NEW YORK CITY, SEPTEMBER 1—As students and educators head back to school this fall, the U.S. ruling class remains divided between the openly-racist, Donald Trump-led small-fascist Republicans and the racist big-fascist Democrats. This division has led many students and workers to make the mistake of picking sides between these sets of misleading murderers. In April, at a school in Manhattan, a teacher thought he could openly support the Trump racists without consequence. He thought wrong.
Students fight racist educator
The racist teacher’s Instagram handle includes three Ks in a “joking” nod to the racist Ku Klux Klan. Earlier this year, he compelled his immigrant students to write thank you letters to Trump. He then posted the mandatory assignment on his hallway bulletin board along with a U.S. flag and a portrait of Trump grinning. Workers and students fought back immediately.
When school workers saw the board before school they began yelling about it in the hallway. These workers correctly recognized Trump and his followers’ rhetoric and actions as attacks on the school’s students, workers, and families. They pointed out that the board was offensive and inappropriate – particularly as students and staff in the city have been targeted by ICE. Antiracist teachers then covered the bulletin board with white poster paper (since the board was inside a glass cabinet) and promised to get the materials taken down.
Liberal principal soft on racism at school
After a scolding from the liberal-leaning principal, the racist teacher simply took down the picture of Trump and put up a graphic parroting the liberal phrase “this is what democracy looks like.” Indeed, Democrat and Republican politicians under capitalist “democracy” often defend the rights of racists to verbally attack and terrorize workers. The racist teacher then closed the cabinet without changing anything else. Next, antiracist workers covered the bulletin board again with white paper. After that it was the students, the members of the working class the schools are designed to oppress, who advanced the struggle.
Throughout the morning, students came to investigate the racist bulletin board. They lifted the paper to take pictures, alerted others to its contents, and mobilized to fight back. By the afternoon, students rallied as a group in front of the board and then covered the paper with their own messages. Many of these were “f**k Trump” and one called the President “racist” and “xenophobic.” Only after this action did a dean remove most of the racist’s material. Of course, students' “right” to express themselves on the board was not defended like the racist teacher's.
Students take action
On the following school day, students organized a walkout and rally in front of the school. When large numbers of students amassed on the first floor and demanded the ability to protest, the principal relented and stated he would “respect their right to free speech” outside the school. As they rallied, students chanted “Where’s the justice? Where’s the change? Where’s the promise we made?” The chants could be heard in parts of the school, including by students afraid of potential harassment by NYPD School “Safety” or ICE. Still, by encouraging the protest to go outside, the principal was able to maintain some degree of business as usual —minimizing disruption. It is not uncommon for liberal politicians to allow some groups of workers and youth to let off steam at protests to avoid further rebellions that challenge the system.
This was a great start to a struggle, but more organizing and action is needed if the racist teacher is to be held accountable. Besides a talking to with the principal, and a supposed investigation, the only penalty he faced was losing control (and overtime pay) of the student government he advised. Many of the students who led the struggle are part of that group – which in some ways forced the principal to act. Meanwhile, he continued miseducating the very students whose families are targeted by ICE thugs. Now the question is, how can the struggle continue?
To remove the racist from the school, students and workers will need to take leadership, organize and carry out further action. Every parent, student, and staff member should know what he did and be invited to join the struggle. The racist’s actions are a reflection and symptom of U.S. capitalism in decay. Fighting to hold him accountable for his poisonous crimes against immigrant and Black students and workers is training for the fights ahead. Progressive Labor Party invites everyone to support this struggle and to fight for a communist world where racism will be abolished. Join us!