NEWS RELEASE California Teachers Association 1705 Murchison Drive Burlingame, CA 94010 www.cta.org May 30, 2020 Contact: Claudia Briggs at (916) 296-4087 or cbriggs@cta.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE California Educators Grieving and Outraged by Hateful Racism Time to come together to end the institutional racism that perpetuates centuries of paralyzing inequity SACRAMENTO — California Teachers Association President E. Toby Boyd issued the following statement amidst grief and outrage calling on Americans to come together to stop the hateful racism that breathes life into our institutions and structures: “We are grieving, and we are outraged by the hateful racism and white supremacy that continues to terrorize our communities of color. The murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor demand that we, as educators and Americans, recognize and confront the institutional racism that exists in our systems and structures. “We cannot allow this moment to define us as a society and as a nation. It is our responsibility to work to abolish racism on a personal, structural, and institutional level beginning in our schools and colleges. It is our responsibility to have these conversations at the dinner table and in our places of worship. This is not a time for us to look away, but to confront for the sake of a fair, just, and equitable future for all students. “The past 11 weeks have shined an even brighter light on the divide, and we have seen, firsthand, that our black students and educators experience schools and the pandemic differently than many, if not most, of our white students and educators. Saying #BlackLivesMatter isn't enough. Together, we must continue the call for justice and to hold powerful people, and each other, accountable. We must come together to stop the chorus of hate and fear and utilize our people power, both personally and at the ballot box.” ### The 310,000-member California Teachers Association is affiliated with the 3 million-member National Education Association. If you would rather not receive future communications from California Teachers Association, let us know by clicking here. California Teachers Association, 1705 MURCHISON DR, Burlingame, CA 94010 United States