Editor’s Note: This is the latest in an occasional series documenting where the American Federation of Teachers sends Karran Harper Royal.
New Orleans activist Karran Harper Royal is racking up the frequent flyer miles thanks to her friends at the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). Over the past few months, Royal has criss-crossed the country to spread her myths and misinformation about the dangers of charter schools.
Fighting the Flood: Disaster Capitalism & Black Reconstruction #nola2chi truth telling the #NolaEd fairytale
— Karran Harper Royal (@KHRoyal) October 26, 2015
This past week, Royal was in Chicago to speak at Fighting the Flood: Disaster Capitalism and Black Reconstruction, a panel discussion on one of Royal’s favorite topics: disaster capitalism. At the event, Royal portrayed the takeover of schools after Hurricane Katrina as a grave injustice that has harmed the city’s black community and ominously warned audience members about the grave threat posed by charter schools in Chicago.
Panelist – don’t let the charter schools get ahold of Chicago. If they do, your child is lost. #NOLA2Chi — Action Now (@ActionNowChi) October 26, 2015
The event was hosted by the Grassroots Collaborative, an organizing network sponsored by none other than the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU), one of AFT’s most militant locals. In fact, two days after Royal’s event, the Grassroots Collaborative honored CTU’s president, Karen Lewis, at an event marking the organization’s 15th anniversary.
Where will AFT send Karran next? Only time will tell, but we’ll be keeping track of it here at Citizen Education!
[…] last winter, Royal was busy flying across the country – from Los Angeles, to Boston, to Chicago – to share her distorted portrayal of charter schools in New Orleans, courtesy of the […]