Cheers to Denver Students for Walkout vs. History Censorship
September 29, 2014 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us
Cheers to the thousands of students from at least nine high schools in the Denver, Colorado, area who have staged four days of rolling walkouts protesting school board efforts to change the history classes to ban teaching about the history of people's resistance to government authority in the country!
Newly elected conservative school board members have called for revamping the curriculum to "promote citizenship, patriotism, essentials and benefits of the free-market system" and "respect for authority," and to avoid any material that would "encourage or condone civil disorder, social strife or disregard of the law."
Hundreds of students lined pedestrian overpasses on the freeway or stood along streets waving signs like "It's world history, not white history" and "Don't censor my education."
Students protest at a busy intersection in Denver suburb of Littleton, September 25. AP photo.
The experience seems like it has been a real eye-opener for the students, most of whom are white. "People think because we are teenagers we don't know things, but we are going home and looking things up," said a senior at one high school. "If they don't teach us civil disobedience, we will teach ourselves."
As the walkouts have spread (apparently organized mainly through Facebook and other social media), students have also taken a stand in support of the teachers against school board efforts to tie teacher pay raises to an "evaluation-based system." This would mean focus on test results, not whether teachers are actually teaching students to think critically.
Sympathetic parents have brought poster board, magic markers, and bottles of water, or have signed excuse slips so their kids can skip class to protest. And now there's word that emails are circulating among parents calling for them to protest as well. Meanwhile, students say they're planning an all-district walkout next week.
Volunteers Needed... for revcom.us and Revolution
If you like this article, subscribe, donate to and sustain Revolution newspaper.