Reposted from UnionDelBarrio.org
On November 30, 2024, a Federal District Judge dismissed (“with prejudice”) the frivolous and reactionary lawsuit filed against Guadalupe Carrasco Cardona, Theresa Montano, Cecily Myart Cruz, the Liberated Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum Consortium, and United Teachers Los Angeles – UTLA (the teacher’s union). Unión del Barrio acknowledges this legal dismissal as a small victory in an avalanche of anti-Raza attacks directed against our communities’ barrio-based leadership.
Compañera Guadalupe Carrasco Cardona is a leading member of Unión del Barrio and has been carrying the burden of this legal persecution for nearly three years. As intended, this legal attack disrupted Lupe’s personal, professional, and political life, but even in the face of these tremendous pressures, she stood firm and showed us all that when we fight back, we win.
This court dismissal is rooted in one of many failed Zionist attempts to block and overturn our right to determine the nature and content of our children’s education. Furthermore, this dismissal highlights the importance of promoting critical thinking among our students – this is at the heart of a liberatory education that encourages the exploration of vital issues, including the teaching of Palestine and the destructive impacts of colonialism and imperialism in the modern world, rather than shielding students from potentially “uncomfortable topics.” Finally, this dismissal sets a legal precedent for educational rights, as it lets other educators know that they too can teach about these subjects in their classrooms.
We also take this moment to highlight the recent attacks against compañero Ron Gochez, another LAUSD teacher and fellow leading member of Unión del Barrio. For several months, Ron faced an onslaught of slanderous attacks from Zionists who sought to silence his public work against the genocide in Gaza. The people behind these attacks filed various complaints with LAUSD to get him fired. LAUSD buckled under this public pressure campaign, and after a series of investigations, they found the complaints to be false. Gochez proudly returned to his classroom, his principles intact, and his students and school community embraced him. This was another small victory that reaffirmed our commitment to anti-colonial solidarity, human decency, and democratic schooling.
In closing, we will continue to stand with those who face opposition in their efforts to teach the truth. Lupe and Ron bravely demonstrated that educators CAN teach the truth in the classroom, but they must also be organized to defend themselves from attacks. With the incoming administration, this is now more important than ever. If you are an educator and aren’t a member of a movimiento organization, join one NOW!
Maestras y Maestros luchando, también están enseñando!
Comité Central, Unión del Barrio
December 1, 2024
