A two-day conference featuring socialist, anti-war and pro-Palestinian activists at Chicago Teachers Union headquarters is drawing criticism from an education advocate who says the gathering reflects priorities far removed from the classroom.The conference included workshops on protest and media tactics, approaching port workers, tracking weapons shipments, fundraising, coalition building and strengthening ties with labor and community groups in Latin America and Africa, according to AWAN’s website."I'm not sure that has much to do with empowering teachers in the classroom," North American Values Institute (NAVI) Chief Advocacy Officer Josh Weiner said about the conference."We've seen the barriers and boundaries between this political activism and the classroom break down in a lot of different circumstances.Certainly, the classroom is not the priority.
It's a political agenda that's very extreme."INSIDE CUBA’S FOREIGN INFLUENCE CAMPAIGN: FROM THE '60S VENCEREMOS BRIGADE TO A CALIFORNIA UNION HALLThousands of protesters gather for the 'May Day Strong' economic blackout to advocate for 'Workers Over Billionaires' and protest rising living costs in Chicago, Illinois, United States on May 1, 2026.Demonstrators, including Chicago public school students, marched from Union Park to Daley Plaza, linking modern economic demands to historical labor struggles.
(Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images)CTU was not listed as an official conference sponsor, although the venue featured union signage and a mannequin wearing a CTU T-shirt, according to the Washington Free Beacon.Conference rooms were temporarily named by conference organizers for political figures and activists including Fidel Castro, Nicolás Maduro, Cilia Flores, Rasmea Odeh, Ibrahim Traoré and Patrice Lumumba.Speakers addressed attendees from behind a podium draped in a Palestinian flag.The program included representatives of the U.S.
Palestinian Community Network, the Freedom Road Socialist Organization,...