Grassroots organizing to protect education in Manitoba
#RedForEdMB
Campaign
Inspired by teacher and community movements across North America, we at ProtectEdMB have joined in on the fight for an equitable, democratic public education system using the Red for ED slogan.
Red Fridays
Over $6000 raised for school breakfast and snack programs!
Background
Check out the resources below to learn more about
the Red for Ed movement.
Excerpt:
"The “Red for Ed” campaign is a grassroots movement advocating for the proper funding of public education, smaller class sizes and equitable salary increases for teachers. The campaign originated in 2018 and gained momentum during a series of contentious labour actions by U.S. education workers and the National Education Association (NEA). The strikes were based on pay and deteriorating working conditions, and teachers would often wear red shirts to demonstrate their solidarity. Many believe the colour choice represents school budgets being “in the red.”
Excerpt:
"Red for Ed has also brought about important changes in the political arena. Perhaps the movement’s most important win has been to change public perceptions of the crisis facing education. Only a few years ago, the mainstream media, as well as leading Democrats and Republicans, routinely scapegoated educators and championed a billionaire-backed “education reform” agenda, focused on privatization, high-stakes testing, and union-busting."
Excerpt:
"The successes of these movements, as well as the persistent and rampant attacks on public education, have inspired many educators across the nation to build a teachers’ movement in their own state. While every movement has been different, I want to share my experience as one of the teacher-organizers who helped with the Arizona movement. I hope that by breaking down what happened in Arizona, I can help others as they begin to build or grow their own teachers’ movement. With the proliferation of standardized testing, devastating cuts to education funding, and the continual devaluing of educators, teachers must now more than ever continue to fight for the schools that they and their students deserve."
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Excerpt:
How has this Red for Ed movement developed over the two years since those events in West Virginia? Have the walkouts strengthened educator unions and rank-and-file teacher activism? And to what extent has the movement been able to win its demands and effect broader political changes?