Sunday | August 30, 2026
Skye Perryman joined AFT and ASI President Randi Weingarten for a timely AFT Book Club conversation. Perryman, a constitutional lawyer, TIME100 honoree and Democracy Forward President and CEO, discussed her new book, Ordinary People, Extraordinary Times: How to Reclaim Your Power, Fight for Freedom and Reimagine Democracy.
At a moment when many Americans are asking how they can make a difference in their schools, communities and country, Perryman offers a hopeful and practical roadmap grounded in history, personal experience and stories from the front lines of defending democracy. Through Ordinary People, Extraordinary Times, she argues that lasting change begins not with institutions alone, but with ordinary people who choose to participate, organize and lead.
Together, Weingarten and Perryman explored what these ideas mean for educators, students and communities today. From fostering civic learning and critical thinking to building stronger local communities, they discussed how schools can help prepare young people not only to understand democracy, but to strengthen it through informed participation and public service.
Drawing on the book's practical principles for moving from uncertainty to action, this conversation examined how everyday acts of courage, curiosity and community engagement can create meaningful change. Perryman's message is ultimately one of agency: democracy is not simply something we inherit—it is something we build together, one community at a time.
Please watch this inspiring discussion about civic responsibility, public education and the enduring power of ordinary people to shape an extraordinary future.