectedness of the collective, focused on a compelling vision of what the world should be; standing as one; holding our heads high believing, knowing, we can bring that world into being.

Delegates, it's physics!

And…it's our humanity. It's our undeniable, indelible inner drive to do what's right. To never give up.

"Always the curve of hope, whose arc I could never see….The curve of hope has brought you back to me."

Those words come from Gabriel's Daughter, the opera that tells the story of a woman whose courage should inspire us all- Clara Brown, the first Black woman to settle here in Colorado.

Born enslaved, her husband and four children were ripped from her arms. Decades of searching. Decades of heartbreak. Decades of refusing to surrender to the cruelty of those who denied her humanity.

When she heard her daughter Eliza might be somewhere in the West, Clara did not wait for permission. She did not wait for safety or certainty.

She walked. Seven hundred miles. To this city. Because love demanded it. Because hope insisted on it.

Eliza wasn't here. But Clara stayed. She built businesses. Bought property. Cared for the sick. Delivered babies. She kept living - but she never stopped looking.

Nearly fifty years later, Clara finally found Eliza.

Delegates, let Clara's story of determination and resilience; her dogged belief in the plausibility of the possible remind you that hope is not passive - hope is a discipline; a necessary part of any strategy. Hope is a refusal to quit.

Even in this season of cruelty and chaos, division, and despair, we must remember that we are the largest democratic, deliberative body in the world. We are the voice of almost 3 million educators. We are the defenders of public education - the heartbeat of democracy.

NEA, we must keep walking. Even when the road is long. Even when the arc of hope is hard to see, and the forces against us try to extinguish our light, dampen our hope, and deny our power. We can't stop. We won't stop. We must keep walking.

This is my final year as NEA president. Six years in this role; 30 years as a leader at the national level; and 45 years as proud member of the NEA. When I look back, I think about my place in the span of time that the National Education Association has been in existence.

I see the day I joined NEA in 1981 as a middle school science teacher, a young mother trying to find time to raise a child (and then two); grow my professional practice; capture the curiosity of 8th graders - those babies with attitude struggling through their adolescent years, and…find a place where I could continue my racial justice activism in a way that would help my students. All of them. PSEA local and state leaders reached back for me. Determined to meet me where my passion was, they refused to let me shrink; they helped me understand the role the union could play in my journey toward finding my voice. I want you to consider how your own origin story brought you into this hall today, and where it intersects with the story of NEA.

Our story began in 1857, when 43 educators gathered in Philadelphia to form the National Teachers Association. We became the NEA in 1870. We held our first RA in 1920. In 1966, we merged with the American Teachers Association- joining with the union that represented Black educators in the South, whose priority was the education of Black children.

Ever since, we have fought for equity, justice, and freedom for all: advocating for the rights of women, the disabled, and immigrants; the rights of LGBTQ+, AAPI, Indigenous, and Black and Brown communities; and voting rights, and . . . and . . When the federal government imposed a "test and punish" scheme, we fought for 13 years to dismantle No Child Left Behind.

When the Great Recession threatened to gut public education, we saved over 138,000 jobs.

When a global pandemic shut down the world, you became the backbone of this nation. You fed students. You taught through trauma. You demanded safety. You secured the largest public education investment in U.S. history.

And over the last 18 months - as educators, unions, students, and entire communities have been attacked - you have stood in your power.

You have faced an administration determined to turn diversity, equity, and inclusion into a slur… to gut Medicaid, SNAP, and Social Security and to defund our schools to fund billionaires. They are determined to obliterate the disability and civil rights and Title I work of the Department of Education; terrorize immigrants and mock LGBTQ+ Americans for living as their authentic selves. They are determined to stack courts with judges who have eviscerated the Voting Rights Act.

This administration wants us afraid, exhausted, and silent. They want us to think we are powerless.

But NEA delegates - clearly they did not do their homework!

This year's theme says it all: We are Organizing for Power - for all our educators, for all our students, and for…our democracy.

In Minnesota, when this administration sent militarized agents to invade their communities, scare families so badly that they wouldn't leave home, and murder innocent people in broad daylight . . . educators fought back with compassion, courage, and truth. They defended and fed students and families. Demanded ICE end their occupation. And our educators made sure students never stopped learning.

In New Mexico educators grew their power by transforming individual voices into collective action. They formed the New Mexico State University-NEA union. Today, they are recognized by the state labor board as the official bargaining representative for hundreds of faculty across the state system!

In Arizona, educators got fed up with the harm caused by the "testing and punishing; blaming and shaming." So they led a successful grassroots campaign to eliminate non-mandatory standardized tests required by the school district.

In Wyoming, educators filed a lawsuit challenging the state's 50 million dollar universal voucher program. Their action led the court to in­definitely halt this program deliberately designed to destroy their public schools.

And in Maine and Washington State, outraged by the unfair and unjust tax system, educators fought to put a millionaires' tax into law-a measure that will require the wealthy in those states to invest in the communities that need it the most.

In Wisconsin, educators who understand that every court decision matters, campaigned for-and won-a pro-education Supreme Court-paving the way to turn constitutional promises into enforceable policy.

In New Hampshire and Tennessee educators who were very clear that "union power is educator power" organized and pushed back their states' anti-union bills!

And on May 1st, NEA members and leaders in communities all across the country organized . . . they mobilized . . . and they stood on the front lines for the historic "Workers Over Billionaires" day of action. Of the 5,000 documented events across this country, 1,000 of them-20 percent!!-were organized by NEA affiliates! Delegates, I know that you will continue to stand against every billionaire trying to snatch away the resources our students need to live and to learn.

I have said it many times before, and I need to say it again: I have never been more proud to call myself an educator. All across this country, I see you doing what I have asked you to do: You are fighting back. You are fighting forward when others have given in. You continue to uphold our vow to advance racial and social justice, andto create inclusive, safe, just, and joyous public schools. You are demanding the respect of professional pay and high-quality working conditions; supporting professional excellence and student learning. You are continuing to build our affiliates' capacity to organize to fight for public education!

And… we know none of us does this work alone.

No one in this room would be here without someone, or many "someones," who in our lowest moments, picked us up, took our hands, and loved us through it.

Let me tell you about mine:

My father, Haywood Harrison Board- a public school history teacher - showed me that teaching is an act of faith. Every lesson, every question, every spark of curiosity declares that the future is worth fighting for.

My mother, Mildred Taylor Board-an ESP Head Start food service worker- taught me that schools do not run on policy or politics. They run on the care of people.

They were my first teachers. My first organizers. Even into retirement they were "holding the line" when my sister's union went on strike. Everything I have ever done in NEA began with them.

And then there was my husband. You "met" him earlier. What I didn't tell you is that he encouraged me to run for NEA Secretary Treasurer. Even though it meant upending his life, he wanted to support public education by supporting my continued leadership.

My amazing children, Lauren and Nate…you heard from Lauren, but Nate first came to understand that what his mother did was important, and so he forgave me for running into his wrestling matches late, and forgetting to bake the cookies for his class.

And finally, I want to thank all of you. From my officers to my Executive Committee; our incredible staff, led by the amazing Kim Anderson. To you, the delegates, for accepting the responsibility of not just making important decisions during this RA, but most especially to be the activists we need you to be for the other 361 of the year.

Look at you, NEA. Here. You. Stand.
Still educating. Still organizing. Still fighting.

And that means the story is not over. It means the curve of hope is still bending - because we are the ones bending it.

So today, on the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, I am asking you to make a declaration of your own . . . using these seven action words . . . seven verbs. Educate. Communicate. Organize. Mobilize. Litigate. Legislate. Elect. Because action is the only thing that has ever moved this nation forward. Delegates, I need you to:

Educate and Communicate- Declare that you will tell the truth even when opponents of public education try to silence it, and that you will cut through every lie with clarity and courage!

Organize and Mobilize - Declare that you will build power in every school, every district, every state; that you will show up wherever our students' futures are on the line!

Litigate and Legislate -Declare that you will give us the stories we need to use every legal tool to defend rights and challenge injustice; that you will demand laws that honor students and respect educators.

And most of all delegates, Elect! The November elections are just four months away. I need you to declare that you will work like hell to elect leaders who will protect public education and pass legislation to strengthen it. This year's election must lay the foundation for what must come: winning governors races and state legislatures; school board races and…the White House. So you know what that means: We have to win. All the things. We have to.

These seven verbs are seven commitments that I am asking you to make . . .

So we can mean every student when we say every student.

So that education professionals-all educators-have the respect and resources they need.

So our democracy doesn't just exist. It is vibrant. It is thriving. It is a beautiful reflection of our highest ideals.

That is the promise we must defend. That is the future we must fight to see.

And as we fight, I ask that you ground yourselves in this undeniable truth: When educators stand together, there is no force in this nation that can silence us. There is no enemy who can diminish us. There is no wanna-be dictator who can stop us.

Oh, James Baldwin…You. Are. Right: "there is never a time in the future [where] we will work out our salvation. The challenge is in the moment; the time is always now."

Fellow unionists, the time is always now to dare to be powerful.

Delegates, the time is now to lead with courage!

NEA, the time is now to rise up and demand liberation! For everyone!

Leading this union has been the honor of my life. But the future - the power - the responsibility - now rests with you.

So, I need you to move forward, in union together.

I began by sharing Nate's love letter to me. This is my love letter to you:

Dearest NEA,

You are a treasure. Your wisdom and strength…your voice…you speak to me, my soul, when I need it. And so often it is your words that fuel and instruct my quixotic pursuits, my dreams.

Forged over so many years and countless trials, our connection is nothing short of a quantum entanglement. You are the strongest people I know. And I am stronger because of you.

Thank you for the privilege of taking this joyous journey with you. The best chapters of NEA's story are still to be written-by your hands, your voices, and your unwavering dedication to public education, to our students, to each other, and to this union.

You are my heroes. You are…my heart.

With overwhelming love and radical gratitude,

Your NEA President,
Becky