What are the emerging patterns of control and resistance? How does the history [of education inequity] connect to issues you identified as being most important?

These are just some of the questions a room of about a hundred attendees contemplated at Housatonic Community College last Saturday morning — the start of what Founder and Organizing Director of CT CORE Isa Mujahid hopes will be a larger, more long-term dialogue on racial justice.

“The purpose of the event is to convey to legislators the importance of putting forth policies that create more racial equity in our education system,” said Mujahid, who said that for his organization the process was important.

The Bridgeport-based group is looking to create a space where legislators, community members, and education advocates could work together towards equity, though, education funding equity is just a piece of a larger platform which also includes food equity and criminal justice reform.  

“A lot of what we’re trying to do is get the conversation going,” said Mujahid. “I’m not confident that without a push, even after CCJEF, that legislators will really prioritize racial equity in our education system… That’s what’s most important for us.”

CT CORE plans to hold a meeting this Saturday with community members to discuss more specific legislation to promote this session.

Photo from CT CORE website

Historical Context Of Inequity

Connecticut has one of the largest achievement gaps in the country — but how did we get here?

A part of the day’s events was a presentation by Lisa Graustein, Equity Coordinator at Codman Academy Charter school in Dorchester, MA.

“I wanted to make sure we had models of resistance along the way,” said Graustein who spoke on the historical context of educational inequity. “That we remember people have always been trying to improve education and we can make it better from those.”

The presentation went through the history of education from the colonial period to today. If you have some time, I highly recommend taking a look— the video of it is below:

Here’s a link to view part 2, part 3 & part 4 of the presentation.

Below are the slides from Graustein’s presentation:

 

Here’s the presentation en español: