I Didn't Come Here to Lie by Karen Lewis and Elizabeth Todd-Breland

Please join us to celebrate I Didn't Come Here to Lie: My Life and Education by Karen Lewis and Elizabeth Todd-Breland. Joining Todd-Breland in conversation is former Chicago Public Schools' educator and former Chicago Teacher's Union member Debby Pope.

Please note: Masks are required for our in-person events. This event is free to attend, but registration is required.

An intimate, inspiring memoir by educator and labor union leader Karen Lewis, a formidable fighter, a staunch defender of teachers and students, and a beloved Chicagoan.

In 2012, Karen Lewis led the Chicago Teachers Union to a historic strike, challenging the city's powerful mayor and paving the way for an unprecedented wave of teacher strikes in the decade that followed.

But Lewis's life took her in rich and surprising directions long before she landed in the CTU President's office. I Didn't Come Here to Lie, written in collaboration with historian and education expert Elizabeth Todd-Breland, tells Lewis's story in full for the first time, capturing her lively wit, her charisma, and her commitment to building the schools and communities teachers, students, and families deserve.

From her childhood on Chicago's South Side to her teen years organizing Black Power walkouts, from her education at Mount Holyoke and Dartmouth to her years in Oklahoma and Barbados and her stints in medical school and film school, readers follow Lewis through a life full of exploration. Wherever she was, she maintained a strong commitment to building fairness. She found her calling in the classroom, teaching science for more than twenty years before becoming a union leader in Chicago.

Up until her untimely death from brain cancer in 2021, Karen Lewis was spirited, unshakeable, and fierce. She remains a model for current organizers and teachers doing the day-to-day work of building a better world. I Didn't Come Here to Lie is a testament to one of the true revolutionaries of her generation.

Elizabeth Todd-Breland is author of A Political Education: Black Politics and Education Reform in Chicago Since the 1960s, co-author of I Didn’t Come Here to Lie: My Life and Education, and Associate Professor of History and Affiliated Faculty in Black Studies at the University of Illinois Chicago. Her research and teaching focus on 20th-century U.S. urban history, African American history, the history of education, and public policy. She also organizes professional development workshops and develops curricula on African American history, urban education, and racial justice. From 2019 to 2024, Todd-Breland served as a member of the Chicago Board of Education.

Debby Pope taught in Chicago Public Schools (CPS) for more than 30 years. Beginning in 1990, she worked at Juarez, Schurz, and Gage Park High Schools, where she taught history, English as a second language, and launched an AP Psychology program. She earned a Master’s in Bilingual/Bicultural Curriculum and Instruction from National Louis University and a second Master’s degree in Couple and Family Therapy from Adler School of Professional Psychology. A lifelong activist, she continued working with the Chicago Teachers Union after she retired from CPS in 2011. She is a parent of two CPS alumni, a grandparent of a current student, and a member of the Chicago Board of Education.

Accessibility: This event is hosted at the bookstore, which is a wheelchair accessible space. Masks are required. Seating is on a first-come, first-serve basis. To request ASL interpretation for this event, please email events@womenandchildrenfirst.com by no later than 14 days before the event. For other questions or access needs, please email events@womenandchildrenfirst.com.