Outrage at the Confirmation Hearing of Betsy DeVos
January 17, 2017 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us
From a reader:
Some of the people from Detroit protesting Betsy DeVos, Trump’s Education Secretary nominee, raise Refuse Fascism signs outside the confirmation hearing, January 17. Photo: Special to revcom.us
January 17—A busload of parents, grandparents and their children in public schools, mainly Black and from Detroit, came to Washington, DC, to speak out against Betsy DeVos, Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Education, at her Congressional confirmation hearing. They were organized by the group Journey for Justice Alliance. (See “New ‘Education’ Secretary DeVos: Cut Public Education, Impose Christian Fascism” for exposure of what she is about.)
The whole hearing was carefully controlled. The 50+ people from Detroit were herded into an overflow room where they couldn’t speak. Meanwhile, 30-40 paid “placeholders” were at the front of the line when people arrived at 10 a.m. to insure that seats in the hearing room were taken up by DeVos/Trump supporters.
Many of the Journey for Justice Alliance group were from Detroit and had direct experience with DeVos’s attacks on public education in Michigan. They were determined to expose and oppose DeVos and to denounce racial inequalities and white supremacy in education overall in the United States—and how this would take an enormous leap if Trump was allowed to rule and DeVos became head of the Department of Education. They were disgusted and outraged at how their voices were silenced at the DeVos confirmation hearing, while those who want to destroy public education and equal opportunities for Black and Brown children in education were given full rein.
People with Refuse Fascism were there and joined with the angry and disgusted people outside the building where the hearing took place. Many took NO! signs, flyers and stickers to take back and organize in Detroit, and one woman is trying to arrange to stay the week in DC and get involved in the actions here to stop the Trump-Pence fascist regime before it starts.
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