Education Support Professionals, Illinois Education Association

You’re invited – ESP Council Virtual Meeting – June 22nd

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Dear Education Support Professional,

You are cordially invited to join us as we come together to bring ESP voices to the table. 

Join us virtually and share your successes, challenges, hopes and dreams and help us as we advocate to improve ESP wages, health insurance, pensions and job duties to retain and recruit new staff.

**Virtual Event** All ESPs Welcome
Saturday, June 22
(For those who have already signed up, this meeting has been changed to Virtual Only)
VIRTUAL Meet & Greet
9 a.m. – 10 a.m.
VIRTUAL Roundtable
10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Click to register
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What is Juneteenth? Why do we celebrate?

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Click to learn more

The First Juneteenth

On June 19, 1865, nearly two years after President Abraham Lincoln emancipated enslaved Africans in America, Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas with news of freedom. More than 250,000 African Americans embraced freedom by executive decree in what became known as Juneteenth or Freedom Day. With the principles of self-determination, citizenship, and democracy magnifying their hopes and dreams, those Texans held fast to the promise of true liberty for all.

“The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired laborer.”Gordon Granger

Union General, June 19, 1865

Juneteenth Today

In 2021, Juneteenth was established as a federal holiday, opening it to symbolic and global interpretation and providing a better understanding of the evolution of our nation and its people. Juneteenth celebrations then, like now, recognize the ongoing fight for human rights and equality and are commemorated through family cookouts, faith services, musical performances and storytelling. Today, Juneteenth celebrates African American resilience and achievement while aiding in the preservation of those historical narratives that promoted racial and personal advancement since Freedom Day. 

Education Support Professionals, Illinois Education Association

Thank you! We can’t do it without you!

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Thank you to everyone who attended our last rESPect steering meeting of the 2023-24 school year this past Thursday evening. At this meeting we focused on evaluating our successes and our challenges, and we reviewed our goals to make sure our targets haven’t changed. We are doing so many things right and we are having great successes…but there is ALWAYS room for improvement. One of the biggest takeaways for me is team members wanting more…more opportunities for engagement and to take on more leadership roles. YES!, that is what we need. This is your campaign and your voice and leadership will drive this campaign to the finish line.

Reminder – There is NO rESPect steering meeting in July.

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You’re Invited: RESPECT meeting and year-end review

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This month’s meeting will be a year-end review. We’ll celebrate our successes, discuss our challenges and strategize plans for improvement. Your ideas and suggestions will help us map out a strong 2024-2025 school year of RESPECT.

Please RSVP to receive the Zoom link for our RESPECT meeting.

*The RESPECT Campaign is led by education support professionals (bus drivers, librarian associates, paraprofessionals, secretaries, security, nurses, cafeteria workers and other school support staff) and supported by IEA staff.

RSvp to attend