In Section Editorial

We achieved a major victory for the common good on Election Day. Together, we held our breath in the weeks that followed as then-President Donald Trump and his co-conspirators sought to overturn the results — and as we witnessed the shocking insurrection at the Capitol on the day the results were to be certified.

But two weeks later, democracy re-emerged ever so fragile under a brilliant blue sky — on the same steps that had been overrun by an out-of-control mob dominated by white supremacists and adherents of various right-wing conspiracy theories. Joe Biden became the nation’s 46th president, and Kamala Harris proudly became the first woman and the first person of color to serve as vice president. Several times on Inauguration Day, I went online and replayed the seconds when Harris stood up, straightened her back, raised her hand and smiled, preparing to be sworn in. It was a moment of pure pride and power.

The inauguration brought at least a little peace to millions of Americans amid this time of pandemic and political chaos. The new president called for an end to "this uncivil war," and the ceremonies held out the promise of a return to the public good as a guiding principle.

With the Biden-Harris administration in place, we dare to dream that we can make progress toward a society that recognizes the value of advancing social, racial, economic and gender justice for all. But we are under no illusion: The challenges we face are momentous and complex. We will need to fight hard to achieve the victories that can make our vision a reality — and then we will need to fight to hold on to them.

Biden and Harris represent a sea change. But no matter who is in the White House, the only way to bring about progress throughout our society is through a strong social movement — a movement in which MTA educators and our fellow unionists are already engaged.

The battles ahead will be tough, but they are winnable. In order to build a citizenry that will cherish and protect democracy, we need to provide a full and rich educational experience for each student, from prekindergarten through college. That means funding our future as well as our present. It means leaving behind the madness of high-stakes testing. It means transforming our curriculum to reflect and affirm the rich and complex identities of our students. And it means continuing our rank-and-file organizing so that schools and colleges can safely return to in-person learning.

Biden and Harris represent a sea change. But no matter who is in the White House, the only way to bring about progress throughout our society is through a strong social movement — a movement in which MTA educators and our fellow unionists are already engaged.

We are now emerging from a bleak period in which the public discourse — strongly influenced by a president known for his vitriolic late-night Twitter rants, misogyny and appeals to racism — became raw. Many people whose needs were not being met had turned to disengagement and despair. Still others turned to groups seeking to uphold systemic racism, vilify people of color and immigrants, and advance the privatization of the public good, including our schools and colleges.

In short, a country in need of leadership characterized by integrity — a nation reeling from violent attacks on Black and brown people — was intentionally beset by unceasing turmoil. Feelings of vulnerability brought on by the spiraling pandemic only exacerbated tensions and pain.

So where do we go from here? First, we must all take a step toward acting more generously toward one another. We need to rebuild empathy. Rather than turning on each other, we need to turn to one another.

We as a nation must also turn toward both fortifying the labor movement and uniting community and labor, which can be the very heart and soul of modeling economic and social justice. For it is through the labor and community movements that we will build up justice and equality for everyone and disassemble the structures, policies and practices of racism that keep the pillars of oppression in place.

Long-term disinvestment in public education is one of these pillars. Following the status quo in curriculum, instruction and assessment is another. The ideology personified by Betsy DeVos — that education is a private good and not a public one — is a third.

The labor movement shows us a new way.

On the national level, we need a stimulus package that urgently and sufficiently aids small businesses and communities made more vulnerable by the pandemic. We need help for all Americans who are out of work, including young people, as well as those at risk of being evicted and those who have little to no access to child care or health care. And we need to ensure relief from student loan debt while maintaining quality on our college campuses — which can only be achieved through full staffing.

We need to win a Bill of Rights for Education Support Professionals and ensure the economic security and dignity of adjunct faculty members and retired workers.

On the state and local levels, we need to build on the steps forward we have advocated during the pandemic. Last March, the MTA and the American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts fought to close school buildings and have classes taught remotely. Since then we have used our power to make significant gains in health and safety for educators and students, including COVID-19 surveillance testing for those who have returned to their school buildings. Now a vaccination program appears to be within reach, but it will not fulfill its goals without the MTA organizing to ensure the development of an efficient, effective and timely local distribution plan.

Early on in the pandemic, MTA Vice President Max Page and I issued Facing the Coronavirus as a Just Community: An Agenda for Our Public Schools and Colleges and for the Common Good. The document takes a stand on what public education and our communities need, both in the short term and as we begin to recover from the devastation the coronavirus has caused. In its pages, we stated: "We are entering a dangerous and unknown peak period of this pandemic. The way we respond will determine the way we fare in the end. We must turn toward each other and create communities of mutual aid and support. Through collective action by our members, other workers, families, and communities, we can organize local, statewide, and national common good campaigns."

With an improved national discourse that prioritiz es understanding and is supported by our activism and solidarity as union members, we will uphold the values that the MTA has stood for during its more than 17 years of inspired and determined advocacy. By fighting hard and leading toward a common purpose in the days ahead, we will help put our nation on a course that leads to a recognition of the public good and that places at its center the schools and colleges our students and communities deserve. We cannot settle for anything less.

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