At our Monthly Membership Meeting this February, UN35 hosted a panel of local school watch volunteers and rapid responders to talk about how we can organize around our schools to protect our communities from ICE.
Our panelists were from school watch groups at Cameron Elementary school in Humboldt Park, Mozart Elementary in Logan Square, and from the school safety committee at Palenque LSNA. We discussed ongoing and long-term strategies for organizing within schools and at the block level. Some key strategies that emerged from our discussion included:
- Block-level canvassing
- Walking school buses
- Know Your Rights trainings for school staff
- Mapping local safe havens
- Resources for students in temporary living situations
- Getting involved in Local School Councils and Parent-Teacher Organizations
- Access to free food in fridges and pantries in schools
- Mental health resources for students
- Preparing for summer break with local churches, daycares, and libraries
..and more. UN35 will continue to build community power from the ground-up, to defend against and resist state violence in all its forms. Our power comes from organizing in local schools, mutual aid groups, rapid response groups, unions, and more. We endorse elected officials who are deeply rooted in these community-based movements, because we know that legislative change is necessary in order to invest in our communities long-term.
If you want to know more about our endorsements for the upcoming midterm elections on March 17th, you can join our mailing list or visit our linktree.
