I never expected to be a mom. Bean, the eldest, was something of an act of God, a story that is too long and personal to relay in its entirety here. Bruiser, his younger brother, was a welcome addition to a brand new family, a blessing all his own.
Being a parent is weird, and hard, and frustrating, and wonderful. I never had any great desire to experience the range of emotions that comes with becoming a mother, and yet, on this side of it, I cannot imagine my life without either one of them in it.
Today, at the zoo, unprompted, Bean grabbed Bruiser’s hand to take him to see the gorillas, their heads bending together in some secret conversation only they can understand. I found myself tearing up, something I never did much before kids, as if I could see the years ahead roll out in front of me.
They are good kids, they are mine, and I am not sure how much responsibility I can claim for the former but I hope that the affection they have for one another, the kinship, doesn’t falter as they grow up, and, inevitably, apart. I hope I can be the mother I see in their eyes when they look at me. I hope for more days like today.
I was lucky enough to grow up in a family where a high degree of importance was placed on political awareness and activism. As I’ve traveled to Madison multiple times with my boys over the past several weeks I’ve been even more aware of how important that is to continuing to build a vital democracy.
My parents have both been engaged in this battle in ways I haven’t seen for decades. It’s been awesome to see. Locally, they’re both heavily involved in the Recall Lazich campaign. It’s a tough district, and I’m not sure that they’ll succeed in a recall but I’m certain Lazich will no longer run unopposed, which is a victory in and of itself. There was a rally yesterday, outside New Berlin City Hall. They had a hard time coming up with a teacher who was willing to make some remarks, so my mom, now retired but still actively substituting, volunteered to be that voice. Provided I wrote her remarks, of course.
Mom led the crowd in a rousing rendition of “Roll out the Recall” which was about ten different kinds of awesome - not her creation, but she’s a good sport and helped get folks fired up. She spoke first, and I was - am - so proud of her. I was proud to stand next to her, as her prop assistant.
I put the text up on Facebook, but thought I’d preserve it in this space, too. Text after the jump, but first a picture from that morning:
Good morning. My name is Jym Clark, and some of you may know me from my time at as an English and Speech teacher and Drama Director at Whitnall High School. Others of you may not recognize me without this sign. [lift sign.] After forty years as an educator, I never expected to spend so many hours in Madison marching around our state capitol, but I don’t regret a single moment. I marched for my fellow teachers, who couldn’t be there. I marched for my students, whose education hangs in the balance. I marched for my family, who will feel the impact of what’s happening in Madison directly. I marched for them, and I marched for all of you. We are here today because the time has come to stand up for what’s right, and what’s right is elected leadership that represents all of us, not just those who voted for them.
For forty years I invested my time and talents in helping young people to grow and learn, to develop their skills and pursue their dreams. I loved my job – so much so that I continue to substitute on a regular basis. A lot is asked of teachers, during tough economic times, but we have consistently risen to the challenge, supplementing classroom materials out of our own pockets when necessary to make up the gap in funding.
Governor Walker’s cuts will put school districts and teachers in a desperate situation. You simply cannot cut $1 billion from schools and municipalities and deliver the high quality education that we have all come to expect here in Wisconsin. Those who suffer most will be our children. Increased class sizes, program eliminations, all of these will have a devastating impact on our ability to teach, and our children’s ability to learn.
Senator Lazich is, of course, right on board with this. She’s never met a school funding request she liked, as her voting record attests. She’s a big fan of Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, though, actively working to place the priorities of industry over education, workers, and civil rights. This has resulted in only a 17% approval rating from the Wisconsin Association of School Boards, and 0% from civil rights organizations, the League of Wisconsin Municipalities, which offers resources for better city governance, and the Wisconsin law enforcement community. Business loves her, but she’s not supposed to be working for business, she’s supposed to be working for us.
We’re here today because Senator Lazich has stood arm-in-arm with Governor Walker and embraced these budget cuts without thought to the impact to the people in her district. Her response to concerned constituents? No response at all. In our democracy, being elected by a majority doesn’t – shouldn’t, at any rate – automatically give you the right to respond to those who voted for you at the expense of those who did not. She has chosen to ignore us, rather than engage us, and that means it’s time for her to go.
I don’t know if you all remember when our dear governor got Punk’d by a blogger in New York pretending to be one of the Koch brothers, but I was personally extremely disturbed by the details of the conversation. Rather than condemn the governor’s words on that call, Senator Lazich introduced a bill to ban prank calls, something I don’t think any of her constituents were clamoring for. Then again, I’m sure it struck fear in the heart of every Bart Simpson I’ve ever taught.
Seriously, though, the time has come for us to take back our district, and put it in the hand of someone who works for the best interests of all of us, not just a privileged few. These last few weeks have been emotional for all of us, and this past week’s Supreme Court race has been a rollercoaster, but we cannot give up the fight. We create democracy by practicing it, and that is what you are all doing here today.
I have a picture here I want to share with you: This past week my daughter, her husband, who is secretary of his AFSCME local, and their two boys were out in DC on vacation. They attended an April 4 rally outside the Koch brothers headquarters, all four of them. This is a picture of my five-year old grandson, Aidan, signing a letter to the Koch brothers asking them to stand with workers.
Every time I get frustrated, every time I feel like we’re hitting a wall, I think of Aidan, and what he’s learning about democracy by what we are doing here today. I think of all the kids in classrooms around Wisconsin, the kids in classrooms in this district, who so desperately need us to keep fighting the good fight.
I love Wisconsin. I have lived here my whole life. We have a longstanding tradition here of compromise, of meeting each other across the table, of working with fairness and integrity to find common ground. Senator Lazich has chosen to ignore that legacy, and it’s time for us to show her that she’s on the wrong side of history.
Stand strong, and stand proud, and keep up this tremendously important work. Together, we will recall Senator Lazich and reclaim our democracy!
