Category: Black Community

Black Community, School Choice

5 Lessons From 2018 Parents Should Resolve To Take With Them Into The New Year

It’s New Year’s Eve and by now you’ve come across a plethora of posts daring you, bullying you to leave behind various people, ideas, social media behavior in 2018. Annoying, but if it declutters your timeline and disciplines your social media behavior, then go Kondo (the Japanese art of organizing). You’ve probably also read/glanced at 4,000 “best of 2018” articles/blogs from the authors of said … Continue reading 5 Lessons From 2018 Parents Should Resolve To Take With Them Into The New Year

Vesia Hawkins1 Comment
Accountability, Black Community, Nashville, School Choice

3 Books and a Podcast, Stocking Stuffers For The Parent Who Needs To Know Everything

2018. Woo boy. Lots to unpack, but we’ll circle back to the year that was – next week. In the spirit of Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa, I’d like to offer readers the gift of information. Sure, it’s like opening up your carefully hung stocking to a neatly rolled pair of thick socks on Christmas morning, but when have you ever not needed socks? Like socks, (ok, stay with … Continue reading 3 Books and a Podcast, Stocking Stuffers For The Parent Who Needs To Know Everything

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Black Community, Nashville

WARNING: The Most Terrifying Of All Halloween Tales

There is zero entertainment value where fear is the intended outcome. I can think of no reason to celebrate being scared out of my mind. What’s so cool about the post-mortem condition that an entire holiday was created in its honor? Creepy ain’t cool.  For this reason, I don’t do Halloween. But these days we don’t need a special day of pretending in order to … Continue reading WARNING: The Most Terrifying Of All Halloween Tales

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Black Community, School Choice

Unintended Consequences of Integration: What I Thought I Knew Is Challenged

I have a confession to make. Though it’s not something I feel guilty about, it has been quite disturbing to confront a lifelong conviction; the ease to which I bought into it and the difficulty I’m having shedding it. Like most Generation X’ers, I was taught integration is the only means to a great education for Black children. At six years old I was bussed … Continue reading Unintended Consequences of Integration: What I Thought I Knew Is Challenged

Vesia Hawkins5 Comments
Accountability, Black Community, Nashville

Y’all Are Talking About The Director of School’s Attitude While 21 Schools Die In The Dark

A version of this post was first published in The Contributor, a community magazine created specifically for Nashville’s homeless and citizens in poverty “by creating economic opportunity with dignity.” Vendors are allowed to purchase the magazine for a minimal cost and sell them at a higher price to ensure a hefty profit margin. The program is wildly successful as it has helped numerous women and … Continue reading Y’all Are Talking About The Director of School’s Attitude While 21 Schools Die In The Dark

Vesia Hawkins2 Comments
Accountability, Black Community, Nashville, School Choice, Tennessee

Nashville Can’t Keep Whitewashing Its Problem Educating Black and Brown Students

Interested parties have known about it for weeks. Many people have sat in front me over coffee referring to the “rumors” about the “potential” number of schools on the dreaded Tennessee Department of Education’s priority list. But they already knew. They knew the list of Nashville schools performing in the state’s bottom 5 percent would reach into the twenties. That every single school on the … Continue reading Nashville Can’t Keep Whitewashing Its Problem Educating Black and Brown Students

Vesia Hawkins4 Comments
Accountability, Black Community, Nashville

Can We Talk Education Like We Talk Football?

Football fans in Tennessee are sobering up from a rare, dizzying weekend of winning. We celebrated University of Tennessee’s shutout of UTEP and Vanderbilt’s performance at South Bend against the Fighting Irish, even though they lost it was a solid showing. I’m still reeling from the news that my alma mater, Austin Peay State University with its young rockstar coach (who will without a doubt … Continue reading Can We Talk Education Like We Talk Football?

Vesia Hawkins3 Comments