Seattle teachers wore Black Lives Matter shirts to school in powerful moment of solidarity

On Wednesday, 2,000 teachers in Seattle — alongside parents and students — wore Black Lives Matter shirts to protest against police brutality and promote racial equity, the Associated Press and KING 5 News report.

Teachers organizing the #BlackLivesMatterAtSchool event told AP they held discussions about institutional racism and black history and used the event to rally people together. 

A Seattle Public Schools spokesman said in a statement that the district supported the teachers' efforts and said it supports their First Amendment rights.

"We are united in our commitment to eliminate opportunity gaps," a Seattle Public Schools spokesman said, according to the AP and KING 5 News. "Teachers have a First Amendment right to wear their speech. We respect our teachers' rights and desire to express themselves. T-shirts are a good visual. We hope the message inspires people to do the work on eliminating opportunity gaps."

Here are several photos that capture the powerful event in Seattle: