An estimated 7,500 people gathered in front of the state Capitol to help fight for California's future on April 21st, reported the California Federation of Teachers website.
The rally was the culmination of the 48-day-long March for California's Future, which started March 5th and stretched from Bakersfield to Sacramento. The demonstration was led by six core marchers including San Diego City College professor Jim Miller, Los Angeles probation officer Irene Gonzalez, retired southern California teacher Gavin Riley, Watsonville community organizer Manny Ballesterors, Pajaro Valley teacher Jenn Laskin, and Los Angeles substitute teacher Davie Lyell.
Supporters at the rally were not strictly teachers and students, but were varied members of the community including domestic workers, nurses, office staff, children, pastors, and union representatives. Some participated in the 300 mile march, others arrived in one of the 80 buses that drove from cities across the state - ranging from San Diego to Eureka.
In his blog, Miller explained that the rally was more than just a fight for California's education, but an united effort for a common goal shared by all members of the community. "It becomes clear that this march is not just a march about stopping cuts, it is a march for access to opportunity and equality. Our struggle is a civil rights struggle and our movement is a movement for social justice for all Californians, not just those affluent enough to get in the door."
The organizations supporting the rally were just as varied as the participants as AFSCME, CSEA, the Firefighters, CFA, SEIU, and the UFCW all united to fight for California's future.
The March for California's Future had two goals, reported the CFT website. The first was to spread the word that the state budget crisis is the result of decisions made by the Legislature and Governor, and that we must hold the state accountable by demanding for the restoration of public education. The second was to establish a political coalition that would have a lasting impact on how the state runs itself.
As marchers headed north, they collected signatures to help put the Majority Vote Budget Act on the November 2010 ballot. This bill would overturn the two-thirds requirement for state legislature to pass a budget, replacing it with simple majority vote.
Though not one legislator addressed the rally as was requested, the marchers were not short of testimonies as they listened to laid-off school teachers, farm workers who had marched with Cesar Chavez, and the leaders of the March for California's Future.
Photos courtesy of newsreview.com, cft.org, and Jim Miller's Blog respectively. Video courtesy of youtube.com
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