Philly's 7th Ward

Finding solutions for all Philadelphia students

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google Plus
  • Blog
    • Accountability
    • Belief Gap
    • Higher Standards
    • School Choice
    • Let’s Talk About It
  • About Sharif El-Mekki

Tag - civil rights

  • Let's Talk About It

The Election is Over, Time for a Marshall Plan and Educational Reparations for Black People. But, The Plans Must Be White-Proof.

December 14, 2020
by Sharif El-Mekki
7 min read
Add Comment

America is turning a corner.  Or so it hopes; so it claims. We have just elected a rational adult to the Presidency, thanks in no small part to the turnout of Black Americans in places like Philadelphia, Atlanta...

Continue reading

  • Let's Talk About It

Black Parents: Vanguards of Black Student Advocacy

September 22, 2020
by Rann Miller
6 min read
Add Comment

Contrary to the stereotypes, education continues to be a value of the highest priority in the Black community; dating back to the underground schools in the Antebellum South where Black people, at the risk of losing limbs and...

Continue reading

  • Let's Talk About It

Why Do Black Parents Have to File Lawsuits to Achieve Educational Justice?!

December 4, 2019
by Sharif El-Mekki
2 min read
Add Comment

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...

Continue reading

  • Let's Talk About It

Going Beyond MLK’s ‘Dream’ and Getting Uncomfortable in the Classroom

April 5, 2018
by Zachary Wright
4 min read
Add Comment

In third grade, I remember learning about Martin Luther King. We listened to his “I Have A Dream Speech.” We read about Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycotts. We looked at photos of the marches in Selma. We were...

Continue reading

  • Equity and Justice
  • Let's Talk About It

A Tribute To A Prince. Our Own Black Shining Prince

February 21, 2018
by Sharif El-Mekki
4 min read
Add Comment

Each year, on or around February 21st, my family (and countless others) commemorates Malcolm X‘s martyrdom (2/21/65). Sometimes we travel to Malcolm X’s burial ground in upstate New York (his heroine wife, Betty...

Continue reading

  • Equity and Justice

What White Supremacy Sounds Like in Philadelphia: How to Talk About Charlottesville in Your Classroom

August 17, 2017
by Sharif El-Mekki
5 min read
Add Comment

We all have the images in our minds. The torch-lit faces of white supremacists out in the open for all the world to see. The bravery and commitment of protesters seeking to disrupt a rally based on hatred and exclusion. And the...

Continue reading

  • Equity and Justice
  • School Choice

Rev. Sharpton, That’s Not What You Said When You Visited Our Charter School.

July 26, 2017
by Sharif El-Mekki
4 min read
2 Comments

“Money is a good servant, but a bad master.” Just like you flip a coin, people can flip-flop on an issue. Especially when there’s money involved. There are those, like Malcolm X, who reinvent themselves through careful...

Continue reading

  • Equity and Justice
  • Let's Talk About It

I Was a Principal in Southwest Philly and That Didn’t Stop These Black Cops From Pulling Me Over. Should It Have?

May 18, 2017
by Sharif El-Mekki
6 min read
2 Comments

All year our eighth-grade students have been grappling with social justice issues and how to address them. They’ve closely analyzed past movements in America and South Africa—especially those involving direct action of...

Continue reading

  • Equity and Justice
  • Let's Talk About It
  • School Choice

More Black Political Power Should Mean Better Schools for Black Kids. It Hasn’t.

May 8, 2017
by Sharif El-Mekki
4 min read
Add Comment

At times, Black people, like any group battered and oppressed by the state, may celebrate any perception of forward motion. Folks scour social media pages to see who has what appointment, what political power is being amassed...

Continue reading

  • Accountability
  • Equity and Justice
  • Let's Talk About It

We Must Be Vigilant and Vocal About Our Resistance to Decreasing Supports for Our Students

May 1, 2017
by Sharif El-Mekki
2 min read
Add Comment

“As a teacher, as a parent and as a citizen, it’s distressing to see the department [of education] walking away from its core responsibility of advancing equity.” Former U.S. Secretary of Education Dr. John B. King...

Continue reading

1 2 Next
Copyright © 2021. Created by Meks. Powered by WordPress.
  • Blog
    • Accountability
    • Belief Gap
    • Higher Standards
    • School Choice
    • Let’s Talk About It
  • About Sharif El-Mekki
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google Plus
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
%d bloggers like this: