– from Larry Felson, OEA site
rep at Oakland High
November 2nd, 2005 is shaping up to be a major day of protest against the Bush
regime, a day which will usher in a whole new movement to change the course of
history! There are demonstrations and actions called for in over thirty cities,
thousands of endorsements are coming in, and WORLDCANT WAIT/DRIVE OUT THE BUSH
REGIME is picking up steam. As educators what we do can make a huge difference.
On October 3rd, 2005, the Oakland Educational Association (OEA) representative
assembly, in a spirit of righteous solidarity, unanimously passed a resolution
I authored which “supports the right to participate in the November 2nd
national day of protests and supports the policy of no reprisals against
students, teachers and others in the school community who may take-off work or
school to take part in protest activities that day.”
If this was Germany in the early 30’s and you could see the outlines of the
oncoming onslaught of Hitler and the Nazis, would you support a call to build a
movement to drive them out? Would you join with or stand up for students and
teachers and thousands of others who walk out of schools and jobs to take part
in a day of resistance that could spark a whole new path forward against the
rising fascism?
If this were Selma or Birmingham or Kent State or San Francisco in the late
60’s, where would you be, who would you stand with? What about Cesar Chavez and
the farm- workers, the Rodney King uprisings, the struggle to free Mumia Abu
Jamal, the Battle of Seattle, and the protests against the Iraq Wars I and II?
These have all been momentous struggles in which students and teachers have
played pivotal roles, and have not only walked out of schools and jobs but put
their hearts and souls and bodies on the line. And we are facing just such a
critical moment in history right now, with perhaps even more to lose and a
whole world to win!
The continuing slaughter of the Iraqi people! The exposure of Bush and the
government surrounding New Orleans and the horrendous treatment of Black
people. The vicious attack on poor and immigrant youth and youth of color
represented by “No Child Left Behind,” as well as the attempt to turn
our schools into recruiting centers for their wars of expansion and greed!
These are outrageous crimes that must be stopped!
As the WORLD CANT WAIT call puts it: “The Bush Regime is setting out to
remake society very quickly, in a fascist way, and for generations to come. A
new movement is now forming to stop this disastrous course by taking action and
on November 2nd it begins: a mass political resistance that will not stop until
this regime is driven from office.”
I urge educators across the country to take up WORLD CANT WAIT/DRIVE OUT THE
BUSH REGIME activities on November 2nd and to pass similar resolutions of
support and no reprisals against those who participate. NOW IS THE TIME TO ACT!