A group of approximately 40 protesters braved the freezing weather at the Boston Common Parkman Bandstand Friday night to denounce the recent confirmation of Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.
As the weather dipped below 20 degrees, people trudged through the unshoveled path to the bandstand and gathered to rally against DeVos. One held a sign calling DeVos an “unqualified disaster.”
Kelsey Rose, 22, of Billerica, who helped organize the rally with her friends, said their main concerns have to do with student and civil rights.
“I’m really concerned about her trying to take funding away from public schools and [give it] to private schools,” Rose told The Daily Free Press before the rally.
Rose, who attended public schools herself, said she fears DeVos will ignore public school students in minority groups.
“The fact that she was nominated in the first place and got sworn in speaks volumes on the fact that money matters over policy, which is something we should all be taking into account,” Rose said. “We all need to be holding her accountable on protecting students who are in marginalized groups.”
The rally, which lasted only an hour due to the weather, included brief speeches by Rose and a man wearing a mask modeled after those in the film “V for Vendetta” in order to stay anonymous.
During her speech, Rose criticized how DeVos and her family funded organizations that stand against policies like the Title IX amendment and the LGBT community.
“It takes a stroke of a pen in order for [DeVos] to shut this down completely and take these important policies out of place,” Rose said. “We need to protect our marginalized students and when she goes after them, we need to go after her.”
Rose encouraged the crowd to take action against DeVos.
“We need to call our representatives, our senators and we have to make sure our students in need of these policies [are protected] because they are not your average student having the average high school experience, which is why the policies are in place to protect them,” said Rose.
Several protesters, such as Jackie Katz, 33, of Norfolk, said they attended the rally not only because they disagree with DeVos’ policies, but also to keep themselves politically active.
“It’s 50 percent for me to stay motivated,” Katz said. “It’s about the camaraderie and everything that goes with it. I come to a protest and I leave feeling energized again.”
Katz, a history teacher at Wellesley High School, said she hopes every student in the education system will be accounted for.
“I want us to care about every kid that comes through our schools,” Katz said. “Whether they are a normal kid or whether they are a kid who struggles with a learning disability. I just really want kids to feel good.”
Katz said protests like this one led to her recent decision to run for state senator.
“I think what prompted me to run was people at protests I’ve been going to have been saying, ‘If you don’t run, who’s going to?’” Katz said. “I thought about being a politician before, but I didn’t want to because I think it’s a messed up system, but I’m starting to feel like if I don’t do it, who’s going to do it?”
Alexandra Dixon, 25, of Newton, said she was surprised by DeVos’ lack of knowledge on the education system.
“I really hope she learns about the laws pertaining to special [education] students,” Dixon said. “We are shocked she didn’t know that. We couldn’t graduate our teaching program without knowing that.”
Ana Singer, 30, of Jamaica Plain, said DeVos is ignorant of what is going on in the classroom.
“I hope that Betsy DeVos goes to school first,” Singer said. “I hope she finds some pencils. She posted on social media asking where the pencils are. Well, you buy your own and you buy your own copy paper and notebook paper. You’re given four walls and a roof. That’s it. Hopefully she finds all the things for her classroom.”
