Philadelphia Hundreds of educators held a pro-Palestine rally outside the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia on July 3. They were participating in the National Education Association Representative Assembly, where they planned to introduce 10 New Business items (NBIs) involving educati

Members of Educators for Palestine had already introduced their NBIs for consideration and a vote by NEA members. They seek to educate union members on the crisis for Palestinians under [neocolonial] occupation. This includes having the NEA “use its digital communication tools to educate about the history of the Nakba.” Another called on the NEA to “educate members about the difference between anti-Zionism and antisemitism.”

NBI 10 called for the NEA to “publish the total funds the U.S. has spent toward military support for nations known to have committed crimes against humanity.” NBI42 calls on the NEA to “host a webinar on genocide including an explanation of the term and its history and information on past and current genocides.”

Two NBIs involved the the union’s public opposition to spending federal funds on weapons for genocide in Gaza, instead demanding this money be allocated to public schools; and that the NEA publish names of members of Congress who accepted donations or received endorsements from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and/or the Democratic Majority for Israel.