Richard Chew is joined by Stacy Davis Gates, Chicago Teachers Union president and president of the Illinois Federation of Teachers. 

The discussion focused on coalition-building, protecting public education and democracy, and, following Gates's recent trip to Hungary, applying lessons from political organizing in Budapest to Chicago and the United States. 

Here are a few key points from the conversation:
- Davis Gates argued that divisions among aligned groups are distracting and that a united front should prioritize shared threats, including Project 2025, ICE, cuts to SNAP and Medicaid, and proposed changes to the Department of Education.
- She described solidarity as agreement on priorities, not personal harmony, and emphasized building coalitions across urban, rural, labor, and community groups.
- She highlighted Chicago’s youth activism and the first fully elected Chicago school board as examples of expanding democracy through coalition work.
- She argued that public schools are essential neighborhood institutions and that Chicago should model resilience, equity, and democratic participation.

Key quote: "I said this before I went to Budapest, and leaving Budapest I'm even more resolved that we have got to find a united front in this country that seeks to enrich all of us -- not some of us, all of us. Project 2025, created by the Heritage Foundation, was also anchored in the real-life experiences the right wing were having in Hungary. J.D. Vance has been there, I think, more than once, more than twice."

Catch "Chew's Views with Richard Chew” weekdays from 6:00 to 8:00 a.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/chews-views).

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