Vice President Kamala Harris Addresses American Federation Of Teachers In Houston

Vice President Kamala Harris spoke to the American Federation of Teachers at its annual national convention at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston on July 25 in her first trip back to Texas as a presidential candidate. 

The crowd of convention goers shouted their approval of Harris loudly, causing a delay in her opening remarks as they expressed their excitement as she was introduced. 

Harris began her speech by thanking the AFT President Randi Weingarten and union leadership, and thanked them for being the first in the nation to endorse her campaign.

“Last night, our president [Joe Biden] addressed the nation. And he showed once again, what true leadership looks like…He thinks and talks about his work and our country, understanding what it means in terms of what we do now and how that will impact the future,” Harris said. 

Harris thanked Biden for his service to the nation, both in his presidency and in the decades of public service. 

“Joe has led with grace and strength and bold vision and deep compassion …  and as he said in the next six months, he will continue to fight for the American people, and I know we are all deeply, deeply grateful.” 

Harris has secured the necessary delegate pledges to win the Democratic nomination, and her campaign is in the process of vetting a list of potential running mates. 

In praise of education workers

Harris then transitioned to praising all those who work in education — teachers, nurses, bus drivers, custodians and all those who work educating the nation’s children.

“You are focused on the future. The work you do is about a focus on the future. You see the potential in every child. You foster it, you encourage it. And in so doing, you shape the future of our nation,” Harris said. “Which is why I say we need you so desperately right now. Today, we face a choice between two very different visions, our nation, one focused on the future and the other focused on the past and we are fighting for the future.”

Harris then cited the Biden administration’s student debt relief for nearly five million Americans,  and other accomplishments such as affordable health care, affordable childcare and paid leave. 

Framing the election

Harris then pivoted to the presidential race and her opponent, former President Donald Trump and the party behind him. 

“There are those who are really trying to take us backwards, and you have to start seeing their agenda. Project 2025,” Harris said, which was met with raucous booing from the crowd. 

“Can you believe they put that thing In writing? 900 pages,” Harris said incredulously. “2025 is a plan to return America to a dark past. Donald Trump and his extreme allies want to take our nation back to failed trickle down economic policies. Back to union busting, back to tax breaks for billionaires. Donald Trump and his allies want to cut Medicare and Social Security.”

Harris then drew a contrast between her vision of the future of education with that of the far right, which repeatedly seeks to whitewash the history taught in public schools. 

“While  you teach students about democracy and representative government, extremists attack the sacred freedom to vote. While you try to create safe and welcoming places where our children can learn, extremists attack our freedom to live safe from gun violence,” Harris said. “They have the nerve to tell teachers to strap on a gun in the classroom, while they refuse to pass common sense gun safety laws.”

Harris then chided the right wing for opposition to same sex marriage and limiting educators from being able to display photos of their LGBQT spouses in the workplace for fear of being fired. 

The choice at hand

“Here’s the thing. We believe in our country. We believe in its promise of freedom. And the American people believe in the promise of freedom. So we are in the fight. We who believe in the freedom to vote, we’ll pass The John Lewis Voting Rights Enhancement Act,” Harris said. “We who believe in the freedom to live safe from gun violence will pass an assault weapons ban. We who believe that every American should be free from bigotry and hate will fight to protect our teachers and our students from discrimination…we believe in reproductive freedom.”

Harris then closed her remarks by amplifying the magnitude of this election and its potential impact. 

“Right in this moment — we each in our country face a question. That question being ‘what kind of country do we want to live in?’ A country of freedom, compassion, and rule of law — or a country of chaos, fear and hate. The beauty of our democracy is that we each have the power to answer that question,” Harris said.