Support Laid-Off Abolitionist Teaching Network Workers

On February 14, 2025, Abolitionist Teaching Network's (ATN) Board of Directors laid off all five employees of the organization after unilaterally deciding to dissolve the organization. The organization was dissolved in response to the Executive Director sending a letter of concern to the Board of Directors on December 17, 2024. Within 24 hours, the Board voted to dissolve ATN.

Staff were laid off with no severance pay or seed funding for their new project due to their refusal to sign an overwhelmingly restrictive non-disclosure agreement (despite the Board's assertion that the dissolution would be a "just transition" that included both).

For a more detailed statement from staff with requests for accountability, please visit this statement by former workers .

We are reaching out to community to ask y'all to hold down 2 out of the 5 former staff of ATN by helping us raise funds to meet basic needs and alleviate the financial stress of being out of work. The fundraising goal is equivalent to 8 weeks of pay ($8,400 each) for 2 of the laid off workers plus an additional 3% to cover transaction and payment processing fees.

Here is some testimony as to what receiving this $8,400 would do for them:

"This money would help out greatly toward rent & health insurance (which I pay out of pocket) for a few more months, and would allow me to get some overdue mechanical repairs done to my car, which is a must so that I can get my kid to/from school everyday."

"I gave up several secure job prospects with the expectation that I would go full time with ATN early 2025, as was the original plan. The dissolution blindsided all of us and I have been accruing more and more debt and out-of-pocket medical bills because I haven't had health insurance but am multiply disabled and still need to receive medical services & have access to life-saving medication, even without coverage. Receiving $8,400 would allow me to pay for my daily expenses after my temporary contracted position (with no benefits) ends in June, and make a dent in my mountain of medical bills."

We know there's a lot of need right now. We struggled to even make the decision to ask community to pitch in, but we have all been greatly impacted by the sudden loss of employment and need community support to make it through these next few months.

Thank you for your generosity and support. We got us.