Waukesha, WI – On July 12, nearly 800 people silently rallied to support Waukesha public school teacher Melissa Tempel. Waukesha Alliance for Education organized the rally and encouraged participants to wear black armbands. This is a subtle nod to Mary Beth Tinker, the lead plaintiff in the Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District ruling, a landmark 1969 decision regarding censorship in education settings.

The Waukesha School District (WSD) held a hearing for Tempel, a teacher at Heyer Elementary School. Tempel was also a union representative within the Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC) Region 7. The hearing was held to consider the recommendation made for Melissa Tempel's termination. The rally was heavily monitored by Waukesha area police at the specific request of the reactionary Waukesha school board members.

This is following the denial from Tempel’s supervisor, the principal of Heyer Elementary, to use the song Rainbowland by Miley Cyrus (featuring Dolly Parton) in a school play. It then went to the school board where they said that the song was “too controversial.”

This decision comes after a ban that WSD introduced that censored material related to “Black lives matter'' and “Pride.” Upon the passage of this policy, WSD Superintendent James Sebert and Deputy Superintendent Joe Koch stated in a letter, “Our advocacy for curricular resources and support for learning are never ending, but our personal beliefs and convictions must stay out of the classroom.”

Tempel and other union teachers took a strong position in 2021 against the bans. The Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association (a WEAC affiliate), the National Educators Association and Free Little Library created a “Read Banned Books” campaign that focused on censorship policies in public schools.

The majority of WSD board members align with reactionary views. The Wisconsin Achievement Partnership (WAP) is a non-profit organization that is staunchly anti-union and anti-LGBTQ. WAP is an organization that most Waukesha school board members have strong ties to. The organization held a counter-protest in support of Tempel’s termination.

Tempel’s supporters argue that she was exercising her First Amendment rights. The right to free speech was seen across the many signs at the rally. Many of Tempel’s fellow educators at the event indicated that it’s important for them to show up for her because this could happen to any one of them.

In spite of the mass protest, the Waukesha School District board voted 9-0 to move forward with Tempel’s termination. She plans to follow up with a federal lawsuit focused on First Amendment violations. While the school board ruling comes as a disappointment, Tempel has an overwhelming number of supporters and fellow teachers willing to fight for what’s best for their students, and Tempel herself is committed to continuing the struggle, not only for herself but for her fellow educators as well as the students she cares deeply about.

#WaukeshaWI #Labor #teachers #Wisconsin #TeachersUnions

Local businesses were closed during the time of the march. Thousands of students organized walkouts, and buses came to Waukesha from over 12 cities across the state. People rallied at Cutler Park before marching on the Waukesha County Courthouse. The program ended with speakers addressing the crowd, calling on them to join the fight for immigrant rights by phoning state senators and the sheriff’s office to demand that 287(g) is struck down.

FRSO proudly marched in unison with the other friends, family and comrades.

This action showed that the Wisconsin community is committed to continue this fight.

#WaukeshaWI #287g #DayWithoutImmigrants

Waukesha, WI – Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), along with other student groups, held a Speak Out Against Racism! demonstration in response to a recent rise of white supremacist graffiti on the University of Wisconsin-Waukesha campus. The graffiti included swastikas and the initials “KKK.” The graffiti had previously been addressed by the university administration only with a mass email warning of a possible “written reprimand, loss of a privilege, or community service” for the perpetrator.

With around 100 in attendance, Dr. Peggy Rozga spoke first, sharing her personal experience of having fought in the civil rights struggle of the 1960s. She encouraged students of this generation to continue the struggle against racism. Missy Gaido of SDS spoke out saying, “I would argue that the symbolism of writing KKK on anti-racism fliers is more than just racist. It is a threat of violence. When I think of the KKK, I think of death! The public murder of innocent people.”

The students’ demands were read out loud. Students then marched to the dean’s office to present their demands in writing. With no warning, 28 students crowded into the dean’s office with around 20 others outside the door. Students occupied the office for a half an hour insisting that the administration take action against white supremacy on campus.

UW Waukesha’s Dean was forced to agree to students’ demands. But the dean’s promises will not stop students from continuing to organize against national oppression.

The students’ demands are as follows:

1) We demand stiffer penalties for racist graffiti:

• Genocidal symbols like swastikas and the initials “KKK” are more than offensive; they are terroristic threats which call upon the history of white supremacy to evoke the image of death camps and lynchings. This graffiti is an attempt to isolate students who are already marginalized.
• Students who promote white supremacy on campus should face automatic expulsion.

2) We demand that the Diversity Center be given higher priority on campus:

• The Diversity Center is currently the only resource on campus for oppressed nationalities and other oppressed and marginalized groups. The work its staff does to promote intercultural understanding is highly beneficial to the University.
• The Diversity Center should be given greater funding from the University.
• The Diversity Center should have a prominent icon on the campus website.

3) We demand an expansion of Ethnic Studies courses:

• UW Waukesha currently offers “Sociology of Race & Ethnicity,” one anthropology course on Native Americans, and another on Peoples and Cultures of the Middle East. Waukesha also offers Women Studies. These are great courses, but they are not enough. They do not fully address the needs of UW Waukesha students and they are not fully representative of the demographics of our campus or community.
• We demand a Chicano Studies course and an African American Studies course.

Waukesha SDS and many of the demonstrators against racism, an hour prior to the Speak Out Against Racism! demonstration, also joined the UW Waukesha LGBTQ Pride Alliance to protest against Rebecca Kleefish, Wisconsin’s Tea Party candidate for lieutenant governor, because of homophobic remarks she recently made on a radio talk show. Kleefish had been invited to speak on campus by the College Republicans. About 30 protesters held signs saying, “NOH8,” and “I am human!”

Jessica Bemi, an organizer with the Pride Alliance said, “She likened those of us in the queer community to animals and inanimate objects by suggesting that if gay marriage were legalized, people might start marrying dogs or tables. Our campus community put out a strong response.” She added, “We in the LGBTQ community and our allies are devoted to equal rights for all people.”

#WaukeshaWI #OppressedNationalities #LGBTQ #StudentsForADemocraticSocietySDS #Racism #WaukeshaLGBTQPrideAllian #RebeccaKleefish