One group thinks that affirmative action is “reverse racism,” and the other wholeheartedly believes that public charters and partnership schools are a pathway to racial re-segregation.
To be frank, it was the first reality check I received as student color, and the first time I’d be academically disfranchised. Moreover, for fear of being reprimanded and having my participation grade tampered, I dug deep; I seemingly tried burying my emotions, and so, I smiled. I pretended to be proud. I danced with cognitive dissonance. After all, I was still an American; right? But beneath my surface, bewilderment drowned my virgin spirit.
The City Council must hold public hearings to investigate the Equality Indicators report’s findings of racial disparities in TPD’s arrest and use-of-force practices.
It is simply unacceptable to recognize inequities without offering any action to address them.
Without partnership schools like Greenwood Leadership Academy, some African American students could end up back in low performing schools that surround Greenwood Leadership Academy. These students, especially African American students, have a higher probability of landing on the infamous school-to-prison pipeline at a lower performing school. Oklahoma currently ranks at the top in the nation for incarceration.
Oklahoma’s election year is bursting at the seams with contenders, with 794 candidates filing for public office in April, more than two dozen of whom are teachers. The candidate pool is the largest in at least 20 years.
That massive group races toward a June 26 primary, and the state’s top seat is up for grabs. In the hotly contested gubernatorial election, a runoff election is expected in August on the crowded Republican side, until one candidate receives at least 50 percent of the vote.
On Monday June 11th, dozens of educators began an intensive, week-long summer institute designed to train and equip teachers with the knowledge and skills to lead their students in various lessons about the massacre in an effort to preserve this history for generations to come.
For kids of color, especially those in North Tulsa, A Gathering Place just might be where reading and having fun finally converge ― and where their imaginations can roam just as much as their bodies will.
