RBG: Mourning a Legal Lion and Honoring Her Legacy

By Yarah Kassam, DFER National Deputy Development Director The recent loss of Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a severe blow to the fight for gender equality and the American legal system as a whole—and her passing, and the potential consequences it may bring, only gives voters yet another reason to turn out this November,

DFER Deep Dive: We Must Have Change – The Reality of Racism

Leaders of Color Discuss Today’s Reality of Racism and Inequity By Dr. Damary Bonilla-Rodriguez, with Carolina Ramirez, Biena Depena, and Constance Barnes Current race relations and community-police dynamics are finally shedding much-needed light on the struggles that communities of color have long gone through simply to exist alongside those who are entrusted with their protection.

Making Your Voice Count: Alternative Voting Options

This November presents the most important election in memory—all while a pandemic continues to rage across our country, and as the Trump Administration is doing everything in its power to silence voters in an undemocratic act of desperation fueled by a dangerous need to retain power. But we do not have to be suppressed. Each

Trump is No Friend to Public Ed

Let’s be clear: Donald Trump has been no friend to public education—including public school choice—and he certainly has not been an advocate for racial justice. Trump and DeVos have long supported the privatization of schooling, rather than making an investment in public education. As DFER Vice President of K-12 Education Charles Barone has previously detailed—there’s

Bold Education Agenda for Next Administration

Democrats for Education Reform is committed to electing leaders who will fight for more resources and new ideas for public education so that every child–especially historically underserved students–receive the high-quality education they deserve. As we look ahead to the next Congress and Administration, we are proud to support candidates who champion bold ideas from early

Protecting Your Vote During COVID-19

2020 is set to be one of the most crucial elections in the history of our country—up and down the ballot. Yet, it is also one of the most trying years our country has ever experienced, too, with the onset of COVID-19 pandemic.  It’s too soon to understand the full impact the coronavirus will have

DFER Urges DNC Platform Committee on Revisions 

Three current recommendations would ‘exacerbate inequities in ed opportunity’   WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 15, 2020) – Democrats for Education Reform National President Shavar Jeffries released the below statement following today’s Democratic National Committee (DNC) Platform Drafting Committee vote to advance the recommendations of the Biden-Sanders Task Force: “We agree with many of the policy recommendations proposed

DFERs of the Month – LOC’s Women of Memphis

This month, we’re excited to honor four first-time candidates as our DFERs of the month. They are each graduates of the Leaders of Color Program – Memphis. The Leaders of Color program identifies, trains, and supports community-based Black and Brown civic leaders, empowering them with the tools and resources to advance educational equity and the broader

DFER LA State Director Calls for EBR School Board Member Connie Bernard’s resignation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Leslie Leavoy leslie@dfer.org BATON ROUGE, LA – DFER Louisiana State Director Leslie Leavoy released the following statement calling upon District 8 East Baton Rouge Parish School Board member Connie Bernard to resign: “It’s long past time for Mrs. Connie Bernard to resign from the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board. Over

DFER National President Shavar Jeffries Statement on Supreme Court Decision on DACA Program

New York, N.Y. – Democrats for Education Reform (DFER) National President Shavar Jeffries released the following statement in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s upholding of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which will prevent nearly 800,000 DREAMers—many of whom are students—from deportation: “Today’s Supreme Court decision is a step in the right direction toward