Gabby Fitz

Why Grassroots Organizing in Community Colleges is the Key to Transforming Higher Education & Defending Democracy

In Washington state, we are fighting back against the right-wing attack on higher education. Students and organizers from a multi-racial student-centered organizing project will share their experiences building a strong student center coalition that has won several piece of statewide legislation including: Mandating that each of the 34 Community and Technical Colleges centers equity in their strategic planning process, expansion of full-time faculty positions, support for mental health services, having benefit hubs navigators on every campus, access to professional licenses regardless of immigration status, childcare services for immigrant students, and changing residency requirements from three years to one year for all undocumented students. Students will share how they have become powerful in shaping investments in Community Colleges across Washington. We will engage participants in a discussion about how the right-wing is reshaping access to higher education and what strategies we can build to reframe the debate and advance a set of progressive policies across the states. In addition, we want to examine the national landscape and advance the demand for free community colleges across the country.

Speakers: Fernando Mejia Ledesma, Gabby Fitz, Xochilt Lopez