Thousands of teachers filled the streets of North Carolina’s capital May 16 demanding better pay and more funding for public schools, continuing the trend of educators around the country rising up to pressure lawmakers for change.
An estimated 19,000 people joined the march in Raleigh.
Previous strikes, walkouts, and protests in Arizona, Colorado, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and West Virginia have led legislators in each state to improve pay, benefits, or overall school funding.
The march in North Carolina prompted three-dozen districts that educate more than two-thirds of the state’s public school students to cancel class.