“As the single mother of three young children, I can’t often make it to lobbying events or school district meetings. So I focus on small but impactful changes that help my kids and my family. One way I do this is by preparing for meetings so that I know how to best advocate for my child—especially if I think they’re being treated unjustly.”

Tips for meeting with School Officials

“By second grade, I’d been flagged as a problematic kid. It started with harmless pranking among a group of seven year olds, and I followed along. But I was picked out as both the instigator and the scapegoat. It feels like that was when the in-school suspension room became my classroom.”

Read about race and discipline in U.S. schools

“I don’t work in the school system, but I do see the impacts of racial injustice every day as a public defender. The school-to-prison pipeline is real, and it’s growing larger with each generation. We must demand change, so that our children can have the futures they deserve.”

What is the school-to-prison pipeline?

“I have heard many teachers proudly say they are ‘colorblind’ which is so alarming to me. It signals an unwillingness to learn about the cultures of their students—and a desire to preserve whiteness as the default.”

Read about critical race theory

“As an educator who trains new teachers on emerging student populations, I work to help them understand implicit bias and how it can quietly shape every interaction we have with our students—and set them up on wildly variant paths in the future. I believe justice in education starts with us getting it right in the classroom.”

Understanding Implicit Bias