As part of its focus on the 2020 election, NEA has launched “We Need a President Who’s With Us” on its Education Votes website, featuring accounts by educators who call on all Americans to support candidates who will fight for students.

High school history teacher and United Teachers Los Angeles member Rudy Dueñas tells his story in a short video. Many of the anxieties he sees in students every day mirror those he experienced as a youth, Dueñas says. The toxic political climate of the past few years — in which immigrants are routinely targeted and scapegoated — has “added an extra layer,” making it even more essential that schools get resources to help struggling students.

“There’s an urgency out there,” he says. “People need to be educated about the issues to make wise decisions. We need to have a government — not just the presidency, it’s Congress, governors — that will stand up and speak for the people and our students.”

Watch the video and contribute your story at educationvotes.nea.org/presidential-2020/member-stories.