In January of 2017, a group of parents, educators, and students from Detroit traveled to Washington to raise their concerns at Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ confirmation hearing. They came to advocate for a public education system based on equity and democracy. They came because they already lived with the consequences of policies that undermine those values, policies that DeVos had advocated for in Michigan. They came to speak truth to power and were silenced—shut out of the room where it happened.