Author Archives: Stan Jester

Black Lives Matter in DeKalb Schools

Posted on November 9, 2020 | 97 comments

Black Lives Matter (BLM) began as a social media hash tag in 2013 by Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi in response to the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin.

The phrase “Black Lives Matter” can refer to a Twitter hashtag, a slogan, a social movement, a political action committee, or a loose confederation of groups advocating for racial justice.

For 10 years Cullors was an organizer in the Labor/Community Strategy Center, established and run by Eric Mann, a former member of the Weather Underground, the 1960s radical faction identified by the FBI as a domestic terrorist group.

Cullors, Garza and Tometi are community organizers, artists and writers. They are also avowed Marxist, “The first thing, I think, is that we actually do have an ideological frame. Myself and Alicia in particular are trained organizers,” says Garza, “We are trained Marxists. We are super-versed on, sort of, ideological theories. And I think that what we really tried to do is build a movement that could be utilized by many, many black folk.”

DeKalb County School District Hosts Black Lives Matter Week of Action 2020
BLM 2020 Workshop Topics for Breakout Sessions
BLM School Instructional Activities Lesson Plans
BLM HBCU Videos
HBCUs by State
 

Message from DeKalb Schools

The week of November 9-13 will be “Black Lives Matter at DeKalb Schools Week of Action 2020” in the DeKalb County School District (DCSD). The weeklong event features daily Black Lives Matter school-based instructional activities, including a social media celebration of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), a celebration of Black-owned businesses in DeKalb County, the My Brother’s Keeper Kickoff, a “My Black is Beautiful Unity Day,” and a student-led panel discussion.

The Board of Education adopted the resolution for Black Lives Matter At DeKalb Schools Week of Action 2020 on July 13, 2020. The goal of this week is to spark on ongoing movement of critical reflection and honest conversation in school communities for people of all ages to engage with issues of racial justice.

“DeKalb County School District is a divers school district and we celebrate that beautiful diversity in every way,” Superintendent Cheryl Watson-Harris said. “Black Lives Matter at DeKalb Schools Week of Action 2020 gives our scholars and staff an opportunity to recognize the positive images for our students in our communities while speaking out against racial and social injustices in our communities.”

Black Lives Matter began as a social media hash tag in 2013 in response to the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin by a neighborhood watch coordinator in Sanford, Fla. The social media movement transformed into a global organization with the goal to build power to bring justice, healing and freedom to Black people across the globe.

DeKalb County Board of Education Chair Mr. Marshall Orson said, “DeKalb County School District’s Black Lives Matter at School Week is an affirmation of the district’s commitment to its students, staff, and communities of color. By focusing on the important contributions from, as well as the ongoing challenges faced by, these communities, we will enrich the lives of all who are part of or touched by DCSD.”

“In today’s society, the Black Lives Matter Movement represents a visual representation of what our ancestors fought for throughout history,” School Board Member Diijon DaCosta said. “Our ancestors fought for justice, freedom, equality, and change, which benefits minorities and people of color. We must continue to build on their legacy by being involved, staying informed, and choosing to let our voices be heard. Now is the time to shift the narrative towards progressive change, diversity, and inclusion. We cannot allow ourselves to continue to negative behaviors from the past that cause division. Change starts with us.”

 

 

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Giving Grace Network – Hardships For Children

Posted on October 28, 2020 | 46 comments

While the community is trying to flatten the COVID-19 curve with lockdowns and 100% virtual learning, the Giving Grace network has seen those who were already struggling only deepen into their hardships.

The CDC characterizes the COVID-19 pandemic as a serious global health threat. CDC goes on to say that parents are understandably concerned about the safety of their children at school in the wake of COVID-19. As families and policymakers make decisions about their children returning to school, it is important to consider the full spectrum of benefits and risks of both in-person and virtual learning options.

Aside from a child’s home, no other setting has more influence on a child’s health and well-being than their school. The in-person school environment does the following:

• provides educational instruction;
• supports the development of social and emotional skills;
• creates a safe environment for learning;
• addresses nutritional needs; and
• facilitates physical activity.

Giving Grace is a local group that provides support for individuals in the community with acute needs, along with support for ongoing community programs. I asked them to tell us more about who they are and what they are seeing.

Giving Grace network

It would be naive of us to think that all of DeKalb’s children are safer at home, and that remote learning is a fine substitute for an in-person option. There are many instances (hundreds? thousands?) that this is just not the case. The most vulnerable population are those who are in living conditions in DeKalb that simply do not provide for remote learning. There are organizations that help support this population, and one is the Giving Grace network.

The Giving Grace network primarily serves persons in our Atlanta communities that have acute needs which threaten them with displacement and the loss of meaningful connections. The goal is to ensure they can maintain a healthy, secure presence in the community to give them the best chance of success moving forward. Their efforts are geared toward single-parent families, persons experiencing homelessness, and the extremely poor. Their approach is simple:

• The network provides financial or in-kind assistance for members of the community facing acute emergency needs.
• A support and sustainability plan is created with the community-member to help move them beyond the need.
• Network members and/or staff continue to walk alongside the community-member to offer support and encouragement.

During this time of school buildings being closed, the Giving Grace network has seen those who were already struggling only deepen into their hardships. Here are some of the examples that were shared with me that they have personally witnessed:

Countless families are not aware that school systems are giving out food, computers, etc. There is a gap in communication or lack of.

One family is not sending their kids back to school until they are in person, mom does not know anything about computers or even how to turn it on.

One family has a child that was suspended the week that school went to virtual learning in March. His mother has not been able to get him online since March, and no one at his local school has been able to help him.

Special education high school student who struggles to read the computer screen. Her mom has to print off everything so that she can join in. On weeks her mother cannot afford computer ink, she’s not able to participate.

Mom with three kids works at a daycare. She has to bring all three kids with her to work. She’s only able to assist them on her break. If they have a problem, they just have to sit and wait.

Mom works an hourly job. In order to keep her job, she has to pay for a learning pod each week which is $150. She only makes $300 a week. She has no idea how she’s going to pay rent this month.

We have a transient family who is either staying with friends or in a hotel nightly.  They don’t have regular access to Internet. They login when they are able to.

A family currently has no power. No power means no Internet!

Mom doesn’t know how to read. Her kids have not attended school since March. 

An elementary school child is supposed to read several books a week. This family owns one book. Getting for the library would require Marta. Mom barely has enough money to pay bills, much less Marta fare.

Family lives in a hotel. Wifi is an additional charge each week. Mom barely makes enough money to pay the hotel rooms, much less Wi-Fi.

Homeless family staying in the shelter. They have to be out each morning by six. Library‘s are closed. Coffee shops will only allow you to come in if you’re purchasing something. These children are only able to attend school when mom can find free Wi-Fi. They are continuing the homeless cycle because mom cannot get a job when the kids are not in school.

There is a home with multiple families living there. There are nine school-age children. The free Wi-Fi does not have the bandwidth to support nine children on the computer every day. This family is having to choose daily which kids attend class.

Those who insist that schools are unsafe are not seeing the bigger picture. They are fine with remote learning because ‘their child is doing great!’ My hope is that people are able to see beyond their bubbles and understand that their actions are harming those who have no voice.

To donate to Giving Grace, you can do so here, and note that you’d like the donation to go towards those in need of remote learning support:

https://remerge.kindful.com/?campaign=1031067

To follow Giving Grace’s facebook page and find other ways you can support the needs of the community they support, you can do so here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/753366974750959

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Posted in Coronavirus