CHICAGO _ Standing before rows of Illinois educators wearing "red for ed," Jill Biden, a community college instructor and former public schoolteacher, offered assurances that her husband has what it takes to beat President Donald Trump and transform the country with "a sea of blue."
Speaking to members of the Illinois Education Association teachers union at a hotel near Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, the wife of the Democratic front-runner _ in a red dress and union pin of her own _ made the case that having an educator in the White House would make a world of difference for America's teachers. Former Vice President Joe Biden understands their value because, for one thing, he's been married to one for 42 years, she said.
IEA president Kathi Griffin introduced Jill Biden, a former National Education Association member, as having displayed the "calm" and "cool" of a public schoolteacher earlier this week when she fended off protesters who stormed the stage at a Biden campaign event.
"She showed the heart of an educator," Griffin said.
IEA officials have said they invited all of the candidates to speak to them and so far Biden is the only one to have sent a surrogate, though they were waiting to hear back from the Bernie Sanders campaign.
In a show to educators that she is one of them, Biden spoke fondly of her students and talked of the myriad roles teachers end up filling, from parent to therapist to biggest fan and support system.
"Education is more than just a job to me, it's a calling," she said.
She touched on highlights of the Biden education plan, such as his promise to triple the Title I funding, promote mental health by adding more counselors and school psychologists, invest in early childhood education and enable students to attend community colleges or trade schools for two years free of debt.
Her proclamation that a Biden administration secretary of education would be an educator, one with public school experience, earned her a standing ovation.
"Somebody who listens to educators," Biden said, "not just speaks to us." She asked the crowd what they wanted in their next secretary of education, then dashed off the stage to bring the microphone around and amplify some of the answers. One person said they wanted the next education secretary to be an ethnic minority.
Erica Bray-Parker, a union delegate and high school civics teacher, said she'd pledged to support Sen. Elizabeth Warren, but with Warren having dropped out of the race Thursday, Bray-Parker said she wasn't thrilled about now having to choose between two older white men. But she was impressed with Jill Biden and said having an educator as first lady may play in to her decision, as she believes it could be a minor factor in the decisions of many other educators. Bray-Parker said she appreciated how Jill Biden made sure to talk about all educators, from bus drivers to counselors to teachers.
Following her speech and a brief Q&A with Griffin, Biden chatted with smaller groups of union members. Biden shook many hands but insisted she wouldn't be offended if someone would rather "bump elbows," or avoid physical contact _ a nod to ongoing concerns about the spread of coronavirus.
Willus Vivian, a teacher in Midlothian, asked Biden more about plans to recruit and retain more educators of color, a priority she'd noted during her speech. He liked her answers enough to have her pose for a picture, which he quickly texted to a group.
Democratic presidential candidates have long been courting the teacher vote, but it's unclear if educator unions will line up behind a single candidate.
Locally, the powerful Chicago Teachers Union attracted support from Sanders, Warren and Biden for the contract fight that led to an 11-day strike last fall. Sanders appeared at a CTU rally leading up to the walkout and called CTU President Jesse Sharkey with congratulations after the deal was struck. Warren stood with Chicago teachers on the picket lines, and Biden tweeted his backing.
Sharkey and CTU Vice President Stacy Davis Gates announced their personal endorsement of Sanders this week, reportedly after a vote last month to gain a full union endorsement failed to pass.
In February, the American Federation of Teachers passed a resolution encouraging support for Sanders, Biden or Warren, saying those three had "significant support within our membership." AFT President Randi Weingarten personally endorsed Warren before the Massachusetts senator backed out of the race.
