On January 21, 2017 women from across the
country untied and marched for different reasons. Our educators held signs
about the importance of funding education. They listened to speakers talk about
the power of women to make a difference in their communities and in the lives
of the students they serve. It is important for all of us to recognize the power
of the collective voice of educators. Our students all deserve terrific schools
filled with all the resources and supports to make them successful. All
students deserve opportunities and equitable access to achieve greatness. Right
now we, the educators (and yes the union too), are the voices stating ALL students
deserve great schools—so fund them. Build them. Support them. Participate in
them. Cherish them. And if your school is broken, build a collation (yes, even with
the teacher union) to fix it!
Below are reflections from our members who
attended the march:
I marched to make my presence known and my
voice heard, alongside my fellow marchers who are concerned with women’s
rights. We’re concerned particularly about rights to make decisions about our
bodies and futures. We also marched to resist the kind of reckless and
dangerous leadership coming out of Washington.
The reason women have the rights they have
today is because of previous women who have marched for our right to vote and
for equality rights. The freedoms we have are not something given, they were hard
earned by women from previous generations. The march was energizing and
inspiring. It was uplifting in a time that we feel outraged and afraid. It
brought hope and solidarity, community and empowerment.
The sheer numbers marching sent a powerful
message. It showed the ability of women to organize. This is a time in our
country when we need to be seen and heard. This is a time when politicians are
centralizing power and trying to force us to accept that this is the direction
our country is moving, as if there is nothing we can do about it. This march
showed us that we do not have to be silent or invisible.
I encourage MCEA members to march and
protest in other ways, because the cabinet nominations (particularly Betsy
DeVos) are a real threat to public schools and our profession. They will weaken
public education. Instead of elevating public teachers, it would cause us to
seem irrelevant and our jobs as not as important as they in fact are in
building an educated and informed citizenry that can participate in a
democracy.
Amani Elkassabany
Thomas S. Wootton High School
“Participating in the National Women's
March was an empowering experience. I chose to march to voice my serious
concerns about the current administration's policies, especially those that threaten
to dismantle public education.”
Molly Dougherty
Silver Spring Middle School
I
marched with my mom, who came up from Florida, for several reasons. I wanted to
voice my disapproval of the divisive, racist, and misogynistic rhetoric of the
campaign. I wanted to stand and be counted as opposition to anti-American
ideals and values. I wanted lawmakers and people around the world to see that
the people of this country aren’t always reflected by their government. I
wanted to give my mom the gift of feeling supported by kindred voices,
something I experience routinely in my progressive neighborhood.
I
can’t even express how uplifted we felt during the March. I talked with so many
people from all over the country and listened to powerful, impassioned
speakers. The organizers displayed photos and videos from the “sister marches”
around the country and the world, which made us all realize that there were
marches in every state – even the reddest in the nation – and on all seven
continents. I’m now recognizing the power that is waiting to be harnessed.
I’ve
participated in other forms of advocacy, and I’ve been to other events on the
Mall, but this felt different. The numbers were staggering, and the sense of
positivity and hope after months of darkness was uplifting. Most inspiring was
the fact that no one seemed to view the March as an end unto itself. Everyone
was talking about next steps and continued activism.
We
recognize that protest is a privilege. We could demonstrate without fear that
our activism would lose us our jobs or our friends. So we marched, in part, for
those who couldn’t march for themselves.
Marcy Fine
Richard Montgomery High School
How else can you support public schools?
IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY
– Attend an Education Budget meeting with the County Council. Share this link
with your colleagues/family/friends, and Click here to sign up for a town hall
to attend. We will be
contacting you about meeting up as the date for your chosen Town Hall(s)
approaches. Thank you and we look forward to seeing you there to advocate
for our schools!
IN MARYLAND – The Annapolis legislative session is underway, and
we've got to talk to our delegates/senators about reducing standardized
testing, rejecting school vouchers, supporting the paid family leave coalition,
and more. Come lobby our leaders in Annapolis on February 27th in the
evening. MCEA buses will have buses and we'll help coordinate
carpools for late-tier elementary schools. It is SO important that we
show our strength on this night RSVP here today! If you've
never lobbied before or you want a briefing on MCEA's political priorities,
come to our Lobby Training on February 22nd at MCEA, 12 Taft Ct,
Rockville, MD 20850, from 4:30-6:30. RSVP at the same link for the lobby night.
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