NEW YORK (AP) — Grammy- and Oscar-winning star Jennifer Hudson, introduced by two little girls, performed Wednesday for thousands of cheering charter school supporters in Brooklyn.
Cadman Plaza was awash in red T-shirts bearing the slogan "I Fight to End Inequality," and some participants waved red flags. The crowd listened to nearly two hours of speeches and hip hop performances before Hudson's brief set.
Speaking from the stage, Zarida Teel said she suffered while attending bad schools when she grew up in Brooklyn. She called her former school, Prospect Heights High School, "a failure factory."
Teel said she wanted better for her daughter, second grader Eliza, who attends Girls Prep Bronx charter school. "It's the school I always dreamed she would go to."
Organizers say hundreds of thousands of city schoolchildren are trapped in low-performing schools, and they're urging Mayor Bill de Blasio to support the growth of charter schools as an alternative.
Speakers also accused de Blasio of blocking the expansion of the charter sector, which his administration denies.
"If Mayor de Blasio thinks he can destroy charter schools he doesn't know the law," said Assemblywoman Carmen Arroyo.
The rally included many children and parents from the Success Academy charter school network.
Kimberly Hanley said her son Jaden just started Success Academy Harlem 2 after attending a district school. Educators at the charter school take time with the third-grader and make sure he understands the lessons, she said.