How can you go about life without knowing your rights? —Aleita Cook

PSU members and recent Providence schools graduates Aleita Cook and Ahmed Sesay held back laughs as The Daily Show correspondent Jaboukie Young-White wheeled into their interview on a hoverboard, doing his worst impression of a modern teenager.

The subject of the interview, however, was extremely serious: the dire need to guarantee a federal ‘right to education’. Cook and Sesay are among 11 plaintiffs in an active lawsuit against the State of Rhode Island, Cook v. Raimondo, alleging that their rights under the U.S. Constitution have been violated because they have not received a robust civics education.

The clip was released in the midst of statewide education turmoil following the recent release of the Johns Hopkins University report on the state of Providence Public Schools. 

But even as state leaders—including Governor Gina Raimondo, Senate President Dominick Ruggerio, Speaker Nicholas Mattiello, the Board of Education, and the Commissioner of Education—lament the condition of the capital city’s education system, those same leaders are currently fighting Providence Student Union's efforts in court to guarantee a 'right to education' in Rhode Island schools. We need to demand better.

Today, we want to celebrate this amazing—and hilarious—clip. But we also pledge to keep fighting for the rights students deserve in Providence schools and beyond. At the top of our to-do list? Article #1 of our Student Bill of Rights: "The right to education."

More information about Cook v. Raimondo:

• Official Site for the Cook v. Raimondo case

• Are Civics Lessons a Constitutional Right? This Student Is Suing for Them — Dana Goldstein, New York Times

• The Students Suing for a Constitutional Right to Education — Alia Wong, The Atlantic

You can stand with Providence Student Union! Join our campaign to win quality civics and more across the U.S.