Conversation Starters
Over the last month, on three separate occasions, I had someone reach out to me to initiate a conversation with someone else in District 2 that is considering running for the seat I'm running for. Three different people! I walked into each meeting expecting an awkward passive-aggressive discussion and walked out thankful for all the hard-working people in our part of the city who care about the students of Atlanta Public Schools. I want to lift up one such person I met: KaCey Venning. She's the co-founder and Executive Director of Help Empower Youth (HEY). HEY is a non-profit dedicated to supporting and mentoring young people, particularly Black youth, to address the needs of their community. We shared a meal and talked about the needs of the schools on the westside of Atlanta, and how the school board must display courage and a compelling vision for the future. I was inspired by her commitment to young people. I don't know if she'll run but I promised her that if so she would never hear a negative word out of me.
Another conversation I had recently was with a representative for Georgia Appleseed, a non-profit that provides legal services and training to keep kids in school, in healthy housing and out of the criminal legal system. She was telling me that Georgia Appleseed offers free training to school districts and parents to find alternatives to exclusionary discipline (e.g., suspensions). When I asked why every school board member in the state isn't knocking on their door for this service (which, I will remind you, is free), she said that some board members get skittish at the idea that Appleseed may one day represent a student against the district. There may be a day when I worry a lot about district exposure but let me be clear, if I'm elected Georgia Appleseed will be one of my first calls. I'm not going to sit here and say that kids don't need any correction, but the evidence is clear that suspensions are not worth the cost and are overwhelmingly used against Black and Brown kids, low-income students and students with disabilities. We have to find another way.
Thinking of these conversations brings me to a request: if you know of a group (in or serving folks in District 2) where I could speak or take questions or just listen, let me know! I want to get in front of people, hear what they want from their schools and come up with solutions for how the district can meet people where they are.
Financial Update: So far we've raised over $4,200! For a district school board election that's still over six months away, I'm calling this a huge success. I was filling out my campaign disclosures today and felt such gratitude for your giving. THANK YOU!