This Tuesday voters in Chicago will choose between incumbent mayor Rahm Emanuel and challenger Chuy Garcia. Garcia shared his views on education here a few weeks ago, and has earned the support of most teachers and the Chicago Teachers Union. The Network for Public Education also has endorsed him. But this is just one way history is being made in the nation’s second largest city. At the end of the month, April 25 to 26, the NPE conference in Chicago will be a historic event from start to finish.

The NPE conference will be opened by community activist Jitu Brown, who will share the mic with Tanaisa Brown, a student activist from Newark, New Jersey. That afternoon we will hear from Yong Zhao, who has showed us what is lost when test scores become our focus. Sunday morning Diane Ravitch will engage Lily Eskelsen Garcia and Randi Weingarten in conversation, discussing how teacher unions can play a stronger role in supporting teachers and students who are pushing back against the tide of testing and privatization. And Karen Lewis will wrap the whole event up, as only she can.

But in between these “big names,” the real work will happen. We will meet people who have only been Twitter handles and authors of insightful blogs. We will meet people who have marched in the streets to protest school closings, who have been arrested — even had bones broken as they fought to defend schools and libraries. In more than forty sessions, activists will meet to share their stories, to understand how to organize, how to build coalitions, how to elevate student voices, how to write effectively, how to research. These are the people making history, and it is an honor to be with them and learn from them.

There are very few opportunities for us to gather together like this. Sometimes this work can be isolated and discouraging. Unlike those working to support corporate reform, we have few tangible rewards. For me, the chance to meet and connect with fellow activists gives me a boost that carries me onwards, and strengthens my determination. Our first conference in Austin last year gave me such a boost, and I am ready for another in Chicago. I hope I see many of you there, as we make history once again.

The full list of panels and speaks is here at this link. You can still register for the conference here. It is possible that registrations will be sold out before the date of the event, so even if you live in the Chicago area, it is a good idea to sign up now.