Frances prepared the following remarks for the founding conference of the Conference for Public Education. Because of a change in the format, she was only able to deliver responses to certain questions (see video below)
First of all, congratulations to the Coalition for Public Education on your founding conference. I’ve worked with some of you in the fight against tuition hikes at CUNY. I know of the work of many of you here and I look forward to working with all of you against the dictatorship of billionaire Bloomberg in education—and in all aspects of our lives in New York City and beyond. It’s an honor to be with all of you.
Many speakers [have already spoken/will be speaking] on why we need to fight the so-called mayoral control. I just want to add two small points to the discussion.
First, this is not just about Bloomberg. He’s not the only billionaire behind this plan to control our children and our young people. Billionaire Bill Gates also funneled $4 million to the so-called “Learn-NY” lobbying project to get mayoral control renewed. That’s not counting the $150 million his foundation has spent on the charter school movement.
Real estate billionaire Eli Broad also put millions into Learn New York.
Why are so many members of the country’s ruling class so interested in keeping power out of the hands of parents, teachers and students? What are they afraid of?
Second, this struggle against the dictatorship of the billionaires shows the need for greater and greater unity in struggle. Last year was the 40th anniversary of the 1969 Ocean Hill Brownsville struggle. That struggle for real community control of our schools was betrayed by the racist leadership of the teacher’s union. Let’s say it like it is.
Ever since then, the UFT leadership has been struggling for better conditions for their members almost completely divorced from the struggles of our communities, parents and students, for better and more democratic education.
I want to thank all the UFT members who are here today that are struggling inside the teacher’s union for turning around the direction of that great union. Only with a solid alliance with the Black and Latino communities of this city—as well as all the other oppressed nationalities in New York—will we be able to turn the tide against the mayor’s anti-union, anti-people dictatorship. I can tell you that my comrades are struggling with you in that great and historical struggle.
Many of you may be hearing about my mayoral campaign for the first time today. Even though I’ve been featured numerous times in El Diario/La Prensa and other major Spanish-language media, most of the big-business media is trying hard to ignore my campaign.
My campaign is about building the movement of poor and working people against the billionaires. This struggle against mayoral control is a key part of that fight. Because as long as the billionaires can have our people thinking that they are acting in OUR interests, we won’t be able to win the struggles we are waging.
As a CUNY student, I ask you all for your support in the fight to push back the tuition hikes and to make CUNY free again, like it was before the great struggles for community control won open access to CUNY for ALL the poor and working people of the city.
As a tenants’ rights activist, I ask for your support in building the fight to roll back rents in this city! We need a movement to take the power out of the hands of the big landlords, the modern-day feudal princes who steal our wealth.
As an activist against the racist NYPD, I ask you to keep up the struggle to get the cops out of our schools!
Please let me offer my support and the support of my campaign to help you advance this important struggle against the billionaires and their control of our schools.
Thank you.
