[act-ma] 11/5 - UNITE TO DEFEND EQUAL QUALITY EDUCATION IN BOSTON

[IAC Boston]

*UNITE TO DEFEND EQUAL QUALITY EDUCATION IN BOSTON*

*Stop the School Closings!

Postpone the School Committee Vote!*

*Pack 26 Court Street!
Wednesday, Nov. 5th - **6:00 PM*

**(Dec. 14, 1974 March on Boston
Say No to Racism!)

On Wednesday, November 5th, the Boston School Committee is scheduled to 
vote on a plan that will mean cuts to students and parents in Boston's 
communities of color.  The plan calls for the burden of the cuts to fall 
once again most heavily on Roxbury, Dorchester, and Mattapan.  As City 
Councilor Chuck Turner stated in his Nov. 2, 2008, letter to School 
Superintendent Carol Johnson, "Residents of Greater Roxbury have 
witnessed the closing of over 70 schools in the last thirty years. These 
changes have left us with the feeling that our children are viewed as 
pieces on a chess board rather than human beings who have a right to be 
treated respectfully. Given the fact that children of Greater Roxbury 
don't have enough seats to go to school in their neighborhoods and that 
other neighborhoods are working to limit our access, we are very 
suspicious of any change and want to be able to clearly understand the 
impact of any changes, particularly where we are going to see our 
children again losing seats." 

As a result of massive community opposition and protest, the School 
Committee rescinded some of the school closures, and postponed until 
2009 the decision on the racist and segregationist 60%/40% preference 
for "walk-to" neighborhood schools.  They also postponed the vote on the 
closing and consolidation plan by one week.  Even with the 
modifications, and absent any serious analysis of the impact of plan on 
communities of color, the plan should not go forward!

Join with City Councilors Chuck Turner and Charles Yancey, the Black 
Educators Alliance of Massachusetts (BEAM), Work 4 Quality/Fight 4 
Equity, Boston Parent Organizing Network (BPON),  the Women's Fightback 
Network, the United Steelworkers Local 8751 (Boston school bus drivers), 
Fight Imperialism Stand Together (FIST), the International Action 
Center, Community Partners, parents, students and education activists to 
demand that the School Committee vote be postponed.

*Call Mayor Menino  617-635-4500 * School Committee 617- 635-9014 * Dr. 
Carol Johnson 617-635-9050*

The  December 14th 1974, 25,000 strong "March Against Racism" showed 
that Solidarity between the Community, Labor, students, and other 
activists can turn back the racist tide.  It's time to march again.

For more information: USW Local 8751 617 524-7073

-- 
*******************************************
International Action Center

Boston:
617-522-6626
iacboston at iacboston.org
http://www.iacboston.org

National Office:
212-633-6646
http://www.iacenter.org 

Troops Out Now Coalition
http://troopsoutnow.org 

Stop War on Iran
http://stopwaroniran.org

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://act-ma.org/pipermail/act-ma_act-ma.org/attachments/20081103/c839c238/attachment.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 146211 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://act-ma.org/pipermail/act-ma_act-ma.org/attachments/20081103/c839c238/attachment.jpe>