As a high school student in Chicago in 1995, Jackson Potter led a walk-out to push for equitable school funding in Illinois. He later taught at Englewood High School and was the union delegate there when the district slated the school for closure. He and Al Ramirez formed the Caucus of Rank and File Educators (CORE) in 2008 and the Grassroots Education Movement (with other community organizations) shortly after. He and future Chicago Teachers Union president Karen Lewis served together as the first co-chairs of CORE. After working as CTU’s staff coordinator for eight years, Jackson went back to teaching from 2018 to 2022 and now serves as the union’s vice president.
Viewpoint
On CORE’s 15th Anniversary, Reflecting on the Teachers Caucus That Changed Chicago—and the Nation
The Caucus of Rank-and-File Educators was formed in 2008 when a group of educators and union members came together to transform the Chicago Teachers Union. What they would build would end up changing the city—and country—forever.
Jackson Potter
LaborViewpoint
The Strike that Started the Red Wave
Ten years ago, Chicago teachers modeled what a militant fight for public education looks like by walking off the job. A decade later, the legacy of social justice unionism continues to animate the U.S. labor movement.
Jackson Potter
LaborViewpoint
What Does a “Safe Return” to School Look Like? Ask Teacher Unions.
Powerful elites are willing to sacrifice the lives and futures of millions to feed their own profits. Teachers are fighting back.
Lois Weiner and Jackson Potter
Labor
What Other Unions Can Learn from the Historic Gains We Won in the Chicago Teachers Strike
Jackson Potter