National Day of Action to Defend Education

On October 24th students, teachers, workers and community members in the California Statewide Mobilizing Conference called for a National Day of Action to Defend Education on March 4, 2010 to respond to the tuition hikes, budget cuts, school closings and other attacks on education. More information available here.

IN NEW YORK:
JOIN the National Day of Action to Defend Education

Rally on Thursday, March 4th 2010 at 4 PM

March from Governor Paterson's office (3rd Ave & 41st St) to MTA Headquarters (420 Lexington Ave)


Lucha stands in solidarity with the protesters opposing policies and budget cuts that weaken the already disquieting reality of our of our public education system. It has long been considered a fundamental human right to have free access to a quality education in the United States, and the decaying of public education in America and all over the world is an unjust infringement on that right. In an economic climate where governments have been actively cutting social programs,the education system is extremely vulnerable to losing indispensable resources. Action is necessary now.
A free and accessible education is a value that goes back towards the Declaration of Independence, which stated equality was a fundamental principle of the founding of this country. Unfortunately, those tenets of freedom and equality have been reduced to lip service in a country that seems more interested in war, profit, individualism, and greed. For these reasons the protests against budget cuts in education are just and necessary.
In states across America budget cuts have resulted in exorbitant tuition increases, decreased financial aid, and limited course availability in public universities, and to a lesser extent even private universities. K-12 education is arguably even more vulnerable, with teacher lay-offs that only increase class size and more budget cuts that result in fewer services for child care, library access, computer labs, student centers, public transportation for students, and much more. These protesters are speaking out while the media and politicians focus on "more important" matters, who consistently neglect impoverished communities.
Moreover, as students it is our duty to speak out against these attacks on our right to a decent education, and the refusal to speak out ultimately is little better than complicity. We cannot wait for the media and politicians to address education. These brave protesters are taking the lead. Lucha strongly supports these efforts, and we encourage other organizations to do the same.