Dear WTU Family,

I want to begin by thanking everyone who joined us for our 2025 Shared Vision Conference last week. Your presence and passion for literacy continues to inspire all of us as we work together to shape a brighter future for public education in D.C.

Friday’s kickoff event at @busboysandpoets was electric. A special thank you to Kimball Elementary School, Takoma Park Elementary School, Whittier Elementary School, and Ward 4 SBOE representative T. Michelle Colson for helping us launch the weekend with energy and joy. Our students were thrilled to meet and speak with NYT bestselling author and illustrator Brian Pinkney, whose work continues to light imaginations on fire.  Our young learners also had lunch with their classmates, and everyone took home a Brian Pickney book.

On Saturday morning, we continued the conference with a virtual conversation live from Brian’s art studio in New York, followed by a powerful session on how parents can support literacy at home. Later, the D.C. State Board of Education Representatives joined our conference and highlighted their commitment to improving literacy outcomes. We thank SBOE members Jacque Patterson, LaJoy Johnson-Law, Robert Henderson, T. Michelle Colson and Eboni-Rose Thompsonfor participating in our Shared Vision Conference and for their continued support—especially around initiatives in early literacy funding.

The WTU is proud to invite all WTU members to participate in the World Pride Parade and Festival on Saturday, June 7^th and Sunday, June 8^th. Please use this link to sign up! All participants will receive a free WTU 2025 World Pride T-shirt!

Thank you for all you do. I’m incredibly proud of what we continue to achieve together, and I look forward to marching forward—literally and figuratively—with all of you.

In solidarity,
Jacqueline Pogue Lyons
President, Washington Teachers’ Union

🌈 World Pride Is Almost Here – Get Ready to Celebrate! 🌈

World Pride is just a few weeks away, and we couldn’t be more excited! There are so many ways for YOU to get involved and show your pride. Our dedicated PRIDE Committee has been working hard to plan an unforgettable week of events, and we can’t wait to celebrate with you!

Here’s what’s coming up:

🎉 Thursday, June 5
Kick off the celebrations with a Happy Hour at the beautiful rooftop pool at Hotel Zena. Enjoy stunning views, great company, and refreshing drinks as we launch into Pride week!

🚛 Friday, June 6
Join us at WTU Headquarters for a Truck Decorating Party. Bring your creativity and help us deck out our float for the parade!

🏳️‍🌈 Saturday, June 7
It’s the WORLD PRIDE Parade, the main event! March with us and show the world what community, love, and unity look like.

📚 Plus, don’t miss the expanded two-day World Pride Festival, where we’ll be giving away books to attendees all weekend long!

🌟 Want to get involved? This is your chance!

Please sign up using the link below for any events that interest you.

Teachers who sign up to volunteer for PRIDE events will receive a Limited-Edition World Pride T-Shirt AND be entered for a chance to win a ticket to see Shakira live at the World Pride Music Festival on May 31st!

If you are interested in attending, please email WTU Organizer at [email protected]with your name, personal email address, and phone number.

Please note that you must pick up the physical tickets at the WTU Office and those waitlisted will be called for unclaimed tickets on Thursday, June 12th.

On April 30th, the WTU Ward 8 Special Election Candidate Forum occurred in which the following candidates for the upcoming Ward 8 race participated:

• Mike Austin
• Salim Adofo
• Sheila Bunn
• Khadijah Clark
• Mary Roach

After listening to the candidates at the forum, the COPE committee members decided to recommend a "no endorsement" for the Ward 8 special election.

This decision was unanimously supported by the WTU Representative Assembly this past Tuesday, May 13th, at the May WTU Representative Assembly Meeting.

• June 2 @ 5:00 pm - COPE meeting. Join by clicking here.
• June 5 - WorldPride Rooftop Kickoff Party @ Zena Hotel
• June 7- WorldPride Parade
• June 7 and June 8- WorldPride Street Festival 
• June 14 @4:05 pm - Labor Night with the Nats

• Microsite Community Changemakers Grant
• LEA Look Forward for May 16, 2025: DC Educator Workforce Summit, HHI Data Collection and More

Miss the AM Brew? Catch up here

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