by David Kelly May 24, 2023
https://thenewamerican.com/colorado-teachers-union-adopts-marxist-platform-at-assembly
The Colorado Education Association (CEA), a teachers union, confirmed that they voted for an anti-capitalist resolution at their 97th Annual Delegate Assembly.
The CEA is the largest labor union in Colorado, representing more than 39,000 K-12 teachers, and supports education professionals and higher-education staffers. As would be expected, most of the union members are left-leaning, but during this year’s Delegate Assembly in April, they exposed who they really are — Marxists — with the passage of a resolution to formally oppose capitalism as an economic system.
According to The Denver Gazette, the resolution declared:
The CEA believes that capitalism inherently exploits children, public schools, land, labor, and resources. Capitalism is in opposition to fully addressing systemic racism (the school to prison pipeline), climate change, patriarchy (gender and LGBTQ disparities), education inequality, and income inequality.
Bryan Lindstrom, a history teacher, reportedly authored the resolution. Lindstrom is not shy about his worldview, as he quoted directly from The Communist Manifesto, tweeting on May 1, “Workers of the world, unite!”
The Gazette shared that “in an email, the Colorado Education Association confirmed the resolution’s passage, as well as Lindstrom’s authorship.”
The resolution made it apparent that the union’s members are the byproducts of generations of public educators brainwashing students with their Marxist agenda. It’s clear that the union has no idea how, and by whom, public education is truly funded. After the resolution was shared with delegates, the typical leftist ambiguity was in full force. The Lion reported that the CEA had “considered and likely approved a resolution that is anti-capitalist, but the union refused to disclose the vote.”
When The Lion reached out to the CEA to confirm the existence of the resolution, they received a response from CEA’s president, Amie Baca-Oehlert:
I wish I could [tell you the specifics]. But our resolutions and the content of the Delegate Assembly are by default internal documents and processes. We’re currently following our standard process of reviewing all the materials presented at DA, and then communicating all business discussed with our board and members first and foremost.
One educator had no problem confirming the resolution and sharing his excitement over its passage, tweeting that Colorado’s “largest union of over 39,000 education workers” had “just ratified a resolution … against capitalism as an economic system…. CEA may now publicly advocate & lobby for anti-capitalist policies at the CO Capitol.”
The resolution quickly gained opposition. Colorado state Senator Mark Baisley (R) was not happy with the CEA, stating: “The lack of transparency is disappointing, but not surprising from this public employees’ union…. Because their platform always seems to end up in Colorado classrooms, I will be demanding answers from the leadership of the CEA, including disclosure of all resolutions approved by the voting delegates. I have already directed my staff to begin those inquiries.”
The Gazette further reported:
Brenda Dickhoner, president & CEO of Ready Colorado, which advocates for “choice” in schools, defended capitalism, saying it has “left us safer and ‘more equitable’ than any other economic system in human history.”
“With a majority of our students not reading, writing or doing math at grade level, we would urge the CEA to focus on improving student outcomes instead of dismantling an economic system that promotes human prosperity and innovation,” Dickhoner said.
Michael Fields, a conservative political activist, said the resolution shows that the teachers’ union is “out of touch.”
“First, the CEA must be confused about where the money comes from that ultimately funds our education system. It’s capitalism,” he said. “Second, it shows how out of touch the CEA has become. Instead of focusing on what is best for kids, this group of activists is busy making political statements that have very little public support….”
Baca-Oehlert defended the resolution, saying, “Anti-public school forces have intentionally seized on this one resolution to distract us from the real issues facing our students. Political opponents who want to defund public schools are now attacking CEA.”
The bottom line here is that Colorado’s public education system is definitely in the hands of Marxists. Taxpayers, parents, and concerned citizens need to unite and change — if not end — the current form of public education. Parents don’t need these CEA teachers teaching their children.