No Power like the Power of the People
Members of Concerned Student 1950, University of Missouri’s Graduate Professional Council, faculty and student supporters gather at Mel Carnahan Quadrangle to rally in support of an ongoing protest to get UM System President Tim Wolfe to resign on Monday, Nov. 9, 2015. Tensions have been rising throughout the week following MU student Jonathan Butler’s decision to hold a hunger strike Monday, Nov. 1. In response to today’s protest and the Missouri football athlete strike, President Wolfe did announce his decision to resign. (Matt Hellman/Missourian via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT
“If you are silent about your pain, they will kill you and say you enjoyed it.” – Zora Neale Hurston
“The impossible is the least that one can demand.” ― James Baldwin, The Fire Next Time
In cafeterias, student unions, dorms, classrooms, quads; through sit-ins, walkouts, and protests; across the country, students are taking action to expose racial injustice and demand change.
We know that when students of color are stereotyped and marginalized, it is far more difficult for them to learn and achieve. This is not up for debate. This is fact.
On a nearly daily basis, we hear disturbing stories: a student viciously beaten then arrested by campus police for underage drinking; racial slurs hurled at a student body president; a noose found hanging on a statue of a university’s first black student; a Halloween costume; a fraternity chant; indifference from school leaders and fellow students.
These experiences aren’t new. But we are witnessing students speaking out, demanding justice, recognition, and an end to these purposeful and inherent prejudices.
I am awed by their resolve.
A school should be a safe haven where young people have the opportunity to grow and thrive. Sadly, we know this is not true for all students.
But it can be.
We must stand with our students to end the stark racial disparities in school discipline practices, racial intimidation, threats and violence. We must support them as they press for justice in their schools and on their campuses
As the nations’ largest union, representing 3 million K-12 educators and faculty, we can be a force for change alongside our students.
No Power like the Power of the People
This past summer, our largest representative body called for actions to not only expand our own self-awareness, but to take action with the express goals of spotlighting systemic patterns of racism and educational injustice that No Power like the Power of the People - Lily's Blackboard:
