But what of black women?… I most sincerely doubt if any other race of women could have brought its fineness up through so devilish a fire. – W.E.B DuBois Two of the dopest Black women I know decided to merge Black...
Author - Sharif El-Mekki
I reminisce a lot about my childhood. I think about the trajectory that was established for me and my schoolmates by a group of Black families who decided that they were going to take ownership of their Black children’s...
There are few things as searing as losing a loved one. When that person is one of your community’s most impactful teachers, it hurts. Baba Juhudi was that person for us. His memorial was an opportunity to reflect and...
Life is very short and what we have to do must be done in the now. –Audre Lorde This evening, the Philadelphia Board of Education will face a critical decision that will impact the lives of hundreds of young people who...
Pennsylvania’s teacher roster is the least diverse in the nation; less than 5 percent of Pennsylvania’s teachers are people of color, according to the state Department of Education. Yet evidence regularly points to the...
I will never forget the time I attended a teaching job expo in Valley Forge, PA. Districts from around the state had laid out the welcome mat, eager to attract the newest and brightest teachers into their ranks. I stood...
I’ve had the chance to travel a lot in my work as an educator and activist, and frequently I find myself in what I call the “too-expensive-for-Black folks” cities. You know, those cities that present themselves as...
From presidential candidates to affluent parents to public school principals, I am weary and wary of anyone trying to convince Black and Brown folks that fewer school options better serve their children’s advancement and...
Mayor Buttigieg, a presidential candidate who was gaining in some polls and in Iowa, wows some folks with his talk about equity, also, like most politicians (and educators for that matter) appears to operate with a deficit...
Upper Dublin, a district outside of Philadelphia, recently settled a discrimination case that was filed with the U.S. Department of Education by Black families and the Public Interest Law Center four years ago. One more...