Thursday, April 16, 2015

Why the Opt Out Movement Cannot Be Suppressed

How does it feel to be part of a movement which politicians fear, editorial writers hate and hedge funds spend huge amounts of money to discredit? You know what movement I am talking about- Test Resistance, otherwise known as Opt Out! The huge, defiant, even joyous mobilization to refuse tests in New York State has left the powers that be confused because what they thought was a crack down has produced an explosion of activism of unprecedented proportions. This reminds me of what happened with the lunch counter sit ins that began in Greensboro in 1960. The more authorities tried to suppress the movement, the larger it grew and the more it spread. History, and the cause of Justice, is one our side. Testing has reached abusive proportions in the United States, and the only thing that can stop it is the courage and heroism of parents, students and teachers, all of which we have seen in New York State in the last few days.