Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1544915
In June 2019, Nixon helped bring a two-room LGBTQ+ Historical Archives display to the entire State Council delegation. Nixon currently chairs the CTA Women's Caucus and has expanded representation for transgender women within CTA. She also served on CTA's LGBTQ Issues Organizing Committee and the Orange County Service Center executive committee. Throughout her union career, she has been a dedicated mentor working to advance the leadership and visibility of women and LGBTQ+ members across CTA and beyond. Nixon is a founding member of the Orange County Cultural Pride Committee and helped establish the county 's first Pride festivals. She has volunteered and ser ved with many organizations and committees as a vocal LGBTQ+ advocate. Fadi Saba ASIAN & PACIFIC ISLANDER HUMAN RIGHTS AWARD IN HONOR OF KENT WONG For decades, Fadi Saba has woven together his work as an educator, union leader and human rights advocate. Born a Palestinian stateless refugee, he brings a global perspective to his role as a teacher and as president of the Luther Bur- bank Education Association (LBEA) in San Jose. Through his local union and CTA, Saba has advanced a vision of public education rooted in equity, immigrant rights and community empowerment. As LBEA president, Saba has strengthened member engagement while building partnerships between educa- tors, families and community. He and colleagues organized "Know Your Rights" workshops for families at their school — 90% of whom are Latinx — ensuring they have accu- rate information and support amid shifting immigration policies. He has coordinated rapid response network ses- sions, distributed emergency contact bracelets for families concerned about ICE, and organized neighborhood ICE patrols to safeguard students' well-being. His union leader- ship reflects a belief that educators must stand alongside the communities they serve. He has worked with multiple advocacy and social jus- tice organizations. With San Jose's Nihonmachi Outreach Committee he helped organize events showing similarities between the treatment of Japanese-Americans in the 1940s and Arab-Americans in the aftermath of the 2001 World Trade Center attacks. Saba has engaged in local and statewide advocacy through CTA, the Loma Prieta chapter of the Sierra Club, and Defending Rights and Dissent, where he is a board member. He has lobbied elected officials in Sacramento on issues ranging from educational equity and academic freedom to environmental justice, drawing on earlier experience as a policy advisor to an elected official in Santa Clara County — the first Arab American to hold such a role there. In the classroom, he connects U.S. history to contempo- rary struggles, encouraging students to think critically about Nixon helped bring an LGBTQ+ Historical Archives display to State Council in 2019. Luther Burbank Education Association President Fadi Saba. 34 cta.org Feature