Helen Moore Has Been a Life-Long Advocate and Warrior for the Children of Detroit, Beginning

HELEN MOORE

Helen Moore has been a life-long advocate and warrior for the children of Detroit, beginning with her days as a State of Michigan Social Worker and continuing with Black Parents for Quality Education and The Keep the Vote No Takeover Coalition. She is also a member of Detroit’s Council of Elders.

Ms. Moore educates her community on school district policy, student rights, and other education-related legal issues and parental involvement efforts. She earned a bachelor's degree from Wayne State University and a juris doctorate from the Detroit College of Law. In 2002, she was presented with the Michigan Association of School Administrators Region 10 “Champion for Children” award. She is proud of her personal achievements, but even more proud of the thousands of children that she has helped along the way.

During activist Mary Shoemake’s funeral last year, Ms. Moore recalled their battles as social workers and militant members of UAW Local 6000.

“I was a union steward,” said Ms. Moore.” Mary and I with the others fought the state over our building conditions and the racism there. Even though they were writing us up like crazy, we won.”

Ms. Moore’s fighting spirit continued during the struggles against state takeovers of the Detroit Public Schools. In 1999, she co-founded Keep the Vote No Takeover (KTVNT), which fought former Gov. John Engler’s takeover of Detroit’s schools. The takeover resulted in massive school closings, privatization and corruption. Moore was the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit filed against it, which went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

She led many protests in Detroit, at the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court in Cincinnati, and in Washington, D.C. at the Supreme Court. Although the Court ruled against KTVNT, she continued her activism at school board meetings during that takeover period, protesting the actions of that board, even being hauled out, brutalized and arrested by DPS police.

Ms. Moore has remained active in the current battles against DPS Emergency Financial Manager Robert Bobb, state legislation granting unlimited powers to EFM’s, and Governor Rick Snyder’s budget cuts.