What Came Before: Remembering Movements with Philadelphia’s Teacher-Organizers

This article discusses the relationship between the contemporary teacher movement and the social, political, and labor movements of the past. Using interviews with Philadelphia teacher-organizers, this investigation highlights specific past movements that shaped, informed, and inspired their work in the City. More specifically, the significance of the Jewish labor movement and Black liberation movements will be explored, underscoring the ways that many of today’s movement teachers learn from and stand in solidarity with the movements that came before.