Reflections on UFE’s Fall Training of Trainers

In this piece, Yashini Krishnakumar, UFE’s 2024-2025 Tisch Scholar, reflects on her experiences of sharing stories and developing critical consciousness at UFE’s Fall Training of Trainers. It was held November 14–17, 2024 at the Avila Center for Community Leadership.

Fall 2024 Training of Trainer participants, facilitators, interpreters, and participants’ children. Yashini Krishnakumar, front row, second from left.

Two alumni of UFE’s Grassroots Organizing School of Alabama (GOSA) were recently selected to participate in the Southern Poverty Law Center’s (SPLC) Advocacy Institute in Alabama. 

Iralda Hernández, part of the GOSA 2023 cohort, and Aurora Sanchez, from GOSA 2024, worked together to develop and present a campaign in support of making voter registration automatic in Alabama.

See and feel a UFE Training of Trainers — in just one minute.

(the only fight that is lost is the one that is abandoned)

Post-election reflections

by Jeannette Huezo, UFE Executive Director and Senior Popular Educator

(español abajo)

It has been one month since the re-election of a billionaire who has promised to sharply curtail civil liberties, dismantle core parts of the institutional infrastructure for governing, round up and deport millions of immigrants, and shift more billions of dollars to his cronies.

Reflections on My Participation at the 32nd IAFFE Annual Conference in Rome, Italy

I was invited to participate at the 2024 conference of the International Association for Feminist Economics (IAFFE), presenting a workshop in collaboration with other organizations that value and practice the popular education methodology.

On September 22, 2024, Jeannette Huezo, UFE Executive Director & Senior Popular Educator, led members of the National TPS Alliance through an intensive, virtual training as part of an ongoing series that utilizes UFE’s Popular Economics Education methodology. She facilitated conversation intended to deconstruct the immensely dehumanizing narrative surrounding documented and undocumented immigrant labor – demonstrating how our economy cannot function without such workers. 

Jeannette Huezo, UFE’s Executive Director and Senior Popular Educator, upper left, meeting with leaders of the National TPS Alliance 

On October 1st, nearly 50,000 dock workers with the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), from ports in Texas to Maine, went on strike, demanding better wages and an end to automation, which they claim directly violates their contract. A strike of this magnitude has not occurred since 1977. Workers across the country are rising up and reclaiming what rightfully belongs to them!

Striking longshoremen picket outside the Packer Avenue Marine Terminal Port, in Philadelphia, Pa., on Oct. 1. Photo credit: Ryan Collerd/The Associated Press

On October 5th, the strike was officially postponed to January 15th after the union reached a deal to negotiate a new contract.

We are excited to welcome Yashini Krishnakumar as our Tisch Scholar for the 2024-2025 school year. The Tisch Scholars program at Tufts University is a leadership development program that combines academic coursework, fieldwork in local communities, skill-building, and critical reflection.

¡Bienvenido, Yashini! 

On September 14th, almost a hundred Durham residents filled Asbury United Methodist Church for the Duke Respect Durham campaign kickoff event. This campaign – led by a broad coalition of labor groups, community organizations, political organizations, non-profits, faith groups, students and regular working-class people – has one main objective: to make Duke pay their fair share in taxes to the city of Durham! UFE was there in support.

Almost 100 members of the Durham community joined to kick off the campaign. Photo credit: Duke Respect Durham Coalition

On September 4th, 2024, United for a Fair Economy had the incredible privilege of hosting the Apache Stronghold in Durham, North Carolina on their national prayer journey leading up to their Supreme Court fight on September 11th.

Community members, organizers, and UFE staff join the prayer ceremony with the Apache Stronghold at the Avila Center for Community Leadership. Photo credit: Apache Stronghold

On July 25th-28th, 2024, members of Boston Neighbors United For a Better East Boston (NUBE) joined UFE for a Civil Rights tour led by our Director of Southern Inclusive Economies, Ana Delia Espino. Developed in collaboration with NUBE, UFE designed and hosted an Alabama Civil Rights Tour and analysis using our newest workshop, Racism in the Mind, Skin, and Action. The 4-day event centered on teaching economic justice through a racial lens.