Dear Friends,

Many of you know the work of Save Our Schools March, the organization that helped galvanize the national education activist movement beginning with our historic rally, march,

and conference in Washington DC in 2011. We are now launching our next chapter in education activism as Uniting to Save Our Schools (USOS). One of our first objectives as

USOS has been to develop a bold and radical platform for public education that views the transformations of public schools and of our racist, capitalist system as one united struggle. Over the past few months, we drafted the attached USOS Platform for Public Education and accompanying document entitled Suggested Actions, which collectively represent our radical agenda for change.

The corona virus pandemic and the ongoing brutality and murder of Black people by the police have made the inequities in our country increasingly clear to the world. Our economic

and political systems have long been incapable of supporting the health, safety, well-being, and educational needs of ordinary working people. It is glaringly evident that we need to

build a movement with the goal of educational, racial, political, and economic justice that finally addresses the needs of all people. Reaching this goal depends upon our collective actions.

Uniting to Save Our Schools is committed to joining with a diverse movement of organizers, groups, and activists at the international, national and local levels. We hope that the USOS Platform for Public Education and Suggested Actions will be useful as we plan and strategize for future mobilizations and actions. We look forward to working with you to build strong and united voices that challenge and transform our political, economic and educational systems

and build a more equitable future for all our children.

There are actions that you and/or your organization can take immediately to demonstrate solidarity with our platform:

● Endorse the attached USOS Platform for Public Education and Suggested Actions at http://www.unitingtosaveourschools.org. Encourage your individual members and other community or educational activists to sign as well.

● Use the USOS Platform for Public Education (www.unitingtosaveourschools.org/usosplatform)

to challenge, interrogate, or extend existing platforms or programs that have been adopted or are currently being considered by community and education organizations,

progressive political parties, and mainstream and alternative political candidates.

● Consider using and/or helping us build the Suggested Actions (www.unitingtosaveourschools.org/toolkit) so it can be a resource to work with others in furthering this movement. It is designed to be a living document that can provide inspiration and examples of how we can work to improve public education. Contact us so we can dialogue about the strategies and local wisdom that have worked for you and your organization.

● Visit our Facebook page (https://fb.me/UnitingtoSaveOurSchools) where we can all share and update each other about the work we are all doing and to collectively plan events, actions, and more. Please join the conversations and return to the page often.

● Request a virtual meeting with USOS to collaborate, and/or plan future actions: unitingtosaveourschools@gmail.com.

Please feel free to contact us with any suggestions, questions, or comments about our USOS Platform for Public Education or Suggested Actions, or to publicize your events and actions

with the broader group. We look forward to growing this movement together!

In friendship and solidarity,

Uniting to Save Our Schools

Bess Altwerger, MD

Rosalie Friend, NY

Cris Mann, MO

Rick Meyer, NM

Becky L. Noël Smith, CA

Ricardo Rosa, MA

Cynthia Roy, MA

José Soler, MA (in memoriam)

Jesse Turner, CT