My baby and I have COVID. I worked so hard to avoid this, & thought through sheer force of will I could keep us safe. But public health is collective and “you do you” is not enough for vulnerable people. I didn’t consent to this and I’m angry, and also sick. As a climate organizer I often think about the connections between COVID & the climate crisis- and a big one is the people who are making us sick, giving us coughs but also brain damage & strokes, & heart attacks and long COVID- those people have names and addresses.

Some sad personal news: I’m taking a leave from @NYCSchools this year.@NYCMayor & above have shown they don’t care about teachers -or students- wellbeing, & I have zero confidence that they will make common sense decisions to protect me as an immunocompromised person. This will be the first in 11 years that I won’t be setting up a classroom. This isn’t a choice I wanted to make, but one I feel forced to make bc of the utter lack of care, common-sense planning - or accommodation for vulnerable teachers and students- from the DOE & @uft.

I waited to have a baby until Trump was out of office. I thought things would get better with dems in the WH & congress.

Now there’s a formula shortage, Covid is everywhere w/ no mitigations, the fascists are banning books & @potus is expanding fossil fuels. No words. The rage I feel keeps me up at night. Special mention to Chuck Schumer, who really does not have the ability to lead this caucus in this moment.

Lots of people asking if Brown vs. Board of Ed is next, but Republicans don’t need to undo it because they already have- with help from dem “reformers”.

Vouchers, charters, wealthy suburbs & private schools all enable segregation. The CRT furor is the latest justification for privatizing(resegregating) public schools.

The urgency of normal/ attacks on teachers over Covid and “learning loss” narratives are also being used to justify defunding and privatizing.

Lost in the @CDCgov announcement & masking rollbacks is that these decisions not only unfairly burden disabled people, but are suddenly disabling millions more.

Immunocompromised people who formerly could live as normal now can’t go to stores, take transit or work. My question is how is it legal under the ADA to create new environments that are inaccessible to people with certain medical conditions? If we can require buildings to have ramps, why can’t we say must go places should require masks?

Public education & democracy are both under threat. I wrote about how the attacks on teachers over CRT & Covid safety are connected for @thenation:

It’s a dire warning- there is no democracy without public schools-but we’re headed off a cliff.

thenation.com/article/societ… “What unites all these attacks are the right-wing, anti-union billionaires who benefit from them: The anti-CRT furor is a coordinated attack on the institution of public education and multiracial democracy, designed to justify defunding public schools…

Seeing a ton of (warranted) criticism re Dems on impeachment — but like where was everyone? We know politicians don’t act boldly if we’re not in the streets to make them. But multi million dollar “movement” orgs are writing petitions & posting graphics instead of organizing I will always remember the first impeachment trial- pre-Covid-, when a mere 10,000 people marched in NYC. Dems are cowardly and ineffective, and Republicans are fascists but also the grassroots left is all over the place and has some reckoning to do.

It’s going to be 60 degrees and rainy on Christmas Day in NYC. That means the Arctic is melting, forests are burning, mass extinction is underway & more pandemics will come too. Make your New Years resolution climate activism. Some suggestions: 1. Join an activist community— @sunrisemvmtnyc @350brooklyn @NYCDSA_Ecosoc @bkindivisible @BeClimateAction @fwaction @XR_NYC

THREAD: If you believe in Democracy and the value of human life and if you’re healthy, safe & have time to doomscroll on this website — you need to do election activism. The good news is there is a whole lot to do: 1. Phonebank to get out the vote! We can’t knock on doors because of COVID so this is the best way to talk to voters. You can sign up with me at bit.ly/LiatGOTV or with INBK at bit.ly/INBKGOTV. You can also sign up directly with campaigns on their websites.

Why @Facebook's "Liberal" employees should go on STRIKE or quit, now over their bosses complete failure to "keep people safe and prevent harm"--- a thread: If a mainstream news station allowed Nazis to broadcast public recruitment meetings every day to millions of people would you watch that station? Would you work for them? Would you hold the camera?

Because that is what the “liberal” employees of @Facebook are doing.

Ok both @JumaaneWilliams & @MarkTreyger718’s proposals for schools are substantially better than what the Mayor/ DOE has put forward, which is awful. Delaying opening so there is more time to plan & focusing on elementary makes sense. However— some thoughts from pre-k- 4 teacher: 1. Schools need more funding to open safely & responsibly. Period. We don’t have enough staff to spread kids out, we don’t have counselors & social workers, we don’t have a nurse in every building, our sinks don’t work, our windows don’t open.

Ok, here’s the deal w/ @NYCMayor’s proposed HUGE funding cuts to NYC public schools—- they were avoidable and are unnecessary. Here’s why: 1. @NYGovCuomo @AndreaSCousins @CarlHeastie refused to raise revenue by taxing the ultra-rich via a pied-a-terre, ultra millionaires, stock transfer tax or other similar taxes. Instead they cut $ for hospitals & schools. But they could still pass one of these bills to offset cuts

Thread of ideas for how schools can support families if/ when NYC schools are closed:

1. Divide up roster and make sure staff is calling every family at least 1x/week to make sure they are okay & see if they need anything. This will also help the city keep track of potential #COVID19 cases, & identify families who need additional support or resources.

Ok, here goes. Why I, as a #GreenNewDeal / climate voter & 2016 Bernie supporter am supporting @ewarren in the primary: 1. There is no Green New Deal w/ our fixing our Democracy. As far as I can tell, Warren is prioritizing Democracy reform more than any other candidate— her anti-corruption platform, eliminating the filibuster, plans to support voting rights— w/ out this on Day 1, we lose.