In a recent article, Zachary Wright, a high school teacher, wrote, “As a White male teacher, whose goals are to not only teach, but also learn from my students, I need to be aware of, and need to name, the privilege that...
Archive - November 2017
Nehemiah D. Frank wrote a blog on his website, The Black Wall Street Times, that captured issues that resonates deeply with founders of The Fellowship: Black Male Educators for Social Justice. You can find the original piece...
“This ink pen is my weapon.” -Anonymous Teacher Many studies note that there is an over identification of Black boys to special education. While serving as the Teach For America Vice President with Teacher...

Don’t Just Focus on Abolishing the School-To-Prison Pipeline. We Should Also Build the School-to-Activism Pipeline
Baba Mjenzi, one of the founders of my beloved elementary school, Nidhamu Sasa, was recognized during the recent 50th anniversary commemoration of the 1967 Black student walkout and protest in Philadelphia. Baba Mjenzi was one of...
Miles Wilson is President and CEO of EducationWorks, the city’s largest provider of OST programs. [email protected] In education circles, they call it “out of school time”—programs to benefit children from...
Last month, my friend, Erika Sanzi, wrote a piece on her blog Good School Hunting. She raises several great points. I’ve re-posted it below. Some kids are uncomfortable with reading To Kill a Mockingbird down in Biloxi...
It happens every year. One day, in my classroom in a school that serves a nearly 100 percent African-American population, perhaps after we analyze a profound piece of a Toni Morrison novel, or perhaps after tackling the ideas put...
On November 17, 1967, 3,500 Black students walked out of their classrooms and schools and converged at the School District of Philadelphia’s headquarters. They were on the School-to-Activism Pipeline. These student activists...
As members of Philadelphia’s business, academic, labor, and advocacy communities, we are regularly reminded that our city’s success is dependent upon the success of our public schools. Troublingly, the School District of...

When’s the Last Time You’ve Heard a Politician Take Full Responsibility for the Education of Black and Brown Children in Philly
For too long, we’ve pointed fingers at each other…again and again, we’ve told the people of Philadelphia that the state of their schools are someone else’s responsibility. -Mayor Kenney Last week, Mayor Kenney, in a...