AFT delegates are convening in the nation's capital to celebrate our union's fighting spirit and renew our commitment to the people we serve at Convention 2026: Fighting for a Better Life for All. Delegates will be inspired by AFT President Randi Weingarten and some of the country's fiercest defenders of liberty and justice for all, including House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Georgia Sen. Rev. Raphael Warnock, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, and labor legend Dolores Huerta.

A raft of resolutions awaits the delegates' votes. Among them: opposing the financialization of healthcare, safeguarding academic freedom, protecting immigrant communities, supporting the LGBTQIA+ community, and contending with the challenges and opportunities of artificial intelligence.

A major convention throughline: building working people's power. In the AFT, we care, we fight, we show up-and we use our power to create a better life for ourselves, our families and our communities. That's why this convention features a revamped, even more dynamic Activist Hub with hands-on trainings and practical tools that you can put to work back home.

Thursday kicks off with greetings from Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a dauntless opponent of the cruelty and chaos of the Trump administration, then remarks from the Rev. Raphael Warnock, Georgia's first Black senator and a staunch champion for working families and voting rights. Next, Weingarten's State of the Union address will be a celebration of all the AFT accomplishes, showing how we use our power for good and why we're the fastest growing union in the AFL-CIO. Weingarten will also issue a rousing call to stand up for our democracy in November and beyond.

Thursday evening, head over to the delegates' reception at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, with exclusive access to the museum's wealth of exhibits. Don't miss Harriet Tubman's shawl and Chuck Berry's red Cadillac!

Friday morning begins with "What's at Stake: Democracy, Belonging and Power," a scholars' panel featuring Eric H. Holder Jr., former U.S. attorney general. The panel will lay out the urgent challenges we face: Rising inequality, attacks on democratic rights, assaults on public education and healthcare, and threats to collective bargaining.

The stakes are high-but so is our capacity to meet this moment together-as Weingarten will demonstrate as she outlines the AFT's most ambitious political program ever. Weingarten will present the union's new member engagement campaigns: Battleground, for mobilizing members in districts with key races, and Democracy Defenders, for recruiting and training members to protect the vote.

Friday afternoon's "Building Power at Work" session focuses on organizing, collective bargaining and economic power. We'll hear real-life stories from the convention floor on the union difference, from livable paychecks to retirement security. Then Weingarten will lead a lively conversation, "Fighting for Affordability," with financial educator, Tiffany "The Budgetnista" Aliche and Protect Borrowers Policy Director Aissa Canchola Bañez.

Friday evening offers a fireside chat and film screening of the award-winning documentary Dolores, with National Farm Workers Association co-founder Dolores Huerta and AFT Executive Vice President Evelyn DeJesus. (RSVP required. Huerta will receive the AFT's Lifetime Achievement Award earlier in the day.)

Saturday morning continues our deep dive into the meaning and uses of power, starting with "Building Power in Community," a session highlighting the union's community coalition work. It begins with two community conversations: "How We Are Building People Power" and "Choosing Humanity in Divided Times."

Afterward, we'll hear from local and state affiliates doing great things through AFT's 2026 MOVE grant program, a massive national union investment to help affiliates build organizational capacity and member engagement. It's all about what we can achieve when we stand with our communities, and our communities stand with us.

Saturday afternoon's "Opportunity, Dignity and the Difference We Make" will put a face on what power can deliver for the people our members serve-featuring students from Robert Halmi Sr. Academy of Film and Television in Yonkers, N.Y.

It all wraps up on Sunday morning with "Using Power: 2026 and What Comes Next."

This final session is about action: what we need to do in the run-up to the midterms, and how all the power "vectors" in the preceding sessions weave together. Featured speakers include Maryland Gov. Wes Moore.

The convention ends with officers' acceptance remarks-but of course, that's just a beginning. The hope is that every delegate leaves with a reignited belief that, if we commit to taking action together, we truly have the power to create a better life for all.

[Christina Bartolomeo, photo by Suzannah Hoover]