The pandemic isn’t over, although many folks are over the pandemic. As a new highly contagious Covid BA.2 omicron variant makes its way to the US, it’s likely it will lead to another surge in domestic coronavirus cases.
It’s critical to understand the impacts that COVID had on our public education system, thus impacting children and youth. Our public education system was heavily neglected during the pandemic which reveals the reality that our country’s leaders care more about wars and profits than they do about the next generation.
Our education system largely failed kids, especially BIPOC kids - from lack of protective gear for students and teachers, to inadequate ventilation and infrastructure in classrooms, to overworking teachers, to not properly supporting the mental health needs of kids. These systemic failures are also due to the fact that capitalism does a terrible job of investing in the areas that people need most - health, education, safety, transportation and public infrastructure.
But young people saw this truth, and they rose up and spoke out!!
I created this print because I was so proud to see students in my hometown of Oakland, California demand the proper protection to make sure that kids were better protected from the virus. Students at Oakland’s MetWest High School started a petition—signed by over 1,200 students—asking for the school district to provide KN95 masks for every student, outdoor eating structures at every school, and weekly or twice-weekly COVID testing on every campus. I was also inspired to see kids in New York City walk out and demand more from their districts.
Our Students and Teachers deserve to be safe. Teaching the next generation is a critical role and I hope we can transition to a future where teachers are more adequately paid and EVERY student is set up to thrive.
