Occupy Education Nationwide Media Advisory
Contact: Caitlin MacLaren or Stardust, , press@occupyed.org
www.occupyed.org | @occupy_ed
Occupy Education Calls for National Day of Action to Defend the Right to Education
Students, Teachers, Workers Unite to Take Back Schools for the 99%
What: National Day of Action for the Right to Education
Students, teachers, parents and workers will take action March 1 to say, “Education is a right not a privilege.” In response to budget cuts and mounting tuition costs, protestors will launch the next phase of the Occupy movement on campuses across the country, demanding that public education be fully funded at all levels—from pre-K to Ph.D. Education activists will protest layoffs, union busting and a lack of democratic decision-making in schools and universities through student walk-outs, marches, grade-ins and demonstrations.
When: March 1, 2012 (M1)
Where: Pre-planned actions at sites nationwide. List of major actions below.
“Schools are turning away hundreds of thousands of students and cutting back on crucial classes for millions more,” said Aaron Jaffe, a graduate student at the New School in New York City. “We need to reverse the tide of tuition increases and student loan rip-offs, so students can afford to get a good education once again.”
“As higher education increasingly becomes a necessity for any type of career advancement, people who need it the most are being shut out due to high costs,” said Brooklyn College student Biola Jeje. “Student loan debt is an issue that not only affects students but working families trying to provide a stable source of income in these tough economic times.”
Major Actions
New York City: March from the Department of Education (52 Chambers Street) to Ft. Greene Park. March begins at 2 p.m. Rally at Ft. Greene at 4 p.m.
Contact: Caitlin MacLaren, marcaimac@gmail.com,
Oakland: Rally at Oscar Grant Plaza at 5 p.m.
Contact: Jack Gerson, jackrgerson@gmail.com,
San Francisco: Teach-in and occupation at the California State Office Building (455 Golden Gate Avenue) from 3-4 p.m. Mass rally at San Francisco Civic Center from 4 to 6 p.m.
Contact: Terence Yancey, kolsyk@gmail.com,
Washington, D.C.: March from McPherson Sq. (15th and K St.) to the Department of Education at 3 p.m.
Contact: Ben Johnson, bj9504a@student.american.edu,
Boston: Citywide walkout and rally at Dewey Sq starting at 1 p.m. The march will be a “tour of our oppressors” around Boston and concludes with a speak-out at the State House at 4 p.m.
Contact: Nate Matthews, natezmatthews@gmail.com,
Seattle: Demonstration at the Gates Foundation. March to begin at 2:45 at Westlake Park.
Contact: Ed Lambert, ospubliceducation@gmail.com,
Philadelphia: Citywide walkout and march. Rallies at Temple/Penn Universities at 1 p.m. Gathering at Governor Corbett’s Office (200 S. Broad St.) at 3 p.m. to march to the Board of Education (440 N. Broad St.)
Contact: Ethan Jury, ethan.jury@temple.edu,
More: www.occupyed.org/actions
Occupy Education is a coalition of more than 80 local Occupy, labor and community groups across the country fighting to guarantee the right to education for everyone. The March 1 Day of Action has been endorsed by groups such as Occupy Education California, the NYC Student Assembly, Occupy Colleges and the Occupy Student Debt Campaign.
For More Information…
For interview requests and hot action story tips--
Day-of-action press hotline:
Email: press@occupyed.org
For featured news roll, videostreams, and twitter feeds:
Front pages of www.occupyed.org and www.occupyeducationca.org
M1 participating organizations: www.occupyed.org/organizations
Subscribe to presslist or obtain photos and video of the actions: www.occupyed.org/press
