On Valentine’s Day, 13 of our Maplewood High School seniors and Project LIT Community founders were called down to the principal’s office. No, they were not in trouble. In fact, quite the opposite. One by one, our students...
Category - Let’s Talk About It
When we discuss Black History, many people begin at the enslavement era. Starting the history of Black people from the aforementioned limits how young people will view the agency of people of African descent. However, if we start...
Earlier this month marked 162 years since the racist U.S. Supreme Court, once again, loudly and proudly declared white supremacy as the law of the land in their ruling on the Dred Scott case, stating, Black people “had no...
Hello Nos, it is me, I mean you. Your older self. I know you are mad right now because you will be in the 7th grade for the second time. P.S. you get left down again in 9th grade too. You will struggle with reading all throughout...
The budget recently released by this administration proposes $500 million in funding for the Charter Schools Program (CSP). The CSP is a federal program that promotes and supports new charter schools and encourages the expansion...
Affluent people love their walls. They’re willing to spend tons of money to create a barrier between them and people who “look different.” The current administration’s push to build a border wall didn’t come out of...
The elders sat in the front of the classroom, and the pupils were rapt. “All human life came from us,” Paula Peebles told 30 eighth graders. “Love your beauty, love yourself, and then you’ll be able to...
Earlier this month, in these pages, Philadelphia writer Ernest Owens argued that we should cancel Black History Month and instead “recognize black history — and its people — all year round.” I take Mr. Owens’ point...
A growing body of research is beginning to confirm what many stakeholders in the mid-Atlantic region already recognize: teacher diversity matters. Research shows that increasing the racial diversity of teachers benefits...
Teaching in Philly is hard. Five billion dollars are necessary to complete all outstanding repairs in our buildings. Teachers reach into their own pockets for classroom supplies, playing the roles of librarian, counselor, and...