This school year much of the major organizing among teachers in the Oakland Education Association has been in response to the ongoing brutal retaliatory destruction of civilian lives in Gaza by the Israeli army.  Although the city of Oakland and the Oakland Education Association have passed resolutions calling for a ceasefire, the Oakland district has not, even refusing to place the issue on the board meeting agenda.  However, the school district  did release recommended materials for teaching about the Israel-Hamas conflict which follows the U.S. government’s interpretation and alliances.

      The December Teach In             

In response, 75-100 OEA teachers worked together to coordinate a teach-in on Palestine on December 6.  Participating teachers engaged their students in activities highlighting Palestinian culture, traditions, stories, and resistance movements.  Some secondary teachers also chose to livestream a virtual panel discussion wherein Bay Area activists–Jewish, Palestinian, and Black–shared perspectives on Palestinian freedom and answered student questions.  The teach-in organizers prepared for the day by distributing a bank of curricular resources on Palestine spanning disciplines and media.  The document includes an introduction condemning anti-semitism and insists on the importance of making sure all Jewish students and colleagues feel safe and supported.  Nonetheless, most teachers who participated have been careful not to use last names in interviews for fear of district retaliation.

OUSD Blocks Meeting

As the death toll rises in Gaza and the population is being forced into “safe” areas that are now being bombed, teachers, working with other unions, decided to meet to have a teach-in and discuss what next steps to take.  OEA members secured a reservation and paid the rental fee to meet at Westlake Middle School on February 25.  On Saturday, Feb. 24, the district informed organizers that Westlake was not available to them due to staffing problems.  

The conference sessions met on Sunday on the outside grounds of Westlake, with morning and afternoon sessions where joint union strategies and actions were discussed. The following Wednesday, the Westlake Black Student Union organized a walkout from school to call out OUSD’s repression of free speech and held a joint press conference with Bay Area Labor for Palestine.  Students at Oakland Tech walked out as well, and circulated a petition calling on OUSD to include Palestine in their education. 

Ceasefire Resolution at NEA

The latest development is that the OEA Representative Council passed a motion, to call on NEA to rescind the endorsement of Joe Biden for President, until he achieves a ceasefire in Gaza and halts US military aid to Israel.  This is part of a larger movement in the NEA to rectify the hasty endorsement Biden received and coincides with a similar rank-and-file push within SEIU to overturn its leadership’s endorsement of Biden. Teachers are also planning to bring the resolution to the NEA Representative Assembly in July.

       Divya Farias, OEA 

and Deirdre Snyder, OEA retired

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