From 1965 to 2005\, the United Teachers of New Orleans (UTNO) defied the South's conservative anti-union efforts to become the largest local in Louisiana. Jesse Chanin argues that UTNO accom plished and maintained its strength through strong community support\, add ressing a Black middle-class political agenda\, internal democracy\, and d rawing on the legacy and tactics of the civil rights movement by combining struggles for racial and economic justice\, all under Black leadership an d with a majority women and Black membership. However\, the devastating ef fects of Hurricane Katrina provided the state government and local charter school advocates with the opportunity to remake the school system and dis mantle the union. Authorities fired 7\,500 educators\, marking the largest dismissal of Black teaching staff since \;Brown v. Board of Education . \;
\nChanin highlights the significant staying power and polit ical\, social\, and community impact of UTNO\, as well as the damaging eff ects of the charter school movement on educators.
\nJesse Chanin is a postdoctoral fellow at Tulane University's Coalition for Compassionate S chools\, where she facilitates youth participatory action research.
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