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Black Students’ Disadvantage Isn’t Just in the Achievement Gap. Give Them an Equal Chance to Take Advanced Courses
December 22, 2020
Black students in America are facing an invisible threat that extends beyond the pandemic. This threat is widespread and prevalent, yet not as overt as the threats they face of police brutality and hate crimes.
Type: Opinion
campaigns & initiatives: Youth Voice: Racial Justice
Employers, Do Your Part: Practical Steps toward Anti-Racism
December 18, 2020
At 21, I landed a fellowship that I thought would change my life. It was a small group of us. I wasn’t the only Black person but I was the only Black woman, and throughout my experience, I began to feel isolated. There was the occasional unwelcome touch of my natural hair, a flippant comment about my braids, and even blatant denunciation of Black culture. It was an experience that is familiar to so many people: everyday microaggressions showing up at work.
Type: Opinion
campaigns & initiatives: Youth Voice: Racial Justice, YES Project
We Must Understand Our Country’s Truthful Past to Shape Our Present & Future. It’s Time to Adopt Standards That Are Honest and Highlight the Contributions of People of Color
November 09, 2020
As classrooms and our nation become more diverse, it is essential that schools become more inclusive and representative in how they teach our shared history. To do so, state boards of education like ours should adopt social studies standards that encourage an honest, inclusive teaching of our nation’s history and that highlight the contributions and experiences of people of color.
Type: Opinion
campaigns & initiatives: Youth Voice: Racial Justice
Work with Students to Eliminate Racist Teachings From Our Textbooks & Classrooms
November 09, 2020
I have been working to reevaluate the curriculum at my school by working in a collaborative group between students and staff called the Equity Team. I’ve been talking specifically to English teachers to see how we can shift the curriculum so that it incorporates honest lessons about our country’s history.
Type: Opinion
campaigns & initiatives: Youth Voice: Racial Justice
Black Students Want to Escape Their Schools’ Oppressive Cultures — Declare Systemic Racism a Public Health Crisis
November 09, 2020
Last year, my closest friend faced perpetual racial abuse at school. Teammates called him a “cocky n***er” in the locker room, and he was ostracized by football coaches as they practiced after METCO buses (Boston’s integration program) had left. The overwhelming distress and his countless failed attempts to receive support drove him out of Newton North High School. Make no mistake — this is racism. This is a direct removal of integrated Black students from our school.
Type: Opinion
campaigns & initiatives: Youth Voice: Racial Justice
Stop Wasting Time Debating Whether Schools Are Too Politicized. They Are Inherently Political. Reform Discipline, Inclusion & Curriculum Instead
November 09, 2020
The ever-increasing movement to depoliticize schools is ultimately a disservice to our society with inherently hypocritical goals. Let there be no mistake; schools are political. They always have been. What they teach is political. Who they teach is political. Who they don’t teach is political. Everything down to the when and where is political. And there is not a more significant example of this than racism in America.
Type: Opinion
campaigns & initiatives: Youth Voice: Racial Justice
Provide Resources By 2022 to Train & Support Teachers to Build School Environments that Can Tackle Racism and Discrimination
November 09, 2020
I had my first Asian teacher this year after 11 years in our public school system. I didn’t quite recognize this fact or its weight at first — to have a teacher who looked like me. But as the year unfolded, I found myself able to open up about societal and family stress that had often left me feeling isolated with no one who could fully understand the complexities of the pressures I was navigating.
Type: Opinion
campaigns & initiatives: Youth Voice: Racial Justice
Equity, Unity, and Representation: Reflections on a Conversation with Latinx Leaders
October 30, 2020
As I continue to grow both as a person and as a member of my community, I hear words such as “change,” “progress,” “reform,” and “equity.” These words are the words of educated minds that understand the complex nature of society and want to make the world a better place. The problem is that often, the people who employ these educated and elevated words that we hear today in news headlines, social commentary, nonprofits, and educational institutions are usually far-removed from those that are thirsting for the application of these words.
Type: Opinion
campaigns & initiatives: Youth Voice: Racial Justice
Impacts of COVID-19 on Latinx Youth
October 09, 2020
Tens of thousands of Latinos have lost their jobs, and for those who remain employed, many are essential workers who often work without access to the necessary protective equipment and are at greater risk of being exposed to the Coronavirus. The children of Hispanic and Latinx parents are, therefore, at increased risk of being exposed as well.
Type: Opinion
campaigns & initiatives: Youth Voice: Racial Justice
5 Ways Employers Can Support Black Employees: A Young Leader’s Advice
August 04, 2020
I wish employers knew how tired people of color are of hiding their authentic selves. It starts from birth.
Type: Opinion
campaigns & initiatives: YES Project, Youth Voice: Racial Justice