We are the public.
We are workers.
We are the 99%!
We join with the people here in Chicago and in over 1600 cities across the nation and the world who are mobilizing in plazas, parks, neighborhoods, streets, classrooms, and squares to create a new, more energized public in opposition to oligarchy and to the unequal distribution of wealth and power. The loss of jobs, healthcare, and homes, the frontal assault on unions and the right of workers to organize and bargain collectively, the resources wasted by a permanent war, the concerted attacks on public education and scapegoating of educators, the unjust reality of mass incarceration and mass deportations, and the destruction of environments have brought us to this crisis. We recognize that the negative effects of these linked and overlapping crises disproportionately impact people of color, women, the very young and the elderly, queer people, and our poor brothers and sisters. We join with people everywhere who are reclaiming common rights to public resources. We join in the call against privatization and for a democratic re-awakening.
As multicultural educators, we oppose the ethnocentric vision of the current paradigm of reform, the dismantling of public education, rising tuition and lack of access, unsustainable student debt, and the assault on every dimension of education. As scholars, practitioners, artists, and community activists, our work addresses the problems and challenges society faces, and makes recommendations based on evidence and argument that we hope will spark open and ongoing debate. We draw inspiration from earlier social movements that have challenged war and racism, the unequal distribution of power, wealth, and authority, and fought for peace and justice, joy and balance. Today’s movements continue this necessary work. The uprisings compel us to lift our voices and dedicate our efforts to realizing the democratic aspirations for a more peaceful, equitable, just, and habitable world.
