Arkansas Democrats spoke out and amplified the voices of students at a press conference yesterday as the GOP Supermajority promotes Arkansas ACCESS, an attack on public education and the first amendment rights of Arkansas students.
Zayd Kelley, former SGA President at ASU Beebe & Student at the University of Central Arkansas: “Now, this bill, truly, is a solution in search of a problem. There are no students flooding the Capitol to speak against legislation. Walkouts are uncommon. Protests, even moreso. The only reason I’m here, and why the students behind me are here, is because our right to speak out and public education in Arkansas is at risk…
If Republicans will try to silence me, a lifelong Arkansan who graduated from Cabot High School, the former President of the Student Government at Arkansas State University Beebe, trust me, they will come for your first amendment rights, too.
And I hope you will stand by me now, as I will stand by you then.”
Communications Director for the University of Arkansas Little Rock Student Government Stephanie Giblen: “If legislators can’t respect our opposition and amend the many bad parts of this bill, they are making it clear: they want to silence us. They don’t support our first amendment rights to speak out. They oppose free speech. And they don’t think we’ll hold them accountable. And they’re wrong.”
Philander Smith University Student Daisy Onoriobe: “Arkansas students deserve better. Every single student, no matter their zip code or skin color, deserves access to a high quality public education and the opportunity to go to college.
It’s extremely unclear how these provisions will affect Arkansas colleges. How does this affect student organizations, scholarships, & support centers for women, minority students, & international students? Can staff tell students to stop making racist comments? How does this affect hiring diverse liaisons for colleges? Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion efforts are NOT a problem; they’re good for Arkansas.”
Little Rock Central High Student Silenced by Sen. Jane English during the LEARNS Act Committee meetings Rhone Kuta: “?This is not the first time the Arkansas legislature has tried to silence us. But this time, we, as students, were ready to face opposition…
Little Rock Central High is the most famous high school in the country. We have a long, remarkable history of political activism. That’s why so many students understood the importance of participating in a walkout whenever the LEARNS Voucher Scam was passed. That’s why so many students understood the importance of speaking up whenever the abortion amendment was thrown off the ballot for a petty technicality. And that’s exactly why so many students showed up here today.
By attempting to silence Arkansas and cut us out of our own education system, you are only giving us more power and more will to fight.”
Young Democrats Of Arkansas President and Parent Allison Grigsby Sweatman: “I have served as a liaison, facilitating educational opportunities for parents of children with disabilities who cannot get the services they need. At times, I’ve seen how public schools lack the funding and resources required to cater to each individual students’ needs.
And I’m here to tell you today: Vouchers and programs like ACCESS will only make this problem worse. They will only ensure that fewer children get the high quality education that they deserve. Instead, only students with the support, knowledge, and resources to access alternative education options will be served by LEARNS & ACCESS.
I want to challenge everyone in the state today to consider an alternative vision for public education: What if every student in the state, no matter their ability, skin color, or zip code, had access to the highest quality public education in the country, no matter which corner of Arkansas they live in?”
Democratic Party of Arkansas Chair Grant Tennille: “What we’re here to talk about today is a grave violation of the United States Constitution. Our Republican state government continues to attack vulnerable populations to deflect criticism and fire up its base. Today, school kids, and their rights, are under attack.
I’m surrounded by students who are more than ready to tell you what they think of this bill, but let me first tell you this: when we take more power away from expert stakeholders and hand it over to partisan, Department of Education bureaucrats in Little Rock, who are we serving? Because it’s not our local schools, it’s not our teachers, and it’s certainly not students.”