This is a guest post written by Educate Our State Co-Founder Teri Levy
So often, lately, we have been scratching our heads and wondering, “Why aren’t parents and community members rioting in the streets?” The state of public education, and many other important public services is abysmal and instead of wondering – we decided – yes, good idea – lets riot in the streets, lets grab our lattes and our PJ’s and let California know – we want to Educate Our State!
Educate Our State is a parent-led campaign to unite the voices of Californians demanding high quality public education for every child in our state. And, on May 24th, we plan to do just that – show how loud our parent voices can roar and wake up California. Wake Up California is a statewide, multi-city event all taking place on the same day. Here are a few examples of what is taking place to Wake Up California:
- Los Angeles: thousands are expected at 4:00 pm in front of the Federal Building on Wilshire Blvd. And there are many other rallies planned in the area – click here to see rally sites
- Federal Building Westwood 4 PM; Downtown HS #9 3:15 PM 450 N. Grand Avenue Los Angeles, 90012; Millikan Middle School 7:30 AM 5041 Sunnyslope Avenue Sherman Oaks, 91423
- In addition to these Los Angeles events we have events up and down the state. Click here to see what is happening in Long Beach, San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, and more.- click here to see more rally sites
This public display of dissatisfaction with our legislatures inability to balance the budget without having to defund our schools in unacceptable and we are sending the message loud and clear: Support Our Schools – no more budget cuts! We will attempt to find out how many cups of coffee it will take to WAKE UP CALIFORNIA!
Our schools are, for all intents and purposes under siege, not by the legislature alone, but by all of us who aren’t standing up and letting our voices be heard. We know that the public is very worried about the future of public education in our state and don’t know what to do about it. Well, here’s what you can do: join the movement! Together, there is no stopping the power of a few “pissed-off” moms (and dads of course).
We hope to see you there and get to know you. Join the movement at www.educateourstate.org.
Written by Teri Levy, mother of four, Los Angeles resident and co-founder of Educate Our State.
