Decked out in rain boots, ponchos and umbrellas, tens of thousands of teachers took to the streets of Los Angeles on Monday in a fight for the future of the city’s schools.
Groups of teachers, wearing red in solidarity with the Red for Ed movement, could be seen all over the city, taking shelter under storefronts as heavy rain poured down or congregating on street corners and getting supplies for the day’s events. In the morning, educators picketed in front of their schools with megaphones, cheering when passing cars honked in support. In the early afternoon, tens of thousands marched on City Hall, sometimes alongside parents, students and friendly community members. The march was a sea of red enthusiasm, complete with deafening cheers, topical costumes and damp signs.
It was day one of the first teachers strike in Los Angeles in 30 years. And it was big, wet and loud.
