Thousands of teachers in the Carolinas left their classrooms Wednesday and headed to their state capitols to pressure lawmakers to invest more in education, joining the swell of teacher activism that has swept the country since last year.
In Columbia, S.C., a sea of teachers in red — the teacher movement’s signature color — packed the grounds of the capitol, chanting, “This is what democracy looks like!” and “I teach, I vote!" About 180 miles northeast, in Raleigh, N.C., there was a convergence of red-clad protesters downtown. Both groups plan to head back to the classroom Thursday.
Wednesday’s job actions affected nearly 1 million schoolchildren, with some schools closed while others remained open but without enough staff. In South Carolina, at least seven districts closed, keeping about 123,000 students out of the classroom, according to the Post and Courier in Charleston. In North Carolina, closures were widespread, with 850,000 students missing class, according to the News & Observer in Raleigh.
It was a historic day for South Carolina’s state capitol, where about 10,000 people gathered for the rally, according to an estimate by the state’s Department of Public Safety. It was one of the largest gatherings ever at the state capitol, matching crowds that convened in 2015 to watch officials take down the Confederate flag that had long flown over the statehouse. It was organized by a teacher-led Facebook group, SC for Ed, mirroring tactics used in other states where laws have weakened labor unions.
