“He was only thirty-three when the tide of public opinion turned against him. They called him a rabble-rouser. They called him a troublemaker. They said he was an agitator. He practiced civil disobedience; he broke injunctions. And so he was turned over to his enemies and went through the mockery of a trial. And the irony of it all is that his friends turned him … Continue reading To The Rabble Rousers, A Good Friday Message
I know you can’t tell it by the headline, but at age 47, my rhyming skills have dulled quite a bit. It’s hard to believe that I’m the same lyrical lioness who in 7th grade masterfully spit these bars: “My name is Vesia and I’m Sweet Es-sence and everybody knows I’m not real dense. Because I’m so, so fine and I’m so, so sweet and … Continue reading Decapitatin’ Trees And Dissing The Community, That’s How We Roll In The It City
The Metro Nashville Public Schools that exists today is a product of forward-thinking community leaders who believed in serving all citizens more efficiently by combining city and county governments forming what we know as Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County, affectionately known as Metro. Since 1963, the district has seen segregated schools and creating busing plans, celebrated the district’s unitary status – removing any hint of … Continue reading A Community In Pieces
I didn’t want to go. I had no interest in attending an event billed as a rally for youth and Dr. Shawn Joseph during a time the embattled director of schools is fighting for a contract renewal. “What good,” I asked myself, “could a Thursday night church rally of Black community members and leaders do to bridge the school board/director divide, repair broken relationships between … Continue reading Black Nashville Takes A Stand For Students and Embattled Director Dr. Shawn Joseph
The earth-shattering, social media-rocking news about filthy rich people buying their children admissions into big-time universities sent me into a tailspin and not for the obvious reasons. As someone who vehemently believes in the power of a family’s right to choose the school that best fits their child, my anger from yesterday’s news targeted the privileged parents who work like hell to protect an education system created … Continue reading When Your Privilege Gets Out-Privileged: A Pro-Public Education Nightmare
I spent the weekend thinking about how we do high school in America and for the first time in a long time, I found myself in a space that was 100 percent student-focused. This space also gave parents in the audience permission to dream about schooling made-to-order, rather than a pre-packaged freeze-dried way of doing things way past its expiration date. First, I must start … Continue reading Saturday Night (XQ) Live in Nashville, A Celebration Of Schooling Reimagined
Today happens to be school selection results day and tens of thousands of families spent the weekend with stomachs filled with butterflies waiting to find out if Lady Luck or the Woman Upstairs worked on their behalf. I vividly remember the angst of those days leading up to Education Fate Day. At the time, my family had fewer choices as charter schools were not an … Continue reading Nashville Mom: “Purpose Prep Changed the Course of My Daughter’s Life”
