Take Back Our Schools Day-May 17

ATTENTION OAKLAND:
MAY 17, 2005 is Take Back Our Schools Day
On May 17, we will teach in the streets of our city!

In honor of the historic verdict Brown v. Board of Education,
which promised equal public education for all on May 17, 1954,
a growing tide of youth, educators, parents,union members,
citizens, and community organizations are calling for an end
to the destructive takeover of the Oakland schools.

May 17: Take Back Our Schools Day is a project of Organize DAY,
a coalition of youth dedicated to collective action to reclaim public

ACTIONS IN THE WORKS:

. City Council Resolution to declare May 17 "Take Back Our Schools
Day." We are calling on our politicians to support a city-wide day of education
and action.

. Youth March to Oakland City Center. Students -- who are most affected
by takeovers of public school districts, school closures, and hostile
contract negotiations -- will take field study trips to City Hall to participate in the day.

. Community Education. Educators of all types are asked to present
community workshops on May 17th. The First Unitarian Church and
other downtown Oakland centers will host youth and adult-facilitated
workshops on topics such as No Child Left Behind, the High School Exit Exam,
 and State Takeover.


For more information on May 17: Take Back Our Schools Day, contact
Raquel Jimenez (youth organizer) at 645-9213, Jonah Zern

(parent/teacher organizer) at 654-8513, Michael Siegel (workshop organizer)
at 289-3318, or Kali Akuno (community organizer) at 593-3956.
Also, see www.oaklandrising.com for more information.


May 17: Take Back Our Schools Day is a project of Organize Da BAY, a
coalition of youth dedicated to collective action to reclaim public

education including Youth Together, Californians for Justice, Tojil and
the Xicana Moratorium Coalition, as well as the Coalition to Defend and
Improve Public Education, which includes Oakland parents, students,
educators, politicians, and representatives from ACORN,
Oakland Education Association,Oakland Federation of Teachers,
Californians for Justice, Million Worker March, American Federated
County State Municipal Employees, Bay Area Parent Leadership Action Network,
Oakland Parents Together, Malcolm X Grassroots Movement,
CalCARE,PUEBLO, National Lawyers Guild,and Education Not Incarceration.