Exploring Solidarity in Teacher Learning and Activism for Social Justice

Teaching and organizing for social justice can be an alienating experience in the current educational climate. Being a part of a network of educators can help create community, support, and solidarity. Solidarity is a socio-political topic that has been understudied and, we argue, holds great potential for understanding the transformative power of educators organizing for social justice. In this paper, we draw on examples of educators’ narratives of solidarity who contributed to a social justice event organized by a grassroots educators' organization. Through the narratives of a community organizer, a classroom educator, and a community based arts educator, we highlight the themes and discursive resources that were typical expressions of solidarity across the data set. We argue that being able to recognize solidarity as a process and practice can lead to a more strategic approach to social justice movement building for schools and communities.