Thursday, March 04, 2010

Statewide Day of Action

Today is the day, fellow Californians!

While I know we can't all drop what we're doing and head out, if you can show up, please do.

Anyone living here right now knows that public education is under attack: with funding cuts, tuitions raised over and over, and lay-offs left and right.

California has some of the most affordable public institutions of higher education, where you can get some of the best educating in the country, and this is because we made affordable public education a priority. But this seems to have slipped by the wayside the more and more into debt our state has gone.

While, yes, we need to fix our budget, cuts in education is not a solution. And cuts in valuable social justice departments (Women and Gender Studies, Ethnic Studies, etc.) is NOT the solution either, yet they are often the first to go. We need MORE of that kind of education, if we are to ever produce a populace who understands the connections that need to be made to create a sustainable state. The kind of state where everyone has a home, and food in their cupboards.

And I don't think I have to tell you how far we are from that simple standard right now.

So, like I said, if you can, please show up.

For a list of events that are happening near you please consult this site.

"Higher" education is a right, not a privilege.

*Update* To keep up to date on the happenings today in California (and in other states apparently?) check out this site: http://cbs4.com/national/California.students.protest.2.1538101.html

You can also follow my Twitter feed as I have been updating sporadically throughout the day.