Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1545867
ESP Leadership Academy — Class of 2026 CTA's ESP Leadership Academy hosts an annual training that focuses on leadership skills and tools participants can use to help their CTA chapters deal with current union and education issues. The academy is an opportunity for Education Support Professionals members interested in taking on leadership roles in their local; for more information, visit cta.org/esp. California Immigrant Advocacy Group Receives NEA Award Santa Rosa-based Vital Immigrant Defense Advocacy and Services — VIDAS — is the recipient of NEA's 2026 Rosa Parks Memorial Award. The recognition is part of NEA's Human & Civil Rights Awards, bestowed annually at a gala dinner during NEA's Representative Assembly. VIDAS' coalition of Latino activists, civic leaders and attorneys was founded in 2014 and provides trauma-in- formed immigrant legal advocacy and community wellness programs. Since then, its small office has expanded to five locations in the North Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area. VIDAS' pro-bono legal professionals defend clients from deportation, have secured release for those unlawfully detained and challenged discriminatory enforcement meth- ods. It has partnered with the ACLU to take legal action against entities who have denied basic civil liberties — and won. VIDAS' combination of strategic imparting the law in their communities, and non-violent resistance, is changing the narrative of the current immigration crisis. The compassionate and skillful work of VIDAS staff has impacted and continues to make an impact on individuals, families and communities. As NEA notes, Rosa Parks' simple act 70 years ago on a Montgomery, Alabama, city bus transformed the world; " VIDAS is transforming the pathway to full rights and dignity for communities that truly make America great." Left to right: ESP Board Liaison VanCedric Williams, CTA Staff Mark DeWeerdt, CTA Staff Annie Ogata, Anthony Hernandez, Katie Wimbrough, Emberlinda Kelley-Arthur, Harrison Abt, CTA Staff Emily Nascimento, Brandon Hicks and Mily Lam. 32 cta.org In the Know N E W S & N O T E S