Skip to Main Content
NYC Civil Rights History Project Logo
  • About
  • Gallery
  • Timeline
  • Topics
  • Key Concepts
  • Teaching Resources
  • Project History
  • News and Events
  • Search

Amsterdam News Readers Write and Write and Write (text)

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Amsterdam News Readers Write And Write And Write: Decentralization Legislation Spencer, David New York Amsterdam News (1962-); Jun 21, 1969; ProQuest pg. 23 Alllsterdalll Decentrali:z:ation Legislation To the Editor: Patterson and Robert Garcia ! ‘I \’ now have the schoof and ou_r Assemblym:in Frank 1• c . . . , Rossetti stood agalllSt L he dccentrahzatio!J lgisllin. And1strong-arm tactics of the UFTj even though it 15 difficult to: and voted against th0 ‘J n d il : s .tan d, f u 11 . of legislation. : con.tradictins! and c Ont.a in.s Resistance to the ra • ts hool: ,errnus omtss1ons, one thmg 1s , . 15 c , clear: this bill is anti-educatioa,, b, contmu~ to l!rO\. Led .by 1 • . ti-children anti-Black and· th.- ‘J’.wo Bridges Demonstration, .in ’ . , D1str1ct, several hundred, Puerto Rican, anti-community concerned citizens occupied· conirol. l1anhattan Borough President! \ ht the State le&islature as Percy Sutton’s office for over done lS o rccentra!:z 2. the New a week to protest hisl ‘I o:k <?1ty School S;ystem y appoinl"?lenl of a member to I Jt 0 1slalmg a labor contract wth the Interim Board of Education.’ the T that P?ts the cont,ol Perhaps their protest led to: c,f city chools mto the hands Sutton’s delay of three dayL • of the umon ad shuts out Black and finally the naming llfl :ind Puerto.Rican paents from rsATAH ROBINSON to the, :my _possible position of Board. \Ve commend Mr. Sutton! autority. , , •r . ~~ fer . his ap!}ointment of Mr.i i\e alo haie a be,t. . 1<’ , Rc’.lmson. of . what hppened _ 1n the IsEiah ‘bas been a long-time l· :z1•latur_e !.lat p,,,rd. tlv: fighter in the. struggle for ,c!:col bill: If our Black and qualitv education for Black and Puerto Rican represntttv~s Puerto Rican children. Ris’ had stood_ togther. ag:un,, thi, presence on the Board assures nwist leg1Slation. it would not us that the interests of Black I h.ive been passed. and Puerto Rican children will, nfortunately, some f our be heard, if not acted upon. I legislators vote<l; ior th.. bill. The three decentralization One of the:n, Assemblyman clil:tricts have gone into Federal 1 Clwrles Ra_ngel rom Harlem: Court to challenge the constilut.l ,,·ns eulogized i the llF1 io"eli!v of !he -“Choo! Jegisl:itlon.1 n"vsnapcr. Th United Teacher. We bl?lic\·c this bi!! violates! ,., Mw Jll: ‘,‘Fts.speech.” wrote the one-man-one-'otci the UF! Icg1Slatlve representat- requirement of the Constitution 1 :vc. . . st the tone .0 f by having board members: cnunc1hat1on and coprom 15e represent boroughs; and it t h at res u It e d in . a~ violates the 13th and 14th. o•:crvhelmlng vote for th,btll; amendments by depriving our •·1 will meet you halway said children of the equal protection :llr. Rangel, “knowing. m my of t’he law, specifically by heart that you have givf\n no threatening to take away the control.” significant educational benefits How can you “meet someone our children have 6egun to en• halfway” whe~ you knw yo joy under community controlled haven’t been given anyt;iun~! ~ ! / districts. Apparently Mr. Rangel 1s w1Um, The preliminary hearing on to “compromise” he liv,es of our request for a ,Temporary! Black and Puerto Rican children Restraining Order was heard in oder to gain UFT suppor! Tuesday, May 27. m h1~ race f? r President o, :lfoanwhile, the teachers at; the City Council. We are happy Community School 39 have laker! to report that our Senators Basil the • offensive against the harassing tactics of the: “supervisors” put in· charge of! the school by Donovan’s office: by filing grievances with the: UFT Chapter Chainnan. . If the UFT again fails tr: protect !‘heir interests ( as they’ are required to do by law, but conistently fail - the same ‘!old “double standard”), thPn w, will challenge the U FT ’ s ,recognition iis legal bnri;aining I ai!cnt for all the teachers in ‘NYC. I The forces of racism and ‘oppression have united to put down any attempt fr Black and Puerto Rican children to bin•e an opportunity for a decent education. These forces include Jim Crow unions, white stat~ l;igislators and city official~. an::.’ Black political opporlunitists. Remember who has stood up for your children when . you go to tl:e polls on June 17. Yours for community control, David Spencer, Chairman, I.S. 201 CompleK Go\•erning Board New York,N.Y. News Readers Write And Write And Write