Civil Disobedience and the Democratic Privilege

The story of the youth being detained for peacefully declaring their right to exist. National coverage, but what they need is justice, and that will not happen unless we exercise our democratic privilege. YES, I said privilege! For if we fail to exercise our privilege, we are no better off than the people who's actions we so happily denigrate in the comfort of our peaceful existences. Because evil requires the complicity of the silent majority, we cannot be among them. Speak your discontent, speak it loudly and often to all who will listen and all who need to hear.

Below are a number of sites that are carrying the story. What we need to do is create our own stories. We are the media that we've been waiting all this time for.

http://www.detnews.com/article/20100518/METRO/5180404/1409/Officials-want-Michigan-student-in-custody-in-immigration-protest

http://vivirlatino.com/2010/05/18/update-on-dream-act-students-arrested-in-sit-in-at-john-mccains-office.php

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/18/us/18dream.html?emc=

http://kasamaproject.org/2010/05/18/undocumented-students-arrested-at-arizona-protest/

http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2010/05/undocumented-students-arrested-at.html

http://community.livejournal.com/ontd_political/6217064.html

http://www.detnews.com/article/20100518/METRO/5180404/1361/Michigan-student-arrested-in-Arizona-immigration-protest

http://www.chasingevil.org/2010/05/courage-undocumented-students-arrested.html

http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/chicanisima/2010/05/immigrant-students-arrested-at-mccains-office-to-be-arraigned-tuesday-chicagos-tania-unzueta-not-arrested.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-ralls/a-gay-immigrant-reaches-f_b_579488.html

http://www.kgun9.com/Global/story.asp?S=12502141

http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/Valdez/83648

College Access for Public Service

Black teachers comprise only 8 percent of teachers nationwide and Black males only comprise 2 percent of teachers nationwide. We need a diverse teaching force to serve in our increasingly diverse schools. College access isn't only about bolstering the economy; it is also about expanding the pipeline to public service. Currently the United States ranks 12th amongst nations in percentage of 25-34 year olds receiving college degrees (College Board, 2008). Generally, this crisis in college access is talked about in terms of economic capital. While I am all for job creation and developing a competent workforce, I believe we also need to look at this crisis in terms of the loss of human capital. A lack of a college education means that you cannot become a teacher, or a principal, or a school counselor, or an educational researcher, or any number of jobs in education that are needed if we are to effectively reach and teach the next generation. I'm with Arne Duncan on this one; we need to step up and recruit, educate, and mentor a new generation of culturally diverse, intellectually curious, competent, and committed teachers to join the ranks of America's schools.