words by Charles Brooks
TEACHER ACTIVISM TAKES ON RACIAL AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
 |
Photo credit: Charles Edward Miller
|
You may have
noticed in recent months that teachers across the nation have been engaged in
the sort of activism that fiercely challenges the status quo with their renewed
vision for public education. The
sleeping giant has been awakened in 2018 with 8 what’s officially called “work stoppages” in educational services affecting 379,000 workers. Teachers drew a line in the sand as a wave of
teacher strikes hit Arizona, West Virginia, Oklahoma, Arizona, Kentucky, and
Colorado. The trend continued into 2019
with teachers engaging in various forms of protest activities with walkouts,
rallies, and yes, strikes in school districts in Los Angeles, Oakland, Denver,
and Virginia. In fact, Mississippi took
action to pre-empt a possible teacher strike with pay-raises for teachers and
assistant teachers.
