MLK’s Legacy in Action: Educating, Organizing, Resisting Injustice
MLK’s Legacy in Action: Educating, Organizing, Resisting Injustice
Greetings, MTA members,
“In these turbulent days when fear and doubt are mounting high give us broad visions, penetrating eyes, and power of endurance. Help us to work with renewed vigor for a warless world, for a better distribution of wealth and for a [brotherhood/sisterhood] that transcends race or color.” – Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., 1953
On Tuesday, the day after we honor Martin Luther King, Jr., and which also happened to be the day of the presidential inauguration, you went back to your schools and colleges to educate, nurture, uplift, care for and inspire our young people. You did this as members of the MTA, and as professionals dedicated to every child.
Not those with passports.
Not those with wealth.
Not just those who conform to certain gender identities or political views or religions.
You educate any child who comes through the door. And that commitment is the foundation on which we resist attacks on public education and the most marginalized in our schools and colleges.
And that belief is the core of our forward-looking vision for public education, which is captured in our legislative agenda and our demands at the bargaining tables across our locals.
Turning from your path to notice the beauty, or a horror, happening to your students and families is a righteous act.
Standing up to injustice wherever you see it is a righteous act.
Accepting leadership in the fight for justice in your schools and communities, even though you don’t believe you have the ability, worry that you won’t succeed, and fear that you’ll be disparaged — that is a righteous act.
And turning to one another to talk, to commiserate, to plan, and to organize — those, too, are righteous acts.
In the face of the attacks that we as a union, and especially our most marginalized members, students and families will experience, we found a bright ray of hope at our first-ever youth leadership summit, INSPIRE MA, which was held at Worcester State University last Thursday. With NEA President Becky Pringle in attendance, we were thrilled to join almost 60 teams of educators and students from across the state as they learned about being an activist while developing a local campaign they would lead back in their communities. The timing, right before the inauguration was unplanned, but in the end, perfect.
MTA Events, Opportunities and Solidarity Actions
Immigration and Schools — Know Your Rights
Let’s start by educating ourselves about our rights and the rights of our schools and students. Here are documents prepared by the NEA on immigrants and schools.
The Strike: Building Workers' Power Today
When: March 28-29
Where: UMass Amherst
The UMass Amherst Labor Center is bringing together workers, leaders and scholars from across the U.S. and around the world to explore the power of strikes and collective action. Join us for this one-and-a-half day event featuring interactive workshops, activist and research panels, roundtable discussions and networking opportunities as we dive into the dynamics and potential of collective action in the 2020s and beyond. Register here.
Massachusetts Teacher of the Year Nominations
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is seeking nominations for the next statewide Teacher of the Year. Please use this form to nominate a teacher.
Candidate for New Commissioner of Education
Massachusetts needs a new Commissioner of Education, and the MTA would like your help in identifying candidates we can recommend. The MTA is searching for a progressive leader who is supportive of good education policy that uplifts our students and educators. If you have any suggestions of candidates, please contact MTA staff member Molly Labonte at mlabonte@massteacher.org.
2024-2025 National Conferences - Funding Requests
The MTA is accepting applications for members to request funding to attend national conferences during this academic year. This is a great opportunity for members to immerse themselves in union education and job-specific education while engaging with members across the country. Limited funding from both MTA and NEA is provided for these conferences and space is limited. If interested in applying for funding, please fill out the survey form.
Political Education
This might be a good moment to purchase The Verso Book of Dissent, which has short excerpts from critics and activists of all types, from 1800 B.C.E. to 2010 (an updated edition is needed!).
Here is a sample from the book, which stands out for the moment we are living through:
- I cannot and will not cut my conscience to fit this year’s fashion.” – Lillian Hellman, Letter to the House Un-American Activities Committee, 1952.
- There is no reason goodness cannot triumph over evil, so long as the angels are as organized as the mafia.” – Kurt Vonnegut, Cat’s Cradle, 1963.
- Be realistic. Demand the impossible.” – Graffiti during the Paris student strikes, 1968.
In solidarity,
Max and Deb