Building a 'firewall' for kids where it matters most
Educator and candidate for the State Board of Education, Mitchell Robinson explains why he's running to stand up for students and teachers, and against DeVos-inspired privatization and radicalism.
Soon, I’ll be writing about why Michigan has the best ballot in the nation for anyone who cares about democracy. But before that I wanted to introduce you to one of the reasons I’m most excited about voting (on-my-ass-then-delivered-to-a-drop-box) in my home state this fall — Mitchell Robinson.
I had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing Mitchell multiple times after he started writing for Eclectablog, right as Betsy DeVos was becoming the Secretary of Education via Mike Pence’s tie-breaking vote. Immediately, I recognized that he was an essential national resource when it came to exposing the dangers of the DeVos family’s war on public education, as well as one of the most insightful, righteous, and unabashed voices about classroom matters alive.
When Mitchell told me he was running for our State Board of Education, I had one of those woozy moments that makes you giddy about democracy. He’s the sort of dedicated and moral human you’d like to imagine guiding any public institution.
Basically: If we set up a Manhattan Project to create the exact opposite of a Proud Boy, it would be Mitchell Robinson — and not just because he’s a Humble Man. He’s exactly the kind of firmly rooted candidate a backsliding society needs.
Check out his post below, and support him now, if you can.
I’d like to thank Jason for this opportunity to share a bit about why I’m running for the State Board of Education in Michigan, and why the elections in November are so important for our state, and the country.
I started my career as a music teacher, teaching for 10 years in the public schools in upstate NY, and will begin my 20th year as a professor of music education at Michigan State University this fall. As a policy researcher and author, my focus is on public and education policy, and through my writing at Eclectablog, a Michigan political blog and website, I’ve used my background as a teacher, teacher educator, and policy scholar to move my research into the public arena, providing commentary and analysis on matters of educational and public policy.
I’m running for the State Board of Education because I believe that public education in Michigan is under attack. I’m tired of school board members and teachers being targeted with made-up, ALEC-fabricated talking points about Critical Race Theory in K-12 schools, book banning, and furries in school bathrooms. It's exhausting and counter-productive.
I believe that the other side of the aisle is using these ridiculous attacks as a distraction because they have no positive vision for public education--their real goal is to destroy it, or at least sell it off for parts via Betsy DeVos-inspired private and religious school voucher and "tax credit scholarship" legislative attempts—voucher plans that are not only against our state’s Constitution, but have been soundly defeated—TWICE—by the voters of our state, by humiliating 70% to 30% margins.
It’s time to stop with the nonsense and distractions. Michigan’s schools need serious people talking about serious issues. Like…
providing a high-quality education for all children, not just those who grow up in the suburbs—and while I may be biased, I believe that a comprehensive education includes music, art, and physical education; and, as we emerge from 2 years of pandemic-required “emergency virtual instruction”, more school counselors, nurses, and mental health workers, to help our children learn and grow;
defending our colleagues in the schools, who are doing tremendous work under very difficult conditions; and,
strengthening public institutions, especially our public schools.]
I believe that there are two “firewalls” in our state protecting our citizens from the radical, and frankly dangerous ideas from our opponents on the other side of the aisle. One is our great governor, Gretchen Whitmer, whose veto pen has been a strong deterrent against the most outrageous schemes from the right. The other firewall is our Democratically—controlled State Board of Education, which serves as a voice of reason in the increasingly vitriolic, hyperbolic climate surrounding public schools.
If we want our schools to be safe, healthy, welcoming places of learning for our children and teachers; if we want our teachers to be free to teach the truth about our nation’s history—even when that history is uncomfortable or painful; and if we want our children to attend schools that encourage them to pursue their interests, explore the world around them, and become well-informed, engaged citizens of their communities and their nation, then we must elect Democrats not only to the State Board of Education, but up and down the ticket in November.
I’m running for the State Board of Education because I believe that all of Michigan's children and teachers deserve safe, well-maintained, and fully-funded public schools. They also deserve the full support of our state legislature and the citizens of our state.
I ask for your support for me, and my running mate, Dr. Pamela Pugh, for the State Board of Education in the election this November. To learn more about me and my views on the issues surrounding public education, and to contribute to my campaign, please visit my website at: https://www.mitchellrobinsonforstateschoolboard.org
Blue Walls is very interested in elevating candidates for school boards, which too offen get far too little attention, making them perfect for Steve Bannon’s Proud Boy takeover.
Is there a candidate we should be following? Let us know in the comments.