California Federation of Teachers
For Immediate Release
Contact: Matthew Hardy, 510-703-5291

SACRAMENTO, CA – Today CFT issued the following statement from President Jeff Freitas:

“Educators and classified professionals will not be silent in the face of racism, brutality, and the murder of Black lives by the police who are supposed to protect them. 

“We will not tolerate a justice system so unbalanced that the cops who murdered Breonna Taylor or paralyzed Jacob Blake still have not been arrested. We will actively work to defeat anti-Black racism because our country is better than what we, once again, witnessed this week, as a 17 year old white youth took to the streets and murdered those engaged in our most sacred right — civil and peaceful protest.

“Here in California, one of our fellow educators who was working to create anti-racist curricula for the classroom had to flee her home under threat of death for her role in supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. Whether we teach math or social studies, educators and classified professionals need to be able to teach about racial and social justice without threats, harassment, bullying, or scare-tactics and have the support and protection of their administration.  

“Today we mourn the loss of innocent life, and we support each and every school employee  who continues to do the important work of teaching about racial and social justice while shouldering a heavy burden in the wake of these events.  

“CFT unequivocally stands with educators and classified professionals who are fully dedicated to our students inside and outside the classroom. We call for systemic and sweeping changes to a criminal justice system that truly fulfills the promise of innocent until proven guilty — regardless of the color of our skin. And we stand behind educators doing the critical work of teaching anti-racist curriculum in their classrooms because BLACK LIVES MATTER.”

The California Federation of Teachers represents 120,000 teachers, faculty, and school employees in public and private schools and colleges, from early childhood through higher education. It is the statewide affiliate of the AFT. More information at www.cft.org.

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