“The American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts elected Jessica Tang as president in a unanimous vote Saturday, making her the first person of color to lead the union representing 25,000 educators and other workers.
Tang, who is Chinese American, was the only candidate nominated for the position, a spokesperson for the organization said. Members elected her during a floor vote at the union’s annual statewide convention in Dorchester.
In a phone interview, Tang, the current president of the Boston Teachers Union, said her mission is to ensure union members statewide have opportunities to pursue their work, bring attention to workers’ perspectives, and build power “in partnership with our community allies.”
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“I do truly believe that when union members come together and organize together, that’s how we’re able to improve our communities,” she said.
The AFT-MA has members in such districts as Boston, Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn, Salem, and Chelsea and is the smaller of the two statewide educator unions. The Massachusetts Teachers Association, which belongs to the National Education Association, is more than four times as large with 117,000 members in almost every district across the state.”