Nora Flanagan

Nora Flanagan has been teaching high school English in the Chicago Public Schools for over twenty years. Born and raised on Chicago’s South Side in an(other) especially tense era, Flanagan joined organized efforts against racism and other forms of bigotry at an early age. Ranging from direct confrontations with neo-Nazis in her community to various formal advocacy groups, Flanagan has stayed engaged with this issue for over thirty years. Flanagan currently researches and organizes against white nationalism as a Senior Fellow with the Western States Center, a Portland-based nonprofit working to support inclusive democracy and confront bigotry nationwide. Most recently, this work has involved speaking to law enforcement and other government agencies, school administrations, community groups, and media outlets about the intersection of bigotry and youth culture. She recently co-authored Confronting White Nationalism in Schools, a toolkit designed to help schools thoughtfully and effectively respond to incidents of racial hostility and proactively strengthen school communities.