ABSTRACT
Shortly after taking office, Mayor Angel Taveras, a young lawyer-turned-politician, recommended that the Providence school board close several schools in order to address a severe budget crisis. This announcement surprised residents and disappointed many of the mayor’s supporters. A series of public hearings was held to allow Providence residents to voice their opinions directly to the school board. During these meetings, a number of unlikely allies-including the majority of our fieldsites, parents, teachers’ organizations, and public officials-found themselves working together toward a common goal. Speaking one by one into a microphoneor shouting out of turn from the audience-community members tried earnestly to reason with the school board, pleading that they vote no on the closures, that they save the schools.
