ABOUT US
We are a coalition of Black women PPS parents, alumni, former employees, retirees, and concerned community members committed to ensuring that all Black children in this region receive the high-quality education they deserve. Some of us are new to educational advocacy, while others have been championing these causes for decades.
Who is in charge of the group?
We have a shared leadership model, meaning that every member plays a role in content development and decision making. We operate as a united front, in alignment with the sisterhood that runs deep with Black women. Education in this city is a political, divisive, and racially charged topic; many of us are risking our reputations to speak up about something so important to us. We will not allow individual attacks or cherry picking by the media, the district, or the public to cloud the unified message that we have established.
When did the group start?
We started meeting in May 2020 out of frustration with the district’s response to COVID-19 and the subpar remote learning rollout, which is rooted in a number of organizational inadequacies and shortcomings.
What is your focus?
We are committed to ensuring that all Black children in this region receive the high-quality education they deserve.
We advocated for the PPS school board not to renew Superintendent Anthony Hamlet’s contract. Our letter received 61 signatures, and we elevated a petition started by a PPS teacher that was signed by over 2,600 educators and community members. While the board ultimately ignored us, our advocacy amplified the public discourse and engagement around the school district. Through our work, people who are concerned about the state of PPS have found a much-needed platform from which to safely speak.
We continue to bring light to and take positions on issues surrounding PPS via social media and by elevating the individual and collective work of our group members. Our ultimate goal is to dismantle systems that perpetuate racism and oppression in and around our school district.