National scholar contributing to city’s poverty conversation
Ali Ingersoll, WIVB News 4
View original article here.
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A scholar from across the country is in Buffalo, beginning conversations with people living on the East Side, a city which hasn’t really felt the impact from the resurgence yet.
“In order to fully understand how to transform the material conditions, we have to look at the daily lived and shared experiences folks have,” said Dr. D’Artagnan Scorza, the founder of the Social Justice Learning Institute in Inglewood, California.
That’s where Dr. Scorza was born and raised. He says it’s not too different from Buffalo in regards to demographics and statistics where it’s a minority-majority and a good portion of the minority population lives below the poverty line.
Dr. Scorza says while he’s here in the city, he’s seeing a lot of interest from people wanting to change the narrative about what’s happening in the city and through that, change their communities.
“There’s a deep level of interest among community members who recognize that there have been historical disparities traditionally between communities of color and more affluent communities,” said Dr. Scorza. “They want to do something about it.”
And he says cities like ours need to work together to work through the disparities and create equal opportunities for all.
“Without being able to balance out those dynamics through policies that take into consideration those disparites overtime, we’re going to continue to see these cycles of poverty replicated in many communities.”
PBS spotlights BLOOM Initiative for redirecting the lives of young men of color
Watch PBS SoCal’s feature on SJLI and Brotherhood Crusade’s work to redirect the lives of young men of color through the California Community Foundation BLOOM Initiative.
Since the BLOOM initiative began in 2012, nearly 85% of the program’s participants have upheld the terms of their probation, and recidivism has been reduced. SJLI remains a proud partner in this work to invest in the lives of those most impacted by mass incarceration and to replace the school-to-prison-pipeline with systems that allow our youth to succeed.
Social Justice Learning Institute Awarded Nearly $1 Million to Address High Obesity Rates in Inglewood and LennoxThursday, January 5, 2017
(Inglewood, Calif.) – The Social Justice Learning Institute was awarded $880,000 from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health with funding from the California Department of Public Health and the United States Department of Agriculture. The grant will support the Champions for Change – Healthy Communities Initiative, which aims to reduce the prevalence of obesity among low-income Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education eligible populations by providing nutrition education, physical activity promotion, and working to create healthier environments for low-income individuals and families where they live, learn, work, play, pray, and shop.
Key efforts under the initiative include teaching fundamental skills such as cooking, reading food labels, shopping on a budget, growing fruits and vegetables, and introducing low-cost and fun ways to be physically active. In addition, champions in communities throughout the County will be identified to help improve access to healthier foods and increase opportunities to be physical active in a variety of settings, including early childcare centers, schools, faith-based organizations, corner stores, parks, worksites, and cities.
“The Social Justice Learning Institute is pleased to be a part of this County-wide initiative, as we are uniquely positioned to reach the economically vulnerable communities of Inglewood and Lennox,” explained Dr. D’Artagnan Scorza, SJLI Executive Director. “We are working toward making notable changes in schools, parks and community spaces to make healthier foods more affordable and available as well as identify ways to integrate physical activity into the day to improve the overall health for families in Inglewood, Lennox and surrounding communities.”
According to the LA County: A Cities and Communities Health Report, obesity-related chronic illnesses continue to rank among the top ten leading causes of premature death, including heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. While the obesity epidemic continues to impact virtually all population groups, about 27% of children and 28% of adults in Inglewood are obese. For African-American and Latino groups, the situation is much worse. Adult obesity rates in Los Angeles County stand at 33% among African-Americans and 31% among Latinos, compared to rates ranging from 9% to 19% by white, Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian counterparts.
“Reducing obesity is a priority of Public Health and a key objective of the Champions for Change – Healthy Communities Initiative,” said Jeffrey Gunzenhauser, Interim Health Officer of Los Angeles County. “By investing in our communities and the people that we serve, we are hopeful that we can make impactful, long-lasting changes for better health outcomes.”
About The Social Justice Learning Institute (SJLI)
The Social Justice Learning Institute is dedicated to improving the education, health, and well being of youth and communities of color by empowering them to enact social change through research, training, and community mobilization. We envision communities where individuals use their agency to improve each other’s lives. We believe that all communities should have access to fresh whole foods, clean and safe open spaces, and a quality environment. Our organization is committed to addressing health disparities through community development that is not only culturally relevant, but also builds the capacity of individuals to make healthy decisions in their personal lives.
###
Environmental Health and Justice LeadersNational Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
Educating youth about environmental health and justice issues can inspire them to be agents of change in their own neighborhoods. This was the goal of the inaugural Environmental Justice Summer Institute (EJSI), a partnership program between several non-profit groups and NIEHS/EPA University of Southern California (USC) Children’s Environmental Health Center. Through the program, local high school students learn about environmental health science and gain the skills to become environmental health leaders in their communities.
The students learned firsthand how their communities – which are surrounded by major roadways and are a flyover path for jets landing at the Los Angeles International Airport – bear a disproportionate share of environmental health issues. They used air and noise monitoring devices to track pollution levels at 14 locations around their neighborhoods, selecting places where they live, learn, and hang out. They mapped their findings to show high and low pollution locations in their neighborhoods, showing that areas under flyover paths had 10 times as many ultrafine particles as near the beach. The students also created videos as a way to voice their environmental concerns. They hope to use the videos to educate and engage local residents and to advocate for healthier communities.
The 14-session program culminated with a group presentation during the Environmental Committee meeting of the Empowerment Congress. The Committee members engaged in a question and answer session with the students, giving them a chance to explain how they might utilize the knowledge and experience gained during the program.
Students left the program more equipped to take leadership roles in their communities. According to community partner Scott Chan, one student from the program engaged friends and teachers to start an Environmental Justice Club at her high school. Chan is Program Director of the Asian Pacific Islander Obesity Prevention Alliance, a partner in the USC Children’s Center which focuses on air pollution and possible links to obesity and metabolic consequences. “We are very pleased with our community-academic partnership and are excited to see the grassroots changes programs like EJSI can inspire,” said Chan.
The EJSI program is also funded by the NIEHS USC Environmental Health Sciences Core Center, The Kresge Foundation, and The California Wellness Foundation.
Visit the USC blog to learn more about the community partners, EJSI program, and to watch the student-created videos.
Volume 5, Issue 9: September 2014 – www.niehs.nih.gov/PEPH
The Social Justice Learning Institute would like to congratulate Eduardo Lopez for his selection as a United Way 2014 Teacher to WatchMr. Lopez, an instructor at Roosevelt High School, was nominated for this honor based on his work with SJLI’s Urban Scholars: Compadres program.
Launched in 2012, Urban Scholars: Compadres supports a cohort of Latino males in grades 9-12. Students increase their academic capabilities, and develop critical research skills. Further, students explore topics such as Latino masculinity, Mesoamerican cultures, and Latino-American history.
As Urban Scholars, youth build knowledge of self for personal and social transformation. Upon completion, youth are confident enough to demonstrate knowledge of their ancestors, community, race, and the social condition. Additionally, youth leave Urban Scholars programing prepared to transform society-to create a more just and humane world.
To support the Urban Scholars program and the efforts of teachers like Eduardo Lopez, please consider making a donation
Food and Restorative Justice in Schools and PrisonsLos Angeles Food Policy Council
“Don’t shoot, because I am human, and my life matters.”
These moving words, spoken by young men of color in a video projected on the screen, kicked off the August Network meeting of the LA Food Policy Council on “Food and Restorative Justice in Schools and Prisons.”
The video, produced by Social Justice Learning Institute (SJLI), was a response to recent events in Ferguson, Missouri, where an African American youth was shot and killed by a white police officer. The wave of nationwide protests and vigils in the aftermath of the shooting demonstrated the need for dialogue on the relationship between communities of color, police and the prison system, and a path towards transformative healing. In this context, the LA Food Policy Council Network explored the role of “Good Food” to create restorative justice before, during and after incarceration.
Dr. D’Artagnan Scorza, Executive Director of SJLI and LA Food Policy Council Leadership Board Member, began the plenary by inviting the audience of 150 participants to consider different approaches to “restoring justice” in the food system, using the frameworks of food justice, restorative justice and transformative justice as theories for understanding the ways we address the root causes of conflict or inequities.
Analena Hope, Ph.D. candidate in the USC Department of American Studies, discussed her recent investigative essay about food in the prison system, part of a publication released by Dignity and Power Now last year. Through her research, she found that the food served in prisons is often low in quality and quantity and part of a multi-billion dollar consolidated and privatized food industry. In interviews with formerly incarcerated people, she found that for many, the withholding of food was used as a form of punishment against prisoners, often causing irreparable harm on the bodies. In some cases, food care packages bought for inmates by loved ones would be used by prison staff as a means to provoke conflict between inmates. She noted that if we as a society take seriously our societal commitment to “rehabilitation,” we must reconsider the humanity of incarcerated people and the role of nutritious food in healing the body and mind.
Frank Tamborello, Executive Director of Hunger Action LA, built on Hope’s argument by asking the audience: “When you come out of prison, do you suddenly become human again?” In fact, formerly incarcerated individuals reentering society face many barriers to accessing jobs, public assistance, and housing, which can contribute to high rates of recidivism, particularly for African American and Latinos. In terms of food policy, a perfect example is the lifetime ban prohibiting people with prior drug felonies from receiving CalFresh. For the past ten years, Hunger Action LA and a statewide coalition of advocates fought to lift this ban, arguing that public nutrition benefits are an important way that people coming out of prison can re-start their lives. Just this spring, the advocates were successful in lifting the ban. Tamborello cited that the organizing efforts of those most impacted by the CalFresh ban as well as allies who were not directly affected were essential for the policy victory. Tamborello says the next step is to educate, enroll and engage newly qualified populations before the law goes into effect next spring.
Scorza brought the conversation back to youth, highlighting the importance of educational programs that create environments where harm is prevented in the first place thereby breaking the “cradle to prison” or “school to prison” pipeline faced by so many youth of color. He noted that the main statistic driving his work is the fact that one out of every three black males is expected to be incarcerated in his lifetime, and that it has significant repercussions on families, schools and communities. Scorza’s organization Social Justice Learning Institute uses food growing as a way to empower young people, encouraging them to take control over their diet and health, and offer skills needed for food-related careers. Watch the video to learn more.
Following the panel, participants convened in three small break-put groups for further discussion and resource sharing around food and restorative justice in schools, food in prisons, and food and re-entry. Please see our notes for resources and ideas identified in these groups. As the meeting came to a close, participants agreed to continue discussions on the issues facing communities of color in relationship to the prison and food system. If you are interested in staying connected and participating in future conversations around these topics, please email our Network Coordinator, Anisha Hingorani at ahingorani [at] goodfoodla [dot] org.
President Obama Meets with Inglewood Youth LeaderINGLEWOOD URBAN SCHOLAR, FROM THE SOCIAL JUSTICE LEARNING INSTITUTE, RECEIVES PRAISE FROM PRESIDENT OBAMA FOR HIS COMMITMENT TO INCREASE OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUNG MEN OF COLOR
Brothers Sons Selves Coalition Champions Young Men of Color as Part of President’s My Brother’s Keeper Initiative
(Inglewood, CA)–Dylan Gray, a local Inglewood youth leader, with the Social Justice Learning Institute’s Urban Scholars program was invited by the Brother’s, Sons, Selves Coalition (Liberty Hill Foundation) to speak with President Obama, yesterday. Gray, who will be attending California State University, Chico, next month as a business administration major, was selected for this honor because of his commitment to support the ‘My Brother’s Keeper’ Initiative.
“Dylan embodies the principles of the Urban Scholars program. He demonstrates academic success, exhibits critical consciousness, and has worked to increase the well-being of his peers,” said Social Justice Learning Institute’s Executive Director, Dr. D’Artagnan Scorza. “Dylan has advocated for young men of color including his local work in support of the Student Climate Bill of Rights (SCBR). It’s an honor to have the President recognize the efforts of the Brother’s, Sons, Selves Coalition and youth like Dylan, under the banner of the ‘My Brother’s Keeper Initiative.'”
Gray was accompanied by 15 other Los Angeles area youth selected by the White House to meet with the President at Los Angeles Trade Technical College, yesterday, in conjunction with ongoing community sharing efforts initiated by the White House for the Presidents’ ‘My Brothers Keeper Initiative.’ According to the White House, the initiative is designed to “address persistent opportunity gaps faced by boys and young men of color and ensures that all young people can reach their full potential.”
In May, 100 youth from the Social Justice Learning Institute were included in the initial California “White House Listening Session” convening with Assistant to the President and Cabinet Secretary, Broderick Johnson. SJLI’s Urban Scholars shared their personal stories with Johnson and the White House Taskforce. Information gathered at listening sessions, which have been held across the country, are being collected by the Presidential Task Force, and will be used to inform improvements in federal policies and regulations which impact young boys and men of color. The task forces initial report findings can be found on the SJLI website.
About the Social Justice Learning Institute
The Social Justice Learning Institute works to fundamentally improve the lives of urban communities of color. To achieve this goal, SJLI helps individuals and groups build their capacity to assess injustices, and then use their own agency to advocate for, and achieve, health and educational equity. SJLI’s commitment to young men of color is rooted in the belief that when given the opportunity to succeed, young men of color will thrive, and by extension, elevate our larger communities.
For more information visit www.sjli.org.
I Am My Brother’s Keeper~ Inglewood Today
By Thomas Bunn
For the last 5 weeks at our beloved Roger’s Park, a powerful amalgamation of bright, effervescent youth, from at-risk communities throughout Los Angeles, received the chance of a lifetime. After demonstrating leadership qualities, and an interest in both health awareness, 15 young men were hand selected and provided an opportunity to become advocates of health in their communities. They were given the opportunity to be part of the 2014 SJLI Urban Health Fellowship.
The Urban Health Fellowship is a 5-week hands-on preventative health program and internship, focused on achieving optimal health, preventing chronic disease and exposing high school male students to careers in the health field.
How will your participation further your personal and professional goals? What makes you a leader? Why should we select you for this program? These are the types of questions asked to a host of high school males ages 14-19.
Health Equity Programs Director Derek Steele said, “We conducted community outreach about the 2014 Urban Health Fellowship this past spring and received applications from all over LA county. This program is for every young man, system involved or not, with GPA’s from 0.9 to 4.0. Everyone deserves an opportunity.”
Anyone in their right mind would ask, well, how in the world does anyone plan to control 15 boys with different personalities, and backgrounds in one space, for four hours everyday? Being part of the fellowship meant that the students had to be committed not only to the program, but to their fellow brothers. Tardiness was enforced with push-ups and sit-ups, emphasizing that lateness is not accepted in any of the respected fields the boys chose as a career path. However, push-ups and sit-ups were just a small portion of the exercise required for the young men to perform everyday.
The program worked in collaboration with local fitness studio Branded Body Fitness run by Brandy Randolph who had the boys perform fitness tests during Week 1 and tracked their improvements as the weeks progressed.
Everyday the Urban Health Fellows were privileged with an in-house chef who prepared simple, healthy, and delicious meals for them, using fresh ingredients, and providing an open discussion about the role each ingredient plays in the body.
Academic Support Coordinator, Molly Katz said, “They didn’t only learn how to become a doctor or nurse, they received hands on experience in EMT training, and in the blood transfusion, microbiology, and pathology labs at UCLA. These are opportunities that they can take advantage of out of high school…”
The fellows culminated the 5-week program at Roger’s Park August 1, 2014 with presentations on “Careers in the Medical Industry”, and “Chronic Diseases in Urban Communities” in front of family, friends, and community members. The students presented a PSA they wrote, produced, and directed, that gave the audience a few laughs while making the case for the importance of living healthy lifestyles.
Urban Health Fellow, Lee Greenwood said, “It was very insightful and a great investment to everyone who learned. I think one day when I’m older I can save someone’s life.”
“I’ve gotten to know and meet so many new people. I feel like I have gained independence in my own life. Even though I get tired of bussing here and home, I like coming to this and I know it will help me in my future to become a doctor,” Brandon Ball said.
“I thought about all the things we did in the past month. I think this program has given me positive things to do with my life and time and I really appreciate everyone that attended it,” said Bryant Glover.
As part of the support staff for the 5-week fellowship, I witnessed a change in the young men as they walked off the stage, as 2014 Urban Health Fellows. All the push-ups, sit ups, community assessments, Heimlich thrusts during CPR training, professional development courses, and conversations about solutions to problems in our community, coalesced into an experience that these young men will treasure for the rest of their lives.
At the end of each day, a fellow would volunteer to lead the group in closing out the session by chanting, “Brotherhood!” On the last day of the program, that volume increased, the passion spewed, family and friends drew their attention to the boys, and the fellows erupted into the loudest, proudest, and vehement response, of the 5 weeks, “We stand together.”
Don’t Color Them BadLos Angeles Wave Publication
On a visit to the State Capitol, young black leaders and advocates share experiences with legislators — in hopes of helping to shape policies that could determine their future.
By Kiara Harris-Mendel, California Black Media
At the tender age of 16, Beron Thompkins is well into the second act of an already-eventful life.
As is the case with too many black male teenagers, Thompkins is over-familiar with the criminal justice system. His rap sheet is littered with accusations of serious crimes like burglary and grand theft, but his intimate knowledge of society’s penchant for harshly disciplining young African-Americans can be traced to a place where virtually all children have been: public school.
His experiences include a three-week suspension for “willful defiance” — a catch-all term that critics say is broad, ill-defined and used primarily to all-but-criminalize young men of color when they exhibit what is arguably normal adolescent behavior. As he tells it, Thompkins’ lengthy suspension followed an exceedingly avoidable dispute with his teacher over whether he was disrupting class or merely asking a classmate to borrow a pencil.
Today, Thompkins is a home-schooled participant in the Social Justice Learning Institute — a Los Angeles-based organization, brought to his attention by a probation officer, which focuses on educational and wellness equality for boys and men of color. He recently completed a five-week internship program (highlighted by several days spent on the UCLA campus learning about healthcare careers), and was among hundreds of young people who descended on the State Capitol earlier this month to share their experiences with legislators on Youth Advocacy Day.
“I don’t go to that school [any] more,” said Thompkins. “It wasn’t good for me. They have a police substation right on campus and the probation department office is right next to the principal’s office.”
On that same day, the Assembly Select Committee on the Status of Boys and Men of Color conducted its annual hearing on how well — or not — state agencies are, as the Alliance for Boys and Men of Color puts it, “implementing policy recommendations outlined in the Select Committee’s 2012 action plan to advance outcomes in health, education, employment, juvenile justice and youth development for California’s boys and young men of color.” It is a document watched closely by advocates across the state, with local boys and men of color campaigns formed in Stockton, Sacramento, Santa Ana, Coachella, Salinas, Oakland, Fresno and Los Angeles.
Organized by the alliance, students rallied on the Capitol steps, demanding an end to the use of willful defiance as a school disciplinary standard, and calling on lawmakers and the governor’s office to take meaningful action to eliminate clear racial disparities.
During the Select Committee hearing, presentation after presentation highlighted barriers to opportunity experienced by boys and men of color:
- African-American youth are 4.5 times more likely (and Latinos youth 2.3 times more likely) than white youth to be detained for identical offenses.
- African-American youth with no prior offenses are far more likely than white youth with similar histories to be incarcerated on the same charges. Specifically, they are nine times as likely to be incarcerated for crimes against persons; four times as likely for property crimes; seven times as likely for public order offenses; and 48 times as likely for drug offenses.
- About half of white teenagers arrested on a drug charge go home without being formally charged. Only a quarter of black teens catch a similar break.
- Despite the fact that white youth are more than a third more likely to sell drugs than are African-American youth, black youth are twice as likely to be arrested on charges of drug sales. Nearly half (48 percent) of all juveniles incarcerated on drug charges are black, while blacks make up 17 percent of the juvenile population.
- When charges are filed, white teenagers are more likely to be placed on probation, while black youth are more likely to be placed behind bars. According to research from the National Council on Crime and Delinquency, when white and black youth with similar histories are charged with the same offenses, black youth are six times more likely to be incarcerated in public institutions. Latino youths are three times more likely than white youth to be incarcerated under similar circumstances.
- Unequal treatment determines how deeply a young person will penetrate into the system. African-American children comprise 17 percent of the overall youth population, 30 percent of those arrested and 62 percent of those prosecuted in the adult criminal system. Latino youth are 43 percent more likely than white youth to wind up in the adult system.
“We have heard a lot about disparate outcomes for boys and men of color across our systems and disciplines, but nowhere can you see this more than in our criminal justice system,” Bill Crout, division director of the Corrections Planning and Programs Unit of the California Board of State and Community Corrections, said in his testimony to the committee. “The differential treatment young people of color face from an early age contributes to a particularly insidious cycle. The general public sees only the statistics and the faces on the evening news. The differential treatment that drives the statistics, however, is rarely reported.”
In front of a standing-room-only crowd, Select Committee Chairman Steven Bradford, the Democratic assemblyman from Gardena, said tangible strides have been made toward reducing, if not eliminating those injustices. Out of 30 pieces of legislation introduced by the committee, more than a dozen have already been signed into law — resulting in improved opportunities for boys and men of color.
Bradford also announced that an interagency board would be established to improve outcomes for boys and men of color in the areas of health, education, employment, juvenile justice and youth development. The task force would also identify and prioritize bills aligned with the recommendations.
“The work we are doing in this committee has reached the highest levels of our government,” Bradford said. “I was recently invited to the White House along with Dr. Ross to share the work of this committee.”
Dr. Robert K. Ross, president and CEO of the California Endowment, praised the leadership of the Select Committee for its role in helping to dismantle the school-to-prison superhighway, elevating the importance of boys and men of color across the state and contributing new policies that can make a difference. School suspensions, for example, have fallen 28 percent since 2011-12.
“People are watching what we are doing,” Ross testified. “This includes President Obama, who recently launched My Brother’s Keeper, an initiative to boost the fortunes of young black and Latino men. The White House and others are looking to California for leadership.”
Don’t color them bad – Los Angeles Wave: News.pdf
American Federation of Teachers (AFT), White House host discussion on boys and men of colorBy Mike Rose
The auditorium of Challengers Boys & Girls Club, a vibrant community hub serving some of the toughest neighborhoods in Central Los Angeles, was packed on June 12 when the AFT co-presented a roundtable discussion on ways to build the pathway to graduation, college and career for boys and men of color. The event was the latest in a series of roundtable discussions presented around the nation by the union and White House initiatives on Educational Excellence for African Americans and Educational Excellence for Hispanics, as well as initiatives on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and Native American and Alaska Natives.
AFT President Randi Weingarten participated in a panel discussion that explored proven practices to help ensure educational excellence for boys and men of color. She was joined by AFT vice presidents David Gray and Joshua Pechthalt in a daylong exploration of issues tied to concerns about access, equity and opportunity for key student subgroups—from the damaging, disproportionate effects of rigid “zero tolerance” policies on students, particularly boys of color, to the need for public-private partnerships and the community power they bring to bear on schools’ biggest challenges.
Weingarten made it clear that the AFT and its affiliates stand ready to do their part when it comes to building “a ladder of economic opportunity and educational opportunities so our children can climb up and reach their dreams.”
Discussions like the one at Challengers Boys & Girls Club offer the promise of “a very different beginning in union-community relations,” the AFT president added. It’s a relationship that is based around “a consensus about what works for students in life, school, college and career.” This new direction has a momentum that can’t be extinguished by the powerful few who are bent on fomenting dissent and splintering these essential alliances through the courts or the legislatures.
“We reaffirm our commitment to improving educational outcomes for all the men and boys of our country,” said Gray, president of the Oklahoma City Federation of Classified Employees. The AFT, he added, is steadfast in its “unshakeable belief” that all children deserve access to early childhood programs, small class sizes, wraparound services and outstanding schools staffed by highly qualified and well-trained professionals—some of the vital components of building opportunity for boys of color. “When we stand together, we are unbreakable in this fight to reclaim the promise of public schools.”
Pechthalt, who leads the California Federation of Teachers, also urged the crowd to see the power of partnerships, stressing that these coalitions had unquestionably proven their mettle. In California, “for the first time in years, we aren’t cutting programs and laying off teachers, but so much more needs to be done,” he reminded the crowd. “As a teachers union, we only have so much power; but if we build alliances with our community, we are so much stronger.”
Early, effective intervention was a major theme at the event. Damon Williams, vice president of program, training and youth development services for the Boys & Girls Club of America, spoke of the frustrations he felt coming from a background in higher education and seeing so many children unprepared for both the emotional and academic challenges of higher education. “I felt I was too late,” the former administrator at the University of Wisconsin-Madison remembered. Now, Williams stressed, his current organization, the Boys & Girls Club, plays a vital role in the younger years, through outreach that fights summer learning loss and through programs like Diplomas to Degrees, which instills a sense of purpose in young people when they need it most. Other supports and interventions highlighted at the panel included incentive-building dual-enrollment programs and school master schedules designed to expose all students to challenging opportunities early in their schooling.
The roundtable also explored institutional obstacles facing boys and men of color, including problems tied to disparities in law enforcement and special education placement. A growing body of evidence shows that young men of color receive unequal treatment in both settings, UCLA professors Gary Orfield and Phillip Atiba Goff warned. Young black men are 400 to 500 percent more likely to be placed in special education than their peers, said Orfield, director of the Civil Rights Project at UCLA. For far too many, this ushers in years of “dead-end and isolated” schooling. One of the most important ways to correct the situation, several panelists said, is to ensure cultural sensitivity through diversity on school panels charged with making placement decisions.
One ingredient still needed, they said, is political will—policymakers committed to putting essential resources in place to support effective interventions. Immense human potential is being lost, and the task deserves immediate attention, said Thelma Melendez de Santa Ana, former assistant secretary for elementary and secondary education at the U.S. Department of Education and currently a senior administrator for the Los Angeles Unified School District, a district with 100,000 youths and young adults who are either out of school or unemployed. Marc Philpart, associate director of the nonprofit public policy group PolicyLink, said his organization is focused heavily on goals like safe, supportive and welcoming schools, and approaches to student retention and suspension that do not target men and boys of color. “We know what works, but we somehow lack the will to make it happen.”
It’s also critical, several speakers said, to view issues not exclusively as school problems but as problems in the context of the community. “At the end of the day, it’s not just about the school functioning at a high level, it’s about the community functioning at a high level,” one panelist remarked.
The event emphasized how strong parental engagement and meaningful one-to-one relationships had power in the fight to keep vulnerable students in school. Torey Broughton, a student at Hawthorne Math and Science Academy, offered a moving account of how, after a brush with the law, he found the help he needed to change his path by working with adult mentors who supported him in the school. These men went as far as appearing at a court hearing to attest to his character and potential—and it left an indelible impression on the young man. “If they care enough to stand up for me like that, the least I can do is meet them halfway,” he told the crowd.
Read the article here
