NYCoRE 2012 Conference

Over the past year, our country and the world have witnessed increasingly visible protests against the influence of private pursuit of profit over our public institutions and interests. This spirit of protest has developed in tandem with the proliferation of spaces for critiquing the injustice of this system and organizing communities of resistance. An ongoing struggle within many of these spaces has been acknowledging the ways in which historical and ongoing racism has caused the pursuit of profit to have far more devastating effects on communities of Color than on White communities. The annual NYCoRE conference seeks to carry out anti-racist work by addressing these disparities in the context of our education system. Our goal is to carry forward the spirit of protest by critiquing the current profit-driven policies and culture of our school system, and specifically identify the ways in which racism is intertwined with those policies. We also seek to be a space for building something new, for taking steps toward the more just, equitable world of which we dream. Through this conference, we hope to build connections, to gain inspiration, and to share practical ideas for creating spaces that work to fight racism rather than ignoring it.
Conference Theme: Education is a Right – Not Just for the Rich or White!
In New York City, public schools have faced merciless budget cuts, resulting in growing class sizes, lack of materials, and huge layoffs. These cuts disproportionately affect schools in communities of Color. Meanwhile, our state and local government continue to award huge contracts to private consulting firms, charter schools, and other corporations. Patterns of resource distribution reveal the values of those making the funding decisions. These patterns are telling in their prioritization of profit over people, as well as in their disregard for communities of Color.
www.nycore.org/conference