Students at Robeson High School organized a student walkout on May 1, 2012 in solidarity with the call from Occupy Wall Street to host actions on May Day. 150 students from Robeson, Brooklyn Tech and Fort Greene Park High school met at Fort Greene Park on May 1. They hosted teach-ins that focused on the connections between Occupy, the recent death of Trayvon Martin, the over-policing of their communities, and the privatization of their public school system. The students also called for free GED classes and greater diversity in terms of their history education. "We're not out here to play around. Let's make a change—knowledge is power, we're out here to learn," said one student who organized the rally. Their school was one of more than 100 that were closed down due to the education policies of the Bloomberg administration. The NYC Department of Education voted to close Robeson in 2011, but allowed students to remain until 2014.
Image Description
On a bright yellow poster board, the words "Paul Robeson High School Unite!" are written. The word "Unite" is stylized with stripes. The poster board shows visible dirt, footprints, and tears, indicating that the poster was likely used in an action and dropped on the ground where it was walked on.
Citation
Sign from Paul Robeson High School (Brooklyn, NY), 2011; TAM.630 Occupy Wall Street Archives Working Group Records; box 17; Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, New York University