Public education

The reason the government wants public school to be open for in person instruction is because public schools are the primary form of childcare for working class Americans. If the children are back in school, their parents can return to work and serve as cannon fodder for the economy.

Teachers unions stand in the way of this endgame. Throughout the pandemic, there have been examples of teachers unions wisely utilizing their position of power to line up demands for vaccinations, public housing, and rent cancellation. The Chicago Teachers Union held out against their district which pushed them to go back in person in the middle of winter.

The Chicago Teachers Union is predominantly led by Black and Brown women, who understand that reproductive justice means the right to raise children without fear of state violence, in resourced communities. They anchored the safety of women and children in the public sphere, a model of economic, social, and cultural rights.

For too long the safety of women and children has been pushed into the private sphere of the home, placing the responsibility for children’s moral and social compasses on women. If women are responsible for the future of this country’s moral compass, then women can remind this country that we are its conscience.