This is a banner from the RGV rally at the Mexican Consulate today to protest the repression & violence against teachers in Oaxaca, Mexico. There were several teachers present, including my friend Emilia Alvarez Gamboa on the left.

It was a gathering of the clan–that cadre of activists who have committed their lives to social change–& was what is called a “small but spirited” rally because it was noon, sizzling hot, & most people were working.

Many get jaded about protests but they miss the essential gestalt: standing with others not just to “speak truth to power” but to change the power relations to the advantage of justice.