On this International Workers' Day, we are inspired by educators from West Virginia, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Arizona, Colorado, and beyond, who are standing up for the schools teachers and students deserve. 

 

These historic struggles are part of a wave of teacher rebellions sweeping the country ---- especially in "Trump country," where years of tax cuts have decimated public school funding.

The Zinn Education Project reached out to educators in West Virginia for their stories and to offer people's history lessons. Here are just two examples of how their students reacted to the strike. 

 

Many students appreciate our commitment and have a degree of pride in the fact that West Virginia started a powerful trend across the nation with their work action. ---- Tiffany Jones, high school U.S. history, Bluefield, WV

   

The older students thanked me for standing strong and speak of the school personnel with nothing but pride. It was an excellent lesson in not letting the bully make you feel bad. Show the bully you have a voice, feelings, and rights.  - - Kathy Baker, Kindergarten teacher, Mason County, WV

 

Inspired by their own experience making history, we can help teachers bring the people's history of the labor movement alive in the classroom. A key resource we offer for free download is The Power in Our Hands ---- a collection of role plays and writing activities that project students into real-life situations to explore labor struggles in history and today.

With   your help , we can alert more teachers in West Virginia and also teachers in Kentucky, Oklahoma, Arizona, Colorado, and beyond to these lessons for teaching outside the textbook.  The Zinn Education Project currently has 3,400 teachers who are using people's history lessons from those five states. 

 

To triple that number, we need to raise $5,000. Your contribution today can help us reach at least 10,000 teachers by June.

Sincerely,