From History to Action

63 years after Ruby Bridges walked

Action is what we need

November 14th marks the 63rd year since the heroic then  6-year old Ruby Bridges courageously attended a previously  « whites only »  elementary  school in Louisiana in spite of massive opposition from white parents at that school. She and her family faced death threats and she had to be escorted by federal Marshals . That iconic picture of her bravery walking into school at that young age of 6 years old is indelible from my mind. 

My daughter today is the age Ruby Bridges was when she de-segregated her elementary school and  is the only black African American girl  that I can visually identify in her 500+ kids  elementary school. Thankfully I can say that much has changed since 1960. My newly minted 7-year old has been welcome and embraced by her school community, has had wonderful loving teachers in all the school settings she has been in; on our first week at her current elementary school I remember being surrounded on bikes by more than one family as we were experiencing technical challenges with one of our bikes on our way to school, a great metaphor for the inclusive experience we have had thus far. Parents have been wonderful, teachers have been amazing and kids have been great. Yes they do see race but I think continued education and heightened awareness about inclusive behaviors have really helped this young generation not repeat historical patterns of racism . 

I have much gratitude for how far we have come as a nation. Yet so much more progress needs to be made. The  system continues to oppress in ways that are hidden to a non-discerning eye.   The data on educational outcomes and the achievement gap between black/brown children and white children across the nation speak for themselves. Working in the social sector , I am acutely aware that many of those disparities stem from housing barriers, food insecurity, lack of workforce opportunity and so many other ailments. The root causes are plenty and complex. Yet there is much more systemic progress that can be made to empower our school districts to attain educational equity.

My daughter is doing fine today within her school. I as a black mother advocating for my child, am not fine. I  see the cracks in the system that lead to dismal outcomes, and I think of every child left behind, especially those who don't have parents advocating for them or pushing them. I see the segregation that is happening through special tracks programs and lotteries in public schools. And while they are “lotteries”, who applies and gets admitted  into these programs is mostly a privileged cohort almost by design of the admissions system (early deadlines, extended siblings preferences in demographically dynamic and shifting neighborhoods, poorly understood and advertised program) . The children who get in are from engaged and more educated families and would have done well regardless of what program they went to. And the narrative becomes « this program is the better one ». And as result that is where every engaged parent tries to put their child leading to more segregation across the programs. I see segregation happening for English learners too, children whose first language is not English; in California and in my community these are mostly native Spanish speakers. I was one of those non-native speakers as a child; English is my third language and my multilingualism has always been an asset. The English learners I see in my daughter's school today, on the other hand are viewed from a position of deficit. They have to pass a state-mandated reclassification exam  to prove they speak English. Finally, I have seen in my own out-of-state family the segregation continue to happen when it comes to who is identified for advanced or gifted education and how black mothers in my own family  have had  to  advocate for their children to give them an equal chance. And when their children got in those programs after much sweat and tears, they excelled, a great proof that they belonged all along!

The burden  of advocacy on black mothers especially in schools where they are a minority is still alive and well. I have experienced it and I confirm:  It’s burdensome, it’s heavy. When I advocate with other white parents for issues that affect all of our children, it's not easy but I have much more power. When I point out racist systemic issues that impact my child, I am not only voiceless but "playing the race card". Taking on a whole system at times pointing out cracks that lead to the disparate outcomes we see, has been a challenging  lift for me.  And I have been disappointed at how slow it moves and how school leadership seemingly in power fails to act in ally-ship, fails to acknowledge systemic issues and use their power and privilege to rectify those issues at a systems level but also one child at a time when they have the opportunity. I am working on moving past this disappointment into understanding. What I do now  recognize is that 1) many of these issues I highlighted are state or federal issues; they go beyond a school's sphere of influence or power 2) that does not exonerate school districts from responsibility; there are times when they have it within their influence to act one child at a time. When they don't this points to a deeper problem of either empowerment or leadership.  3) What's clear to me is that we need transformational change makers, risk takers, visionaries to take us to the finish line with educational equity. 

While the times are different I see in that iconic picture of Ruby bridges the pain and hopes of her mother and I relate to them. Not lost on me, is that there were many white allies who also tried to walk with Ruby Bridges. These are folks that took a stand, took a risk, I want to see more of that especially from those who are in positions of power. I want to see more of these federal marshals walking along black and brown mothers.  The toll of advocacy should not be on black and brown  mothers alone; we need a village to dismantle the systemic inequities behind the disparate outcomes we see, one crack at a time, one child at.time!

Now more than ever the time to dismantle these inequities is k-12 education. The Supreme Court recently voted against the use of Race in admissions for  higher education/ universities . Explicit use  of race has long  been banned in K-12 education; yet  that’s when we start seeing the biggest achievement bifurcations. I invite policy makers and educators to look at special tracks programs in public schools (any program where there is exclusivity through a lottery or an entrance exam) and examine who they are advantaging. Are they  leading to more segregation? Are they code for “white children from engaged families mostly”? If we can’t take action to support equity for those communities historically  left behind, let’s definitely not take action that supports the gap getting wider. 

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Today  we have a  collective opportunity to not just look back in history and march in appreciation of Ruby Bridges’s courage but to act in honor of her courage for if a little 6 year old could gather the courage 63 years ago to march daily to a school where she was unwanted, we can certainly all do our part and use our platform and privileges to bring about greater educational outcomes across America, 1 school at a time, 1 child at a time.

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In my day job, amongst other responsibilities  I also get to work with at-promise youth who have been lifted out of under-resourced schools and given opportunities to break the cycle of poverty for their family by being placed early in their academic lives  on special track educational programs that often lead to scholarships at elite private high schools. These are black and brown children, low income children, first generation children who when given an affirmative opportunity to stand out  from the pack do so superbly. I see the transformational societal impact of  giving opportunity to these youth 1 kid at a time.

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The playing field is not even. Black children face systemic racism in education even when you correct for socioeconomic status, simply by virtue of Race. Black mothers face bias and vilification when simply advocating for their children. Race stands in the way of effective advocacy and that is exhausting. We need those in power to step in and take bold transformative actions. We need true change makers!

I hope to reach educators and policymakers today through this message and invite them to honor Ruby Bridges legacy by taking action when they can 1 child at a time and by rectifying systemic barriers such as special tracks programs that favor the already favored, reclassification systems that burden the English learner, and so many other little  cracks along the way that undermine our most vulnerable  learners confidence for years to come. Let's do it for Ruby Bridges! If she could then, for sure we can now!