Bay Area Rally Against Hate

Dear Peralta Community,

The Peralta Federation of teachers has voted to endorse the Bay Area Rally Against Hate and to send out the attached statement quoted below. PFT leaders, members, and friends will be meeting Sunday morning to join the rally.

New PFT t-shirts are available at the PFT offices (or let me know that you are coming and I’ll bring you one)!

In solidarity,
Jennifer Shanoski
President, Peralta Federation of Teachers, AFT 1603

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As educators and union members, we stand for full human rights for all people, equity in the delivery of services and resources, respect for different cultures, ethnicities, spiritual traditions, genders and gender expressions, and commit to upholding these values in our classrooms, on our campuses, and in the larger community. We mourn the lives lost fighting for these values, both past and present.

The recent tragedy in Charlottesville underscores a larger trend of unapologetic white supremacy and bigotry that has escalated over the past months in the United States, and as a union representing workers charged with the responsibility of educating our community, we will not stand aside when our community is threatened. As faculty at colleges where many of our students face attacks as members of low-income communities, as people of color, women and LGBTQ folks, we can play an important role in the movement for equality and racial, economic and social justice.

The Peralta Federation of Teachers has publicly endorsed, and will participate in the Bay Area Rally Against Hate, this Sunday, Aug. 27 from 10:30am-12:30pm, in Berkeley. This event is in response to a Neo-Nazi, white supremacist march that will be occurring at the same time in a different part of the city.   The rally is sponsored by Unite for Freedom from Right Wing Violence in the Bay Area and will be peaceful, with a wide range of participants, organizations, and labor unions that have also endorsed the event, including:

The Alameda County Labor Council
AFSCME 3299 (Berkeley Unit)
SEIU 1021
UAW Local 5810
UAW 2865

If you are reading this message, we invite you to join your fellow union members in making a clear statement: that hatred and bigotry will not go unanswered. The organizers of this rally are developing a strong safety plan and trainings to ensure the security of those demonstrating against hate and PFT will be staying abreast of this and send out announcements when necessary.