Badass Teachers Association

The recent attacks from the Presidential administration on the Federal Department of Education are just the latest in a broader effort to silence and erase our most marginalized communities. As educators, we recognize this because we know public schools and higher education institutions are where ideas take shape, where equity is pursued, and where children learn acceptance and empathy. We also know that all of these things are a threat to concentrated power, authoritarian control, and a system that thrives on inequality.

Our Democracy is under attack. These attacks are purposeful attempts to strip away the human rights of our undocumented communities, transgender and LBGTQIA+ individuals, women, and people of color; anyone who is not one of ‘them’. History has taught us the dangers of such oppression, and we must unite to rise against it. Just as the classrooms we create must be a welcoming space for all students, we must also seek inclusivity and justice beyond our schools. Our classrooms do not operate separately from the influence of society’s struggles and we, as educators, cannot remain separate in this fight.  

Educators have a long history of standing on the frontlines of justice. Septima Clark, often referred to as “Mother of the Movement,” fought for civil rights alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., training Black educators and activists in literacy and voter education. Teachers like Margaret Haley fought for labor rights and fair wages for educators in Chicago, while Nannie Helen Burroughs was a champion for education and women’s suffrage, empowering Black women through learning and activism. Educators have also been leaders in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights, such as Jeanne Manford, who co-founded PFLAG and paved the way for safer schools for LGBTQ+ youth. We stand in their legacy.  

The effort to dismantle the Department of Education is a clear signal; we must stand against policies that harm our communities. We must honor those who fought before us by continuing their work toward building a just and equitable society. We stood against standardized testing and neoliberal education reform. We stood to keep our schools and communities safe during a global pandemic. We will stand against those who seek to destroy the fabric of our nation. 

We demand state and federal economic aid to districts for well-funded schools pre-K through college that help all students thrive, schools that are a public good. 

We demand legal enforcement of student, parent, and educator human rights in school and in society. 

We demand the protection of the political and economic rights of all working people for unions that defend our dignity in the workplace and the world outside.

Badass Teachers Association was created to give voice to every teacher who refuses to be blamed for the failure of our society to erase poverty and inequality through education. BAT members refuse to accept assessments, tests and evaluations created and imposed by corporate driven entities that have contempt for authentic teaching and learning.