Council of the Great City Schools National Town Hall: Race, Language and Culture

FUNDING FOR THIS PROGRAM PROVIDED BY MODRALL SPERLING. MODRALL SPERLING SUPPORTS THE EFFORTS OF THE COUNCIL OF THE GREAT CITY SCHOOLS AND THE ALBUQUERQUE PUBLIC SCHOOLS. WE ARE PROUD TO BE SPONSORS OF THE FALL CONFERENCE OF THE COUNCIL OF THE GREAT CITY SCHOOLS. THE FUTURE IS HERE. >> HOW DO WE DEAL WITH THE FACT THAT WE HAVE PRECONCEIVED NOTIONS OR BELIEFS OR STEREOTYPES ABOUT PEOPLE OF COLOR? >> YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS CHILD'S FUTURE, AND YOU NEED TO INSTILL A SENSE OF PRIDE AND A SENSE OF SELF-CONFIDENCE IN THEM THAT, YES, THEY'RE GOING TO GET THROUGH SCHOOL REGARDLESS OF THEIR RACE. >> I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY IS NOT BASED ON SKIN COLOR OR THE LANGUAGE THAT WE SPEAK. >> WE SHOULDN'T HAVE TO STRUGGLE TO GET LANGUAGE MATERIALS THAT REPRESENT THE STUDENTS IN OUR SCHOOLS. >> THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT. >> I'M A BOARD MEMBER. I'M RESPONSIBLE FOR THE POLICIES. WHAT POLICY DO I NEED TO MAKE SURE WE DON'T HAVE THIS CONVERSATION AGAIN? >> WE'VE GOT TO START APPRECIATING OURSELVES. WE'VE GOT TO LOOK IN THE MIRROR AND SAY, WHO AM I AND

WHAT DO I STAND FOR? WE'VE GOT TO LOOK AT ONE ANOTHER AND SMILE AND SAY, HELLO. THEY WILL SAY HELLO BACK TO YOU WHETHER THEY'RE WHITE OR BLACK. AND WITH THAT KIND OF ATTITUDE, WE'LL BE MUCH BETTER IN THIS SOCIETY. >> CURRENTLY, MUCH IS BEING SAID IN THE NATIONAL CONVERSATION ABOUT IMPROVING OUR EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM AND ENSURING SUCCESS FOR ALL STUDENTS. HELLO, I'M CHARLES OGLETREE, PROFESSOR OF LAW AT HARVARD LAW SCHOOL. I'M HERE IN ALBUQUERQUE FOR A NATIONAL TOWN HALL MEETING WITH FRONTLINE EDUCATORS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF RACE, LANGUAGE AND CULTURE IN EDUCATION. STAY TUNED. IN THE NEXT 60 MINUTES, I ANTICIPATE A TREMENDOUSLY INSIGHTFUL AND CONSTRUCTIVE CONVERSATION WITH EDUCATORS GATHERED FROM AROUND THE NATION FOR THIS COUNCIL OF >> LET ME ASK YOU, WE'RE TALKING A LOT ABOUT RACE NOW, BUT I JUST WANT TO ASK YOU, WHY ARE PEOPLE IN THIS VERY DIVERSE AUDIENCE, WHY ARE WE TALKING ABOUT IT? >> I THINK THERE'S -- IT'S NOT THAT WE HAVEN'T HAD OPEN

DISCUSSIONS ABOUT RACE. I THINK PLESSY VS. FERGUSON WAS AN OPEN DISCUSSION ABOUT THE BROWN VS. BOARD OF EDUCATION DECISION WAS AN OPEN DISCUSSION ABOUT RACE. BUT I THINK AS YOU THINK ABOUT THAT CONVERSATION THAT TRANSPIRED AND THE POLICY DECISIONS THAT WERE PASSED, THE LAWS, OF COURSE, HOUSING, NO DISCRIMINATION, SO FORTH AND SO ON, I THINK THE NATIONAL MOVEMENT ON THAT WAS, WE'VE HAD ENOUGH, WE'VE GOT ENOUGH THERE. WE'VE PUMPED A LOT OF MONEY INTO IT, WE THINK WE'VE DONE WHAT WE'RE SUPPOSED TO DO WITH RESPECT TO RACE, LET'S MOVE ON, AND YOU BEGIN TO SEE A FALLBACK FROM A LOT OF THAT. THE FACT THAT WE HAVE A PRESIDENT WHO IS AFRICAN-AMERICAN, I THINK, HAS BROUGHT THIS BACK TO THE SURFACE. THE FACT THAT HE WAS ELECTED AND RE-ELECTED HAS OPENED UP THE DISCUSSION ABOUT RACE AGAIN. AND, OF COURSE, THAT'S BEEN EMPHASIZED, I THINK, BY THE INCIDENT WITH TRAYVON

MARTIN, THAT RACE IS BACK ON THE NATIONAL AGENDA. >> MS. REED, LET ME ASK YOU WHAT'S HAPPENING IN BOARD. ARE YOU TALKING -- IT'S PUBLIC SCHOOLS YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT. BUT WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THE CHILDREN, HOW ARE THEY DEALING WITH THE ISSUE OF WHAT DOES THAT MATTER? >> I DON'T THINK THAT WE'RE DEALING WITH THE ISSUE OF RACE VERY INTENTIONALLY AT ALL. I THINK THAT WE DO NEED TO DO THAT. CINCINNATI IS AN INTERESTING DEMOGRAPHIC. IT IS BLACK AND WHITE, THAT'S IT. CINCINNATI HAS ALWAYS BEEN A REALLY PECULIAR BLEND OF NORTH AND SOUTH. IT'S LIKE THE NORTHERNMOST SOUTHERN CITY. SO IT'S A VERY, VERY, VERY DIFFICULT PLACE TO TALK ABOUT RACE. >> MR. CARRANZA, LET ME ASK YOU THIS, AS THE SUPERINTENDENT FROM SAN FRANCISCO. IS THERE ROOM FOR NOT JUST RACE, BUT CULTURE AND LANGUAGE? ARE PEOPLE BEING EDUCATED ABOUT THE DIFFERENCES AND, IN A SENSE, EMBRACING THOSE DIFFERENCES? WHAT DO YOU THINK? >> I THINK THAT WHAT I APPRECIATE IS THAT WE NEED TO TAKE OFF THE GLOVES AND WE NEED TO HAVE A REAL CONVERSATION ABOUT RACE.

GO BACK AND THINK ABOUT TRAYVON MARTIN. LISTEN, I DON'T CARE WHETHER YOU SUPPORT THE LAW OR NOT, THAT'S IRRELEVANT. THE QUESTION IS, WHY WAS THIS TEENAGE AFRICAN-AMERICAN MALE NOT IN SCHOOL? WHY WAS HE WHERE HE WAS? AND WHAT WERE THE SYSTEMS THAT FAILED THAT STUDENT AND KEEPING HIM ENGAGED IN SCHOOL AND INSTEAD DRIVING HIM OUT? THAT'S THE QUESTION WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT. WHAT ARE THE SYSTEMS THAT ARE PERPETUATING A PERMANENT UNDERCLASS, AND IN PARTICULAR FOR CHILDREN OF COLOR? THAT'S WHAT I THINK WE NEED TO BE TALKING ABOUT, AND IT'S A HARD CONVERSATION BECAUSE WE NEED TO BE VERY HONEST ABOUT OUR BIASES. AND THERE'S NOT ONE PERSON OF COLOR IN THIS COUNTRY THAT ISN'T RACIST, AS WELL. WE ALL HAVE OUR BIASES. WE HAVE OUR BIASES. SO WHAT WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO DO IS COME TO TERMS WITH THAT AND SAY, WHAT IS IT? WHITE, BLACK, BROWN, WE ALL HAVE OUR BIASES. BUT THOSE BIASES CAN AFFECT THE DECISIONS WE MAKE IN THE

SCHOOL SYSTEM WHERE WE'RE STILL GOING TO BE TEACHING AND EDUCATING CHILDREN, AND NOT PUTTING THEM ON A PATH TO LEAVING SCHOOL. >> THANK YOU VERY MUCH. LET ME ASK YOU, MR. WEST, WHAT ARE WE TO LEARN FROM TRAYVON MARTIN IN TERMS OF RACE? AND WHAT DO YOU WANT TO, IN A SENSE, CONVEY NOT TO JUST THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU, BUT TO PEOPLE WHO MAY DISAGREE WITH YOU ABOUT THAT WE HAVE A RACE ISSUE IN AMERICA IN >> IF I WERE TO THINK OF ALL OF THE THINGS THAT EXIST OUT THERE THAT ARE ON A SCALE FROM BEING MOST HARMFUL TO YOUNG CHILDREN OF COLOR TO LEAST HARMFUL TO YOUNG CHILDREN OF COLOR, KIND OF A ZIMMERMAN SCALE, IF YOU WILL, OBVIOUSLY GEORGE ZIMMERMAN'S ACTIONS LANDED, YOU KNOW, AT A 10 ON THAT SCALE. ALL OF US HAVE ENGAGED IN ACTIONS THAT ARE A 1 OR A 2 OR A 3 ON THE ZIMMERMAN SCALE OF HARM TO CHILDREN OF COLOR, AND THEN WHILE WE CERTAINLY HAVE AN OBLIGATION IN SOCIETY TO CONDEMN

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

THAT OUR KIDS ARE MATTERS, THAT WE ALL SEE COLOR. AND WE EDUCATORS, ESPECIALLY SINCE WE HAVE MANY EDUCATORS WHO ARE MIDDLE CLASS WHITE EDUCATORS, WE NEED TO LEARN AND WE NEED TO RE-EXAMINE OUR BELIEF SYSTEM ON WHAT OUR EDUCATION IS FOR OUR KIDS OF COLOR. THE DATA DOESN'T LIE. WE HAVE AN ACHIEVEMENT GAP, AND IT'S NOT ABOUT POVERTY. IT'S ABOUT RACE. >> DO YOU WANT TO RESPOND? >> REVEREND AL SHARPTON SAID THE 21st CENTURY FORM OF RACISM IS A LOW EXPECTATION OF OUR CHILDREN. IF I DON'T THINK MUCH OF YOU, I DON'T HAVE TO GIVE THAT IS THE NEW FORM OF RACISM. >> IF I HAVE A LOW EXPECTATION OF YOU BECAUSE YOU ARE AFRICAN-AMERICAN OR REALLY INTERESTING EVEN IN THIS CONVERSATION TO BE IN ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO, WE HAVE NOT TALKED ABOUT THE NATIVE-AMERICAN POPULATION AT ALL.

AND SO FOR ME, HOW DO YOU DISSECT THAT, OF A PEOPLE THAT HAVE HAD THEIR LANDS STOLEN, THEIR LANGUAGE STOLEN? THERE IS NO WAY IN THE WORLD I CAN STAND HERE IN THIS UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND NOT KNOW THESE ARE ISSUES THAT COME UP. SO LOW EXPECTATIONS IS ABOUT, I DON'T BELIEVE YOU'RE WORTH ANYTHING, AND YOU DON'T MEET MY STANDARD, AND THAT HAS GOT TO SHIFT. >> IN OUR DISTRICT, WE'VE CONCERTED EFFORT TO GET MORE OF OUR BLACK AND LATINO KIDS, PARTICULARLY, BUT ALL OF OUR KIDS OF COLOR TO TAKE THE AP CLASSES, TO TAKE THE ADVANCED PLACEMENT CLASSES, AND TO TAKE MORE RIGOROUS CLASSES. AND WE RUN INTO THAT, YOU KNOW, THE LOW EXPECTATIONS FROM THE STUDENTS THEMSELVES, AND CERTAINLY FROM THE PARENTS. SOMEBODY MENTIONED IN ONE OF THE SESSIONS I THINK TODAY OR YESTERDAY THAT THERE WAS A PARENT WHO SAID, OH, I DON'T WANT THEM IN THOSE ADVANCED CLASSES BECAUSE THE WORK IS TOO HARD. >> RIGHT HERE, YES. >> AS AN EDUCATOR, I KNEW

ALL ALONG THAT THERE WERE RACE. IF YOU WERE LIGHT-SKINNED, HAD GOOD HAIR, TEACHERS TREATED YOU DIFFERENTLY. BUT I WAS ALARMED WHEN I STARTED TEACHING AT A SPANISH EMERSION SCHOOL AND WE HAD SPANISH-SPEAKING TEACHERS FROM A LOT OF COUNTRIES, AT HOW THEIR BIASES AGAINST EACH OTHER AND THE CHILDREN, WHERE THEY CAME FROM -- IT WAS ALARMING. SO I THINK WE'VE GOT TO GO EVEN DEEPER AND LOOK AT THE BIASES AND PREJUDICES THAT WE HAVE WITHIN EACH OF OUR RACES, AND COMBAT THAT BEFORE WE CAN TRULY HAVE A CONVERSATION. >> WELL STATED. >> TO TALK ABOUT RACISM, FIRST WE HAVE TO START BY UNDERSTANDING WHAT IT IS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT. AND SO RACISM IS ABOUT TARGETED TO PEOPLE BASED ON THE COLOR OF THEIR SKIN.

IN ORDER TO HAVE POWER TO PERPETUATE OPPRESSION IN SOCIETY, IN ORDER TO BE RACIST, YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE POWER TO PERPETUATE OPPRESSION IN SOCIETY. BY DEFINITION, PEOPLE OF COLOR ARE NOT HELD TO BE RACIST. NOW, THAT BEING SAID, PEOPLE OF COLOR ARE CONSTANTLY ENGAGED IN BEHAVIORS THAT PERPETUATE SYSTEMS OF OPPRESSION THAT ARE ALREADY IN PLACE TARGETING THEMSELVES, THE CONCEPT OF INTERNALIZED RACISM. BUT IT'S IMPORTANT TO DISTINGUISH THAT WHEN PEOPLE OF COLOR ENGAGE IN THOSE BEHAVIORS, THEY STILL LACK THE FUNDAMENTAL POWER AT A SOCIETAL LEVEL TO ENFORCE THAT. THEY ARE SIMPLY PUPPETING THE LIES THAT THEY HAVE BEEN TAUGHT ABOUT THEMSELVES BY A LARGER DOMINANT AND OPPRESSIVE COMMUNITY. SO IF WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT RACISM, WE HAVE TO START FROM THERE, BECAUSE IF YOU START FROM ANYPLACE ELSE, WE GO BACK TO THIS FALLACY THAT SOMEHOW TRAYVON MARTIN IS RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM, AND THAT IS A LIE. THAT IS ABSOLUTELY A LIE. >> YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE

THINGS THAT AMAZES ME IS THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THIS ROOM HAVE BEEN VICTIMS OF PROFILING, BUT NEVER TALK ABOUT IT. HAS IT HAPPENED TO YOU? >> WITH MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, I WAS WHITE UNTIL I WAS 24 YEARS OLD. >> EXPLAIN WHAT THAT MEANS TO PEOPLE. PEOPLE DON'T UNDERSTAND. >> I WAS PRIVILEGED. I LIVED IN A COUNTRY WHEN I WAS RAISED AND I WAS A LIGHTER BROWN, AND THAT CREATED PRIVILEGE FOR ME. WHEN I CAME TO AMERICA, I DISCOVERED THAT I WAS A PERSON OF COLOR. AND THEN YOU START LOOKING AT, WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO TO BE ABLE TO ASSIMILATE, THE SYSTEM IN A WAY SO THAT YOU CAN SUCCEED WITHOUT HAVING THE RACISM. BUT IT MAKES A HUGE DIFFERENCE AND IT MAKES IT HARDER. I DON'T WANT THE NEXT GENERATION TO HAVE TO DO THAT. THEY DESERVE TO BE THEMSELVES WHEN THEY WALK IN. THEY DESERVE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE FACT THAT BEING BILINGUAL, IT'S A LUXURY. IT'S A PLUS. LOOK AT EUROPE AND HOW MANY LANGUAGES ARE BEING SPOKEN.

THIS COUNTRY NEEDS TO EVOLVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT COLOR MATTERS, AND WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT WE NEED TO RE-EXAMINE OUR OWN BELIEF SYSTEM AND STEREOTYPES. >> AND IT ALSO SAYS LANGUAGE AND CULTURE ARE A BENEFIT AS OPPOSED TO A DRAWBACK. >> ABSOLUTELY. I CAN ENTER INTO -- I'M A BICULTURAL, BILINGUAL INDIVIDUAL. I CAN ENTER INTO AND BECOME A HISPANIC FEMALE TALKING TO A HISPANIC CLASS, AND THAT'S WHO I AM. AND I ALSO CAN NAVIGATE THE SYSTEM AND GO AND EXPERIENCE THE WHITE WORLD, BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO BOTH. BUT I SHOULDN'T. YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO BE YOURSELF IN BOTH SYSTEMS. >> I'VE BEEN BLESSED THAT I HAVE DONE WELL IN THIS SOCIETY AND THAT I'VE BEEN OFFERED OPPORTUNITIES IN SOCIETY. BUT IT SERVES AS A REMINDER THAT THAT IS NOT TRUE FOR

ALL THE YOUNG PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO LOOK LIKE ME, AND CERTAINLY FOR THE YOUNG PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO GREW UP IN LOW-INCOME COMMUNITIES OR FOSTER HOMES. AND SO WHILE FOR ME IT SERVES AS A PERSONAL SOURCE OF PRIDE -- I LOVE WHO I AM. OBVIOUSLY GOD MADE PEOPLE OF COLOR THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE ON THE PLANET, SO THAT'S A BONUS. BUT IN THE CONTEXT OF OUR SOCIETY, IT'S A REMINDER OF IF I WANT TO BE AS SUCCESSFUL AS MY PEERS WHO ARE NOT OF COLOR, THEN I'M GOING TO HAVE TO BE TWICE AS GOOD, RUN TWICE AS FAST, AND BE TWICE AS STRONG. IT'S A MESSAGE THAT I THINK WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO CONTINUE TEACHING OUR YOUNG PEOPLE OF COLOR AS THEY COME UP. >> WINSTON BROOKS IS RIGHT HERE IN THIS FRONT SECTION, AS WELL. YOU'RE THE SUPERINTENDENT HERE IN ALBUQUERQUE, AND RACE IS VERY DIFFERENT IN NEW MEXICO. WHAT DOES THE WORLD NEED TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT ALBUQUERQUE AND IT'S DIVERSITY? >> BEFORE I ANSWER THAT QUESTION, LET ME JUST SAY THAT I GUESS ERIC WAS SAYING WE HAVE THE BEAUTY AND THE

BEAST HERE. (LAUGHTER) >> I'VE BEEN VERY BLESSED IN MY LIFE. I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO WHERE ABOUT 30% OF THE STUDENT POPULATION WAS AFRICAN-AMERICAN, ABOUT 30% HISPANIC, 30% ANGLO, AND THE REST OTHER. I COME HERE, AND OUR STUDENT POPULATION IS NEARLY 70% HISPANIC, A VERY SMALL AFRICAN-AMERICAN POPULATION, AND A RATHER LARGE NATIVE-AMERICAN POPULATION COMPARED TO MANY OF THE OTHER CITIES, WHICH IN AND OF ITSELF YOU HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL, BECAUSE WE HAVE THE NATIVE-AMERICANS ON THE RESERVATION, AND THEN YOU HAVE THE URBAN NATIVE-AMERICANS WHO ACTUALLY GO TO SCHOOL IN OUR SCHOOLS, WHICH AGAIN JUST GOES TO SHOW YOU THAT YOU CAN'T JUST WRAP EVERYBODY IN THE SAME BLANKET, AS IF WE'RE ALL THE SAME. SO I THINK RACE MEANS TO US HERE THAT -- FIRST OF ALL,

YOU HAVE TO ACKNOWLEDGE, I AGREE WITH MY COLLEAGUE FROM ST. PAUL, YOU HAVE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE FACT THAT YOU DO HAVE A PROBLEM. WE DO HAVE AN ACHIEVEMENT GAP IN ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO, AND ALTHOUGH WE'VE NARROWED IT A BIT, IT CERTAINLY HASN'T BEEN AT THE RATE THAT WE NEED TO DO THAT. I THINK WE NEED TO WORRY LESS ABOUT OUR CHILDREN BEING EDUCATED ON THIS TOPIC AND MORE ABOUT THE ADULTS BEING EDUCATED ON THIS TOPIC. BUT I THINK THE WAY YOU DEAL WITH STUDENTS IS, YOU SEND THEM TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS. YOU KNOW, MANY PEOPLE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEND THEIR KIDS TO PRIVATE SCHOOLS, AND PAROCHIAL SCHOOLS, AND OTHER KINDS OF SCHOOLS. I THINK THE WAY KIDS BEST GET EXPOSED TO RACE AND GATHER A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF RACE IS BY GOING TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS. >> MICROPHONE COMING OVER HERE. >> I'VE BEEN SITTING HERE LISTENING TO THE WORD BEING THAT OTHER. MY PARENTS CAME FROM IRAQ, SO I WAS BILINGUAL IN FRENCH AND ARABIC. SO I THINK IT'S REALLY

IMPORTANT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT RACE, ESPECIALLY FOR OUR AFRICAN STUDENTS, OUR HAITIAN AND AFRICAN, THAT THOSE STUDENTS ARE NOT LEFT OUT OF THE CONVERSATION, BECAUSE THEY'RE MARGINALIZED BY RACE, BY CULTURE, BY LANGUAGE. AND SO WHEN YOU START TO LOOK AT THE IMPACT OF WHAT THAT DOES, THE ATTRIBUTES, IN TERMS OF THE OUTCOMES, IN TERMS OF THE PERFORMANCE, WHAT YOU START TO REALIZE IS THAT NOW WHAT WE'RE DOING IS IDENTIFYING BY CATEGORY OF RACE. SO WE ARE LEAVING OUT THE WHOLENESS OF THE PERSON. AND I WANTED TO TOUCH ON THE PUBLIC EDUCATION SYSTEM. MY DAUGHTER IS IN THE PUBLIC EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM. I'M NOT A PROPONENT OF PRIVATE. BUT I THINK THAT THERE IS MORAL VALUE IN SCHOOL SYSTEMS THAT HAVE BEEN PUT IN PLACE THAT HAVE TAUGHT HUMANITY, VALUE, GLOBAL CONFIDENCE, COMMUNICATION, EMPATHY, AND WE NEED TO START HAVING THE CONVERSATION ABOUT WE, AS HUMANS, HOW DO WE INTERCONNECT, HOW DO WE DEVELOP OUR COMMUNICATION, HOW DO WE WORK AMONGST EACH OTHER REGARDLESS OF ALL OF THOSE LABELS THAT WE PUT UPON US IN SOCIETY. >> I WANT TO GO TO ONE OF THE YOUNG PEOPLE NOW.

>> IF WE ARE GOING TO ACKNOWLEDGE RACE, AND IF WE ARE ACCEPTING THAT THAT IS DO, THE ABILITY TO SEND YOUR STUDENTS TO SEPARATE SCHOOLS IS HOW THE RICH GET RICH AND THE POOR GET POORER, IT SEEMS LIKE, BECAUSE YOU HAVE PARENTS WHO ARE IN A MORE DIVERSE COMMUNITY SAYING, THE BETTER TEACHERS ARE AT THE WHITE SCHOOLS, AND SO THEN THEY'RE SENDING THEIR STUDENTS THERE. AND WHILE THAT MAY BE GOOD FOR THOSE STUDENTS THAT ARE GETTING THAT EDUCATION, THEY'RE NOT FORCING THEM TO BE EXPOSED AND TO ACCEPT RACE. IT'S ALMOST LIKE ANOTHER FORM OF SEGREGATION. >> I HEAR YOU GRADUATED. >> YES. >> OKAY, GOOD. OKAY, YOU CAN TALK IN FRONT OF MR. BROOKS. (LAUGHTER) >> WHAT'S YOUR NAME? >> HI, MY NAME IS ALEXIS. I'M A SENIOR AT ALBUQUERQUE PUBLIC SCHOOL. >> SO YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU SAY. >> YES. AS SOMEONE WHO COMES FROM A MIDDLE CLASS AFRICAN-AMERICAN FAMILY, I

RACES TO SEND THEIR KIDS TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS, AGREEING WITH MR. BROOKS, BECAUSE IT ALLOWS US NOT ONLY A VERY QUALITY EDUCATION THAT COMES FROM OUR BOOKS, BUT AN EDUCATION ON HOW TO DEAL WITH A MIXED COMMUNITY OF PEOPLE, AND I THINK THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT. (APPLAUSE) >> I FEEL PERSONALLY IT WOULD HURT YOUR CHILD TO SHELTER THEM AND SEND THEM TO A PRIVATE SCHOOL WHERE THEY DON'T LEARN HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH SOMEONE WHO THEY MIGHT NOT SHARE THE SAME BACKGROUND WITH. >> THANK YOU VERY MUCH. >> I HAVE TO SAY, I'VE BENEFITED DIRECTLY FROM THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS SYSTEM IN NEW YORK CITY. I'M DOUBLE IVY EDUCATED. I'M AN ADMINISTRATOR. I'VE SPENT MY WHOLE CAREER AND THE MOST DAUNTING DECISION THAT I FEEL I HAVE TO MAKE -- I HAVE A ONE-YEAR-OLD BLACK SON AND A DAUGHTER. I'M CONCERNED ABOUT HER, BUT I'M MOST CONCERNED ABOUT MY ONE-YEAR-OLD SON WHOSE

DECISION ON SCHOOL I WON'T HAVE TO MAKE FOR ANOTHER THREE OR FOUR YEARS. AND I SPEND MY LIFE, EVERY DAY, IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS, AND I AM MANY FEARFUL OF THAT DECISION. WHAT'S THE RIGHT SCHOOL? WHAT'S THE RIGHT EXPERIENCE THAT MY BLACK CHILD IS GOING TO HAVE? I'M NOT WORRIED ABOUT WHETHER HE WILL KNOW HIS ABCs AND 123s. I CAN EDUCATE HIM AT HOME IF I WANTED TO. >> WHAT DO YOU MEAN FEARFUL? FEARFUL OF WHAT? >> I'M FEARFUL OF THE EXPERIENCE THAT HE'S GOING TO HAVE IN SCHOOL. MY SUPERINTENDENT TALKS ABOUT THE FACT THAT HE WILL WALK INTO A BUILDING THAT'S NOT READY TO RECEIVE HIM. HOPEFULLY BY THE TIME HE ENTERS, BECAUSE OF ALL THE WORK WE'RE DOING, THAT WON'T BE THE CASE. BUT GO TO ANY PUBLIC SCHOOL ACROSS THE COUNTRY, AND IF YOU'RE A BLACK MALE, WHAT YOU EXPERIENCE DAILY IS NOT THE EXPERIENCE OF YOUR AVERAGE WHITE MIDDLE CLASS CHILD. AND SO IT'S A DECISION THAT I THINK ABOUT EVERY DAY. WHAT DOES THAT SAY ABOUT ME AS A PUBLIC SCHOOL EDUCATOR IF I DON'T FEEL CONFIDENT TO PUT MY OWN SON IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS? WHAT DOES IT SAY FOR ALL OF THE PARENTS WHO HAVE TO MAKE THAT DECISION WHO DON'T KNOW AS MUCH AS I KNOW, WHO DON'T HAVE THE WHEREWITHAL TO NAVIGATE THE SYSTEM IN THE

WAY THAT I CAN? I PROBABLY CAN FIND THE BEST SCHOOL. I CAN PROBABLY GET MY CHILD INTO THE BEST SCHOOL. BUT WHY SHOULD A PARENT HAVE TO GO THROUGH SO MANY HOOPS TO MAKE THAT DECISION. AND PUBLIC EDUCATION IS WONDERFUL AND FABULOUS, AND EVERY CHILD SHOULD BE ABLE TO RECEIVE THAT. BUT A MIDDLE CLASS BLACK PERSON HAS TO MAKE A DECISION BECAUSE OF THE DATA THAT SUGGESTS THAT WITH ALL THE MONEY I HAVE AND ALL THE BLESSINGS MY HUSBAND AND I HAVE, MY CHILD MIGHT POSSIBLY PERFORM, OR UNDERPERFORM AS A LOW INCOME WHITE STUDENT. >> GOTCHA. OKAY, MR. BROOKS, LET ME ASK YOU WHAT THAT MEANS WHEN YOU'RE TALKING TO SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE OF COLOR WHO HAVE CHILDREN. JOHNNY WOULD BE DOING MUCH BETTER AND SARA WOULD BE DOING MUCH BETTER IF WE SEND HER TO THE PRIVATE SCHOOL, OR TO THE PAROCHIAL SCHOOL. WHY ARE YOU TELLING ME TO SEND THEM TO THE PUBLIC SCHOOL, BECAUSE NO ONE IS GOING TO THESE PRESTIGIOUS UNIVERSITIES OUT OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOL.

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO THAT PERSON OF COLOR WHO HAS ACHIEVED SUCCESS AND NOW WANTS TO MOVE SOMEWHERE ELSE? WHY PUBLIC SCHOOLS? >> WELL, IN MY OWN OPINION, AND BASED ON ALMOST 40 YEARS ABSOLUTELY DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY SOMEBODY PAYS $25,000 A YEAR TO SEND THEIR KIDS TO A PRIVATE SCHOOL WHEN THEY CAN GO TO A PUBLIC SCHOOL AND GET AS GOOD AN EDUCATION, IF NOT BETTER. I THINK THE RESEARCH WOULD ACTUALLY SHOW YOU THAT. IF THERE IS BETTER PERFORMANCE, IT IS FOR OTHER REASONS OTHER THAN THE QUALITY OF TEACHERS AND EDUCATION. IT'S BASED ON OTHER KINDS OF THINGS. AND, YOU KNOW, OUR SCHOOL BOARD PRESIDENT HERE IN ALBUQUERQUE'S DAUGHTER WENT TO AN INNER CITY URBAN HIGH SCHOOL, AND THEN WENT ON TO BOSTON COLLEGE. SO I THINK IT'S SOMEWHAT A MYTH. WE NEED TO BE TELLING THOSE STORIES, OF MINORITY YOUNGSTERS WHO ACTUALLY DO GO TO PRIVATE PRESTIGIOUS COLLEGES AROUND THIS COUNTRY. I THINK WE NEED TO HIGHLIGHT THOSE FOLKS. >> IN RESPONSE TO YOU ASKING ABOUT THE MIDDLE CLASS BLACK FAMILIES, WELL, I'M ONE OF THEM. SO IF MY CHILDREN -- I HAVE

CALIFORNIA, AND SHE SENT HER DAUGHTER TO A SCHOOL THAT COSTS SO MUCH MONEY, I WON'T EVEN TELL YOU HOW MUCH MONEY IT COST TO SEND HER TO KINDERGARTEN. THEY MOVED TO THE EAST COAST, AND I SAID, YOU CAN FIND GOOD PUBLIC SCHOOLS, DON'T THINK THAT YOU CAN'T. SHE DID. ALL THREE OF HER CHILDREN TODAY ARE IN PUBLIC SCHOOL. THEY ARE DOING EXTREMELY WELL. SO THE MYTHS THAT EXIST ARE JUST THAT, MYTHS. YOU DO HAVE TO PAY ATTENTION TO WHETHER THE SCHOOL IS GOOD OR NOT, AND YOU DON'T WANT TO SEND YOUR CHILD TO A BAD PUBLIC SCHOOL ANY MORE THAN YOU WANT TO SEND THEM TO A BAD PRIVATE SCHOOL. IT'S ABOUT THE QUALITY OF THE EDUCATION THEY CAN GET, AND YOU CAN GET QUALITY EDUCATION IN A PUBLIC SCHOOL. >> PROFESSOR, WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE GREATEST PROBLEM THAT MY GENERATION IS FACING WITH REGARDS TO >> THAT'S A VERY GOOD QUESTION. I THINK THERE ARE THREE THINGS. ONE IS THAT PEOPLE THINK THAT WE HAVE REACHED A HIGH MARK BECAUSE WE'VE ELECTED AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN MAN TO BE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.

THE PROBLEM IS, I DON'T KNOW THAT WE WILL VOTE FOR THAT KIND OF PERSON AGAIN. BARACK OBAMA IS NOT GOING TO BE ON THE BALLOT IN 2014 OR 2016. MAYBE MICHELLE WILL. I DIDN'T SAY THAT. (LAUGHTER) >> I DID NOT SAY THAT. I DENY IT. I DID NOT SAY THAT. SO THE FIRST IS THE EXPECTATIONS. THE SECOND IS THAT YOU SHOULD PROBABLY KNOW, AND EDUCATORS HERE PROBABLY KNOW THIS, THERE ARE 4700 YOUNG PEOPLE, MANY OF THEM BLACK AND BROWN, WHO ARE DROPPING OUT OF SCHOOL EVERY SINGLE DAY. NOT YEAR OR MONTH, EVERY SINGLE DAY. THAT'S SCARY. THE THIRD THING IS THAT, AND I READ ABOUT THIS BEFORE, TOO, AS WELL, WE HAD AN ENORMOUS NUMBER -- AN INORDINATE NUMBER OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN TEACHERS IN THE 20th CENTURY BECAUSE OF SEGREGATION, AND NOW THAT NUMBER IS DROPPING AND DECLINING YEAR AFTER YEAR AFTER YEAR. BROWN HAD TWO REASONS. IT ENDED SEGREGATED EDUCATION, THAT'S A GOOD THING, BUT IT ALSO SAID TO OUR GENERATION, YOU KNOW WHAT, YOU DON'T HAVE TO LIVE IN THAT SEGREGATED

COMMUNITY. SO PEOPLE MOVED. YOU DON'T HAVE TO SHOP IN THAT SEGREGATED DEPARTMENT STORE, YOU CAN GO SOMEWHERE ELSE. YOU DON'T HAVE TO, IN A SENSE, SEND YOUR KIDS TO THE PUBLIC SCHOOL, YOU CAN GO TO A PRIVATE SCHOOL. YOU CAN AFFORD IT NOW. AND SO THAT'S A BENEFIT OF BROWN. AND THE QUESTION IS, WHAT HAS IT DONE? IT'S DESTROYED THE NUMBER OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN, LATINO AND LATINA TEACHERS IN OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT BEING HIRED AT THE SAME RATE. >> GREAT. THERE'S A QUESTION IN THE BACK FOR THE MICROPHONE THERE. >> OUR ROLE MODELS ARE DISAPPEARING. I'M 75 YEARS OLD COME TUESDAY. NEW JERSEY, THE DOCTOR LIVED NEXT TO THE JANITOR. THE PREACHER CAME OVER TO EVERYBODY'S HOUSE, WHITE OR BLACK. BUT IT'S NOT SO TODAY. SO WHEN WE LOOK AT OUR CHILDREN WALKING UP AND DOWN THE STREET, THEY HAVE NOBODY TO LOOK UP TO. THEY CAN'T GET TO THE SUBURBS TO SEE DR. JONES.

THOSE CHILDREN DON'T GET TO SEE YOU. THEY DON'T GET TO SEE THE DOCTORS. THEY SEE THE DOPE PEDDLER AND ALL THE OTHER PEOPLE THAT INHABITED THE NEIGHBORHOOD WHEN WE LEFT. SO THAT'S GOT TO STOP. >> I AM A SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER IN SAN FRANCISCO, AND I HAVE A UNIQUE POSITION. I ALSO AM THE EDUCATION ADVISER FOR THE MAYOR OF SAN FRANCISCO. SO WE THINK ABOUT THINGS VERY GLOBALLY. I THINK ONE OF THE CONCERNS IS, WE'VE LOST SO MANY OF OUR AFRICAN-AMERICAN FAMILIES IN OUR CITY. EVEN IN OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT, WE HAVE 5,000 OUT OF 66,000 STUDENTS, AND THIS CONTINUES TO DWINDLE AND DWINDLE AND DWINDLE. AND QUITE FRANKLY, THERE ISN'T ANYONE THAT'S STANDING UP AND SAYING. WHY ARE WE LOSING OUR AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY? YOU GET ONE OR TWO PERCENT OF OUR MIDDLE CLASS FAMILIES, AND EVERYBODY IS UP IN ARMS. YOU KNOW, ALL THE THINGS WE'RE NOT DOING TO KEEP OUR MIDDLE CLASS FAMILIES IN THE CITY. AND SO HOW DO WE CHANGE THAT DIALOGUE FOR PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE AND VALUE OF DIVERSITY IN OUR COMMUNITY? AND WE'RE A DIVERSE COMMUNITY. I BELIEVE WE ARE, AT LEAST. BUT WHEN YOU SEE FAMILIES OF COLOR PICKING UP AND GOING, WHETHER ON THEIR OWN OR BEING PUSHED OUT BECAUSE OF PUBLIC HOUSING AND ALL SORTS OF DIFFERENT THINGS, HOW DO

WE CHANGE THAT DIALOGUE SO THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE VALUE AND IMPORTANCE OF A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE THAT MAKE DIVERSE COMMUNITIES IMPORTANT? >> I THINK THAT'S A CLASSIC EXAMPLE. THAT'S WHAT I TEACH ABOUT. SAN FRANCISCO AND OAKLAND ARE TWO OF THE CITIES THAT I TEACH ABOUT, REVITALIZING AMERICAN CITIES. BECAUSE WHAT HAS HAPPENED BEFORE OUR VERY EYES IS THAT WE'VE SEEN CITIES THAT WERE VERY DIVERSE IN THE LAST CENTURY, EVEN 20 YEARS AGO IN SOME CASES, ARE NOW NOT DIVERSE BECAUSE WE HAVE DRUGS, WE HAVE CRIME, WE HAVE GANGS, AND THOSE CITIES WERE SHUT DOWN. EVEN WHERE I LIVED IN WASHINGTON, D.C., WE HAD A HOUSE THERE 20 YEARS AGO, AND IT WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE BOTTOM AFTER WE MOVED. AND AS WE KNOW, THE NEIGHBORHOODS ARE GONE. OTHER PEOPLE COME IN AND BUY THE PROPERTY, AND YOU SEE CONDOS. AND I'M NOT CRITICIZING IT, BUT THE REALITY IS, THERE ARE CONDOS, THERE'S A MIDDLE CLASS PEOPLE MOVING BACK INTO THE CITY. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT IF YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT PUBLIC OFFICIALS, THEY SHOULD HAVE SOME SAY ON MAKING SURE THAT JOBS AND EDUCATION AND HOUSING ARE AVAILABLE TO EVERYBODY, NOT JUST THE MOST

GIFTED, BUT THOSE WHO ARE THE MOST NEEDY, BECAUSE THEY MAKE UP PART OF THE COMMUNITY, AND THAT'S A GOOD EXAMPLE. >> THAT'S THE PERVASIVE NATURE OF WHAT WE'RE TALKING DISENGAGE OUR CHILDREN, ESPECIALLY OUR CHILDREN OF COLOR, AND IF WE BELIEVE THAT EDUCATION IS THE STEPPING STONE, IS THE LADDER TO THE AMERICAN DREAM, HOWEVER YOU DEFINE THE AMERICAN DREAM, BY NOT HAVING OUR CHILDREN OF COLOR ENGAGED IN THE EDUCATION SYSTEM SO THAT THEY CAN TAKE THOSE INNOVATION JOBS, THOSE TECH JOBS, AND THEY CAN BUY THEIR CONDO IF THEY WANT TO BUY THEIR CONDO, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IN TERMS OF SYSTEMATICALLY DISENFRANCHISING WHOLE GROUPS OF PEOPLE. >> GREAT. THERE'S A QUESTION IN THE BACK FOR THE MICROPHONE THERE. >> WHEN WE TALK ABOUT DROP-OUTS, I HEARD IT, AND A WONDERFUL JOB OF DISTINGUISHING PUSH-OUTS. I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S BEEN A STUDY ON THAT, THAT STUDENTS ARE NOT REALLY DROPPING OUT. MAYBE SOME ARE. BUT IT'S MORE OF A PUSH-OUT. MAKING KIDS INVISIBLE,

MARGINALIZING THEM, AND THEN PUSHING THEM OUT OF THE SYSTEM. >> I CAN'T IMAGINE WHY IT HAPPENS IN THE 21st CENTURY WITH SO MUCH THAT WE SCHOOL HUNGRY. THEY COME TO SCHOOL UNPROPERLY DRESSED. THEY COME TO SCHOOL BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE A COMPUTER AT HOME, THEY DON'T HAVE A PARENT WHO IS WORKING WHO CAN HELP THEM WITH HOMEWORK. THEY COME BACK TO SCHOOL WITH HAVING FALLEN BACK, RATHER THAN MOVING FORWARD. >> WITH EXCEPTIONS LIKE TRAYVON MARTIN, OF COURSE, NOTED, THAT KIND OF RACISM ISN'T SEEN AS COMMONLY SCHOOLS. YES, IT IS STILL A HUGE PROBLEM, BUT BECAUSE OF THE WORK THAT ALL OF YOU HAVE DONE AND YOUR GENERATION HAS DONE, AND OF COURSE YOU, PROFESSOR, THAT PROBLEM IS PROBABLY NOT AS GREAT. A LOT OF THE STUDENTS MY AGE DON'T SEE RACE AS SUCH A HUGE ISSUE. WE'RE WORKING EVERY SINGLE DAY BUILDING THESE LAWS, AND IT'S ONE OF THE REASONS I FEEL SO LUCKY TO BE A STUDENT IN ALBUQUERQUE PUBLIC SCHOOLS, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY IN THE UNITED STATES, IS BECAUSE WE ARE A

MASSIVE MELTING POT. THAT IS ONE OF THE ADVANTAGES THAT PUBLIC SCHOOLS OFFER. YES, PRIVATE SCHOOLS ARE DIVERSE, BUT THEY'RE NOT AS DIVERSE AS PUBLIC SCHOOLS. BECAUSE OUR WORLD IS BECOMING EVER MORE GLOBAL, IT'S NOT JUST AN ISSUE OF THE UNITED STATES ANYMORE, IT'S A GLOBAL ISSUE. RACISM DOESN'T STICK TO NATIONAL BORDERS, IT'S AN INTERNATIONAL ISSUE. AND BECAUSE AMERICAN STUDENTS FIND THEMSELVES IN THESE EXTREMELY DIVERSE PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS, THEY'RE GOING TO BE MORE PREPARED AS ADULTS TO DEAL WITH OTHER CULTURES, TO DEAL WITH OTHER RACES, NOT JUST WITHIN THE UNITED STATES BUT INTERNATIONALLY, AS WELL. >> LET ME GIVE YOU MY VIEW ON THIS. I HAVE FOUR GRAND-DAUGHTERS, NO GRAND-SONS. FOUR GRAND-DAUGHTERS; 11, 9 AND 5. THEY LIVE IN TALLAHASSEE WITH MY SON AND MY DAUGHTER-IN-LAW. AND THERE'S A PROBLEM WITH THEM. THEY'RE ALL SMART, THEY'RE ALL DOING EXCEEDINGLY WELL IN SCHOOL, BUT THEY, LIKE SO MANY CHILDREN WHO ARE THAT AGE, THEY GREW UP IN THE TIME OF OBAMA, AND THEY ASSUME THAT THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES IS BLACK. THEY ASSUME THAT THE MEMBERS

OF THE SUPREME COURT ARE GOING TO BE WOMEN, AND WOMEN OF COLOR. AND SO THEY HAVE THIS -- THEY'VE BEEN BORN IN A TIME WHEN WE'VE CHANGED OUR PHILOSOPHY ABOUT WHO IS QUALIFIED AND WHO IS NOT. BUT IT'S BEEN A HARD TIME TRYING TO DO THAT. ALL RIGHT, ANOTHER COMMENT. YES? >> WE KNOW THAT RACISM EFFECTS EVERY CULTURE, BUT HEARD TOUCHED ON IS THE GENERATIONALISM. I COME FROM -- I'M A SEATTLE NATIVE, AND I COME FROM COLOR BLINDNESS. WHEN I MOVED TO THE MIDWEST, I LEARNED HOW TO BE A RACIST FROM MY ELDERS. SO WHAT WE NEED TO DO HERE IS LOOK AT OUR ELDERS AND HAVE THAT CONVERSATION, AS WELL. OUR YOUNG PEOPLE, THESE YOUNG PEOPLE HERE ARE THAT EXAMPLE, THAT THEY'RE NOT SEEING -- YOU KNOW, THEY'RE BLINDED TO COLOR BASED ON THEIR PERSONAL EXPERIENCES. BUT WE ALSO NEED TO ASK OUR ELDERS TO REALLY BE MORE OPEN-MINDED. THE PAST IS IN THE PAST. I DON'T ANTICIPATE TO GET MY 40 ACRES AND A MULE, NOR DO I ANTICIPATE MY CHILDREN TO GET IT. BUT WHAT I CAN TEACH THEM IS THAT THAT WAS THEN. WE HAVE A CHALLENGE TO CREATE A NEW WORLD, A NATION, A COUNTRY OF COLOR BLINDNESS AND ACCEPT EVERYBODY FOR WHO THEY ARE.

>> I HAVE A LOT OF PROBLEM WITH THE CONCEPT OF COLOR BLINDNESS, A LOT OF PROBLEMS WITH IT, FOR THIS REASON. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT PEOPLE HAVE TO BE COLOR CONSCIOUS TO SEE THE DIFFERENCE AND APPRECIATE IT, THAT WE ARE A MULTI-ETHNIC, MULTI-COLOR GENERATION OF PEOPLE, AND THAT'S THE GENERATIONAL ISSUE, AND I WANT PEOPLE TO SEE IT. WHAT'S INTERESTING, TALKING ABOUT MY GRAND-DAUGHTERS, THEY DON'T SEE BLACK AND WHITE, THEY SEE PINK AND BROWN. BUT THEY'RE SEEING A COLOR, SO I CAN'T MAKE THEM PRETEND THAT THEY CAN'T SEE IT. BUT MY SENSE IS, SEE IT, BUT UNDERSTAND IT. >> WHEN I WAS YOUNGER, MY BACKGROUND IS MY FATHER IS BLACK, MY MOTHER IS NATIVE AND DUTCH. MY MOTHER'S SIDE OF THE FAMILY, DUTCH AND NATIVE, YOU KNOW, THAT'S HOW THEY LEARNED TO BE ACCEPTING OF DIFFERENT CULTURES. YOU KNOW, IT WAS, OH, MY LITTLE COLORED GRANDBABY. WELL, WHAT COLOR AM I? GREEN, BLUE, POLKA DOTS? WHAT COLOR AM I? I'M A PERSON. AND SO WHEN I SAY THAT, I

DON'T MEAN TO OFFEND ANYBODY AS FAR AS RACIST, BUT I'M NOT LOOKING AT YOU AS, YOU KNOW, THIS IS WHERE YOU COME FROM, I'M LOOKING AT THE INTEGRITY OF YOU AS A PERSON. WHAT ARE YOUR MORALS AND VALUES. >> ONE THING ABOUT THURGOOD MARSHALL, IT'S VERY INTERESTING THAT THIS IS A MAN WHO LIVED IN SEGREGATION AND OVERCAME IT AND OPENED UP DOORS FOR PEOPLE LIKE ME THAT HE COULDN'T GO THROUGH. HE HAD AN INTERESTING PHILOSOPHY THAT'S WORTH MENTIONING HERE, BEFORE I GO TO YOUR QUESTION. HE SAYS THAT HE WAS NOT A PERSON BELIEVING IN THE IDEA OF THE MELTING POT. NOW, WHAT DID HE MEAN BY THAT? THE POINT IS THAT THE MELTING POT IS YOU LOSE YOUR IDENTITY. WE'RE ALL THE SAME. HE SAYS HE BELIEVED IN THE SALAD BOWL. WHAT DID HE MEAN BY THAT? WELL, THERE ARE CUCUMBERS AND LETTUCE AND TOMATOES AND CARROTS, AND THE PRESIDENT IS ARUGULA. I DON'T KNOW WHY. BUT ALL THOSE THINGS. AND HIS POINTS IS THAT YOU ARE A SALAD, YOU ARE AN AMERICAN, BUT YOU ALSO ARE A PERSON FROM CHICAGO, OR DETROIT, OR CINCINNATI, OR

ST. PAUL, OR SOUTH CENTRAL LOS ANGELES. EVERYBODY IS A PART OF THAT LARGER COMMUNITY, IS WHAT HE WAS TRYING TO SAY. AND I THINK WE HAVE TO START THINKING, ARE WE A SALAD BOWL GENERATION? ARE WE WILLING TO SAY THAT WE ARE A PART OF A UNITED STATES, EVEN IF WE ARE A DIFFERENT PART? WHETHER YOU'RE NATIVE-AMERICAN IN ALBUQUERQUE, OR WHITE, OR ASIAN AMERICAN, OR AFRICAN-AMERICAN, OR LATINO, IT SHOULDN'T MATTER. YOU ARE A CENTRAL PART OF THIS MASSIVE COMMUNITY THAT MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE. >> WE'VE GOT TO START APPRECIATING OURSELVES. WE'VE GOT TO LOOK IN THE MIRROR AND SAY, WHO AM I, THAT'S GOT TO LEAVE THE HOUSE AND BE PROJECTED WHEN WE GO OUT INTO THE STREET. WE'VE GOT TO LOOK AT ONE ANOTHER AND SMILE AND SAY, HELLO. EVEN THOUGH YOU KNOW THAT PERSON'S GOT THEIR HEAD DOWN, JUST SAY, HELLO, AND WATCH THE REACTION. THEY WILL SAY HELLO BACK TO YOU, WHETHER THEY'RE WHITE OR BLACK. AND WITH THAT KIND OF ATTITUDE, WE'LL BE MUCH BETTER IN THIS SOCIETY. THANK YOU.

>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH. >> SO, I THINK THE REASON WHY IT'S HARD TO TALK ABOUT RACE IS BECAUSE I'VE BEEN AT IT A LONG TIME. MY HANDS ARE HOT, I'VE HAD TO SIT HERE, I'VE HAD PEOPLE TELLING ME ABOUT THEIR DEGREES, I REALLY WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A CIRCLE AFTER THIS. IT'S AN UNCOMFORTABLE CONVERSATION, AND EVEN AMONGST OUR COLLEAGUES AND OUR FRIENDS IT HAS TO DO WITH DEFINITION, IT HAS TO DO WITH, YOU KNOW, THE LANGUAGE. I DON'T WANT TO BE IN A MELTING POT, I WANT TO BE FULLY WHO I AM, AND SHOW UP AT THE TABLE AND HAVE THAT RESPECTED. AND IT BEGINS WITH US, BECAUSE I'VE GOT TO LEARN TO SIT IN THIS SEAT, RIGHT, AND I'VE GOT TO LEARN HOW TO NOT, LIKE, GO OFF ON SOMEBODY WHO IS, YOU KNOW, RACIST TOWARDS ME IN SOME KIND OF WAY. I'VE GOT TO LEARN THAT EMOTIONAL -- WE TALKED EARLIER TODAY ABOUT EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE. I THINK THAT WE WENT THROUGH AN ERA OF SHAMING AND BLAMING PEOPLE, WHERE WE HADN'T NECESSARILY, YOU KNOW, REALLY TAUGHT OUR

CHILDREN DIFFERENTLY, OR BEGUN TO BUILD IN A DIFFERENT KIND OF WAY. SO I JUST WANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT ALL THE FEELINGS THAT WE ARE EXPERIENCING AND THE SENSATIONS ARE THE BEGINNINGS OF REAL SOLID INFORMATION TO HELP US MAKE BETTER DECISIONS, AND THAT'S ONE THING THAT I HOPE THE TEACHERS WOULD ACTUALLY LEARN, BECAUSE WHEN THEY SEE JAMAL LIKE, YOU KNOW, FLIPPING OR MOVING HIS HEAD IN A PARTICULAR KIND OF WAY, IT'S GIVING HIM INFORMATION ABOUT HOW TO RESPOND TO SOMETHING THAT MIGHT BE HURTFUL OR HARMFUL. AND SO WE'VE ALL GOT TO BECOME A LOT MORE EMOTIONALLY INTELLIGENT, I THINK, IN DOING THIS WORK TO GROW, TO BE DEDICATED. >> NEXT? >> I APPRECIATE ALL THE PASSIONATE DISCUSSION AROUND RACISM, AND I GUESS MY QUESTION IS, WHEN ARE WE GOING TO TALK ABOUT LANGUAGE >> RIGHT NOW. >> OKAY, PERFECT, PERFECT, BECAUSE I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT I THINK I'M A PRODUCT

OF A FAMILY WHO FELT IT WAS NECESSARY TO ASSIMILATE. SO NOW AS A FILIPINO-AMERICAN, I DON'T HAVE LANGUAGE TO PASS ON TO MY CHILDREN, AND REALLY THE RICH CULTURE THAT THE PHILIPPINES AND THE FILIPINO-AMERICANS HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. >> AND WHAT IS THAT CULTURE AND LANGUAGE THAT YOU THINK IS ABSENT FROM PUBLIC EDUCATION THAT YOU WANT OTHER PEOPLE HERE, WHO ARE ENGAGED IN EDUCATION, WHAT SHOULD THEY BE EMBRACING? >> WELL, I THINK FIRST AND FOREMOST, WE NEED TO RAISE THE STATUS OF LANGUAGE. WE ARE A COUNTRY THAT DOES NOT VALUE MULTI-LINGUALISM. THERE ARE POCKETS -- >> HOW MANY EDUCATORS HERE HAVE MULTI-LINGUAL COURSES IN YOUR SCHOOLS? RAISE YOUR HANDS. >> I GUESS WITH THAT SAID, WHEN WE THINK ABOUT MATERIALS, PUBLISHERS, WE HAVE PEOPLE IN OUR DISTRICT WHO ARE WORKING HARD TO CREATE MATERIALS FOR MULTIPLE CLASSROOMS, AND I

JUST FEEL LIKE WE HAVE TO PAY ATTENTION TO THAT. WE SHOULDN'T HAVE TO STRUGGLE TO GET LANGUAGE MATERIALS THAT REPRESENT THE STUDENTS IN OUR SCHOOLS. >> THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT. AS I SAID BEFORE, I GREW UP IN A RURAL COMMUNITY, A FARM COMMUNITY IN CALIFORNIA, AND IT WAS AMAZING HOW -- NEITHER MY MOTHER NOR MY FATHER WENT TO HIGH SCHOOL. I WAS THE FIRST ONE TO GO TO HIGH SCHOOL IN THE FAMILY. AND IT WAS VERY ODD, BECAUSE THE LANGUAGE I LEARNED THEN IN 1960s, LATE '60s, WAS SPANISH. PEOPLE THOUGHT THAT WAS A LANGUAGE -- THAT ENGLISH AND SPANISH, YOU LEARN THOSE TWO LANGUAGES, AND YOU'RE SET FOR YOUR LIFE. IT HAS CHANGED IN THE 21st CENTURY, AND I CAN'T IMAGINE ANYBODY THINKING THAT IF THEY DON'T KNOW -- I WON'T EVEN NAME THEM -- SEVERAL LANGUAGES, THEY CAN BE PART THE REALITY IS THAT THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE AMERICAN SYSTEM THAT ONLY STUDENTS IN ADVANCED PLACEMENT CAN TAKE LANGUAGES. THE WHOLE IDEA IS THAT WHETHER YOU'RE IN KINDERGARTEN, OR 3rd GRADE, OR 5th GRADE, OR 7th GRADE, OR 10th GRADE, YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT WE LIVE IN A MULTI-CULTURAL SOCIETY, WHICH MEANS THAT WE NEED TO LEARN THE LANGUAGES OF MANY PEOPLE, AND THAT

MAKES AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF DIFFERENCE. WE HAVE A STUDENT HERE WHO WANTS TO TALK. WHAT BOOKS WERE REALLY HELPFUL IN GETTING TO WHERE YOU ARE TODAY, AND WHAT BOOKS WERE NOT HELPFUL? >> "TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD," IT WAS VERY HELPFUL TO ME TO SEE THAT, YES, PEOPLE ARE DIFFERENT, COLORS CAN CARE ALL CARE AS A WHOLE ABOUT NOT ONLY RACISM, BUT HOW WE EFFECT PEOPLE IN GENERAL, AND HOW A GROUP MENTALITY CAN EFFECT ONE PERSON ON A VERY, VERY LARGE SCALE. >> I WILL SAY ONE THING THAT DIDN'T HELP ME WAS MY TEXTBOOK. TEACHERS, WE NEED TO REALIZE THAT THE JOB THEY ARE DOING IS NOT JUST READING OUT OF A BOOK. THERE ARE ONLY SEVERAL PAGES ABOUT AFRICAN-AMERICAN CULTURE IN OUR TEXTBOOKS, BUT THERE ARE AFRICAN-AMERICAN PEOPLE IN MY CLASS. BUT IT'S THE CONVERSATIONS YOU HAVE, IT'S NOT WHAT YOU READ IN A BOOK, IT'S NOT

WHAT AN ONLINE MESSAGE BOARD TELLS YOU. IT'S THE CONVERSATIONS YOU HAVE WITH PEOPLE. IT'S YOUR TEACHERS CARING ABOUT WHAT THEY TELL YOU. AND WITH THE TEACHER EVALUATION, SOME OF THE TEACHERS WHO HAVE BEEN THE MOST IMPORTANT TO ME AND THE MOST INFLUENTIAL TO ME ARE LEAVING THE SYSTEM BECAUSE THEY'RE FRUSTRATED, AND IT'S MAKING IT WORSE FOR THE STUDENTS, WHERE YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TEACHERS NOW WHO ARE JUST READING OUT OF A BOOK BECAUSE THAT'S ALL THEY CAN DO BECAUSE THEY'RE AFRAID TO ACTUALLY HAVE CONVERSATIONS ON SOMETHING THAT ISN'T GOING TO BE TESTED. >> TEXTBOOKS, THEY'RE THERE FOR YOUR INFORMATION, BUT WE LIKE SHE SAID. WE LEARN THROUGH THAT INTERACTION, THAT THOUGHT THAT YOUR TEACHERS REALLY DID ACTUALLY CARE ABOUT YOU PERSONALLY. LIKE, THEY CARED ABOUT HOW YOU LEARNED AND HOW YOU GREW AS A STUDENT. >> THERE ARE QUESTIONS FROM SOME PARENTS IN THE BACK, AND I THINK WE HAVE A MICROPHONE BACK THERE SOMEWHERE. THEY'VE ALL GONE THROUGH PUBLIC SCHOOLS, AND I THINK THAT THE CONVERSATION ABOUT RACE IS CRUCIAL. AND THAT THE NEED FOR

BUILDING THE CAPACITY OF THE ADULTS IN THE SYSTEM TO ENGAGE WITH OUR STUDENTS ON THAT TOPIC IN AN INTENTIONAL AND AUTHENTIC WAY IS ALSO CRUCIAL. AND IT'S AN "AND" CONVERSATION, BECAUSE THE RACE FACTOR, THE LANGUAGE FACTOR, THE CULTURE FACTOR, THOSE ARE ALL LAYERS OF THE CONVERSATION THAT NEEDS TO TAKE PLACE. SO IT'S NOT JUST ONE OR ANOTHER, IT'S ALL OF THAT. >> THIS KIND OF CONVERSATION NEEDS TO HAPPEN IN ALL OF OUR SCHOOLS, WITH ALL OF OUR TEACHERS. MR. BROOKS, I REALLY DO BELIEVE THAT WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TEACHERS AND EVALUATION, THAT PREPARING OUR TEACHERS TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THESE CONVERSATIONS, TO SUPPORT OUR TEACHERS TO WORK WELL WITH LINGUISTICALLY AND CULTURALLY DIVERSE STUDENTS, IS CRITICAL. IF WE PROVIDE AND WE ARE

ABLE TO HAVE THESE CONVERSATIONS IN A MANNER THAT WE LOOK AT THIS FROM THE LENGTH OF EQUITY, EDUCATION IS THE LEVERAGE. WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO USE IT IN A VERY POWERFUL MANNER. I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY IS NOT BASED ON SKIN COLOR OR THE LANGUAGE THAT WE SPEAK. HIGH EXPECTATIONS IS CRITICAL. HIGH EXPECTATIONS FOR TEACHERS, FOR OUR STUDENTS, FOR LEADERSHIP, TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF OUR CHILDREN RECEIVE A QUALITY EDUCATION THAT'S GOING TO HELP THEM BECOME GLOBAL CITIZENS HERE IN THE UNITED STATES. >> WE AS A SOCIETY HAVE TO IT IS NOT A BLACK PROBLEM, OR AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN PROBLEM, OR A LATINO OR A

LATINA PROBLEM, IT IS A SOCIETAL PROBLEM. IF WE DON'T OWN IT, WE DON'T SOLVE IT, AND IF WE DON'T RECOGNIZE IT, WE DON'T BETTER OURSELVES. AND WE CAN'T DO IT WITHOUT EACH AND EVERY PERSON IN THIS ROOM. >> THERE'S A QUESTION RIGHT HERE, AND WE'LL COME BACK TO THE FRONT ROW. >> MY QUESTION IS: HOW DO ENVIRONMENT WHERE WE CAN HAVE THESE VERY, VERY FRANK CONVERSATIONS? AND I THINK AS EDUCATION IN SOME OF THE LARGEST URBAN SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN THE COUNTRY, WE HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY TO MAYBE PUT THAT IN THE TRAINING MODELS, EITHER USING ARTS AND CULTURE, OR SOMETHING, TO REALLY SET THAT FORTH. BUT THAT IS -- I OPEN THAT UP TO ALL THE SUPERINTENDENTS. >> DO YOU WANT TO RESPOND TO THAT? >> I WOULD SAY THAT THE WAY IN HOW WE CAN APPROACH THE CONVERSATION IN A MORE SYSTEMIC WAY IS TO ACTUALLY PREPARE TO BE HAVING THE CONVERSATION. HAVING THE LANGUAGE, HAVING

THE SKILLS AND UNDERSTANDING THAT THIS IS NOT ABOUT BLAME OR SHAME, IT'S ABOUT KNOWLEDGE. WE ARE ALL EDUCATORS. I DO NOT KNOW WHAT IT FEELS TO BE IN YOUR BODY. I AM NOT AFRICAN-AMERICAN. BUT I AM LATINA, AND I HAVE MY EXPERIENCES. SO THE IDEA IS THAT WE FIRST RESPECT WHAT I BRING TO THE TABLE, IT'S VALUED BY EVERYBODY, WHICH I STILL DON'T BELIEVE IS HAPPENING IN THIS COUNTRY, AND SECOND, IS IF WE EVER ARE GOING TO GET INTO A SOCIETY THAT WE ALL ARE TALKING ABOUT EQUITY, NOT EQUALITY, THEN WE NEED TO START TALKING ABOUT, HOW DO WE DEAL WITH THE FACT THAT WE HAVE PRECONCEIVED NOTIONS OR BELIEFS OR STEREOTYPES ABOUT PEOPLE OF COLOR. AND THAT HAS TO BE DONE AT THE SCHOOL LEVEL, AT THE CLASSROOM LEVEL. AND AS I HEARD THIS YOUNG MAN TALKING ABOUT THAT THIS

WAS WHAT HAPPENED YEARS AGO, AND I'M NOT TRYING TO GET HIM UPSET, BUT THE REALITY IS, I TELL YOU THAT I KNOW MANY, MANY KIDS YOUR AGE THAT THEY DON'T HAVE THAT EXPERIENCE IN THEIR LIFE, THAT THEY HAVE HAD THE OPPOSITE. THEY WALK IN SCHOOL, THEY HAPPEN TO BE DIFFERENT, AND THEIR EXPERIENCE IS NOT SOMETHING THAT THEY WILL CALL, THEMSELVES, AS SOMETHING THAT THEY WILL BE PROUD OF. THEY HAVE TO SURVIVE IN ORDER TO GRADUATE, AND MAYBE GET TO YOUR LAW SCHOOL. >> YES, SIR? >> IN A DISTRICT THAT IS 84% STUDENTS OF COLOR, WE HAVE OUR CHALLENGES, LIKE EVERYONE DOES, BUT I WANTED HEAR FROM OUR STUDENTS ALL THE TIME. ONE CONCERN STUDENTS ALWAYS RAISE, ALMOST FROM A SENSE OF BEWILDERMENT, IS WHY THEIR TEACHERS DON'T LOOK MORE LIKE THEM, IT'S NOT MORE DIVERSE. AND THAT IS AN ISSUE WE FACE OF HOW TO ATTRACT AND RETAIN A CULTURALLY DIVERSE WORKFORCE. THE SECOND IS, ANGER FROM

THE STUDENTS ABOUT WHY THE CURRICULUM -- AND THIS WAS RAISED BEFORE -- IS NOT MORE CULTURALLY REPRESENTATIVE TO THEM, AS WELL. SO THOSE ARE TWO ISSUES WE HEAR ALL THE TIME THAT WE, AS A SCHOOL BOARD, AND OUR SUPERINTENDENT IN OUR DISTRICT, ARE WORKING ON ON A CONTINUOUS BASIS. BUT I KNOW THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT MANY OF US FACE. >> WHOEVER THE CHILD IS, IF THEY SAY THE STUDENTS DON'T LOOK LIKE ME, OR THE TEACHERS DON'T LOOK LIKE ME, OR THE COUNCILORS DON'T LOOK LIKE ME, OR THE DISCIPLINARY PEOPLE DON'T LOOK LIKE ME, WHAT CAN WE DO, THAT'S A CRY FOR, CAN YOU CHANGE IT. IT'S NOT THE EASIEST THING TO DO. IT'S THE HARDEST THING TO DO. BUT IF PEOPLE WOULD BE WILLING TO THINK ABOUT AND COMMIT THEMSELVES TO WORKING ON HOW DO WE CREATE WHAT THESE YOUNG PEOPLE WANT, THIS DIVERSE WORLD, SO THEY CAN GO OUT AND BE A PART OF IT, THAT'S GOING TO BE A BIG CHALLENGE. AND I HOPE THAT PEOPLE WILL CONTINUE THIS CONVERSATION BEYOND TODAY. YES, MA'AM? >> I AM A SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER. I'VE BEEN ON THE BOARD FOR SEVEN YEARS. DISTRICT. I AM LOOKING FOR A SUPERINTENDENT.

IF YOU COME TO MY INTERVIEW AND TELL ME WHAT YOU CAN'T DO BECAUSE YOU WERE ON FREE OR REDUCED-PRICED LUNCH, YOU WILL NOT GET MY VOTE. HOW DO YOU HAVE A GENERATION OF BROWN, OF PLESSY, WHERE THEY COULDN'T AFFORD AN INDOOR BATHROOM, YET ACHIEVED WAY MORE THAN YOU ARE WITH I-PADS AND THE INTERNET. HOW? WE HAVE WAY MORE RESOURCES THAN ANY OTHER TIME IN HISTORY, YET YOU SAY WE CAN'T -- I DON'T ACCEPT THE POVERTY, FREE OR REDUCED-PRICED LUNCH, ONE MAMA, NO MAMA CRAP. I DON'T ACCEPT ANY OF IT. I'M A GRADUATE OF CLARK ATLANTA UNIVERSITY. FIND A WAY OR MAKE ONE. I WENT TO AN ALL BLACK COLLEGE, AND GUESS WHAT? YOUR MAMA WAS CRAP? SO WAS HERS, SO WAS HERS. SO WHAT? I CAME FROM THE TOP OF MY CLASS. SO DOES SHE, SO DOES SHE, SO DOES SHE. SO WHAT? GROUND ZERO, PEOPLE. WHAT CAN YOU DO? WHAT WILL YOU DO? WHAT ARE WE DOING DIFFERENTLY FROM RODNEY KING, FROM TRAY MARTIN? AND OUR GOVERNMENT CLASSES, WHY IS THAT STILL THE NUMBER ONE MOST FAILED SUBJECT IN EVERY DISTRICT?

CIVICS, GOVERNMENT. WE ARE THE PEOPLE. WE ARE THE PEOPLE. AND UNTIL YOU TURN THAT SCHOOL AROUND, AND YOU TELL ME THAT IN SPITE OF IT -- THIS IS OURS. I'M A BOARD MEMBER. I'M RESPONSIBLE FOR THE POLICIES. WHAT POLICY DO I NEED TO MAKE SURE WE DON'T HAVE THIS CONVERSATION AGAIN? THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO KNOW. THAT'S WHAT WE WORK TOWARDS IN COLUMBUS, OHIO. >> WE, ALONG WITH ST. PAUL, HAVE ENGAGED OUR ENTIRE DISTRICT IN COURAGEOUS CONVERSATIONS ABOUT RACE OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS, BUT IT HAS BEEN EVERY PERSON IN 6,500 ADULTS WHERE YOU'RE YOU CHANGE THE CULTURE OF AN ORGANIZATION AND MAKE IT SAFE, AND HAVE US HAVE A LANGUAGE TO BE ABLE TO SPEAK OUR TRUTHS AND REALLY LEARN TOGETHER AND APPRECIATE MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES. BUT PART OF WHAT THAT HAS MEANT IS THAT WE HAVE A BOARD RACIAL EDUCATIONAL EQUITY POLICY. THIS IS PAM, WHO IS THE CO-CHAIR OF OUR BOARD, WHICH PUT THE STAKE IN THE GROUND BOTH INTERNALLY AND IN OUR COMMUNITY, THAT WE INTEND TO DO BUSINESS DIFFERENTLY. IT MEANS THAT WE ALLOCATE RESOURCES DIFFERENTLY, WE HIRE DIFFERENTLY, WE ARE CONTRACTING AND PURCHASING

IN THE COMMUNITY DIFFERENTLY. SO WE SHOW UP AS A BUSINESS ENTITY DIFFERENTLY. WHAT'S GOING ON IN OUR CLASSROOMS IS DIFFERENT. AND WE HAVE, IN A VERY SHORT WINDOW OF TIME, REALLY CHANGED OUTCOMES FOR KIDS. AND WE'RE ONLY -- I MEAN, WE ARE SO A WORK IN PROGRESS, BUT ENGAGING THE ENTIRE ORGANIZATION IN THIS AND FIGURING OUT HOW WE ARE ALL IN A VERY CLUMSY AND IN-PROCESS, AND EVERYBODY FIGURES OUT HOW TO BE JUST REALLY WHO YOU ARE WITH EACH OTHER, SO THAT WE ARE FIGURING OUT HOW WE CHANGE TOGETHER. THAT'S WHAT I BELIEVE IT IS, ABOUT HOW DO YOU CHANGE AN INSTITUTION THAT'S GOT REALLY LEARNED BEHAVIORS THAT ARE SO ENTRENCHED OVER TIME. AND I THINK IT'S EACH ONE OF OUR INSTITUTIONS REALLY HAVING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO THAT. BUT IT HAS TO START AT THE TOP, AND THE BOARD PUTTING A STAKE IN THE GROUND WITH A POLICY THAT SAYS THIS GOES ON BEYOND THE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE IN THESE SEATS AT THIS MOMENT IN TIME, BECAUSE THIS IS HOW WE ARE GOING TO TRY AND FIGURE OUT HOW WE GET DIFFERENT OUTCOMES FOR OUR KIDS. IT HAS TOTALLY MATTERED. >> WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO? THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT

EVERYBODY IN THIS COMMUNITY CAN DO, WHETHER YOU'RE AN EDUCATOR, YOU'RE A PARENT, YOU'RE A NEIGHBOR, YOU'RE A COMMUNITY ORGANIZER, THERE ARE SOME BASIC THINGS, AND IT EFFECTS EVERY COMMUNITY, NOT JUST PEOPLE IN YOUR SCHOOLS. IT'S BIGGER THAN THE SCHOOLS. YOU HAVE TO THINK ABOUT, WHAT KIND OF SIGNS ARE ON THE BUS IN THE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM. ARE THEY BILINGUAL? DO THEY UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE MULTI-CULTURES? IT'S SOMETHING THAT IF I'M GOING TO CHINA OR RUSSIA, IT'S VERY HARD TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO USE THE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM, BECAUSE I DON'T SPEAK A RUSSIAN LANGUAGE. BUT IT'S THERE. YOU'VE GOT TO FIGURE OUT WHY WE CAN'T MAKE THAT MORE DIVERSE. WE HAVE TO DO THE SAME THING NOT JUST IN OUR SCHOOLS, BUT IN OUR COMMUNITIES. ARE THE RESTAURANTS OR THE HOTELS, ARE THEY BILINGUAL? ARE THEY WILLING TO UNDERSTAND THE CULTURE? AND YOU HAVE TO MAKE SOME NOISE ABOUT IT. WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO. WE'VE DONE VERY LITTLE ON CULTURE, VERY LITTLE ON LANGUAGE. VERY LITTLE. I HAVE A COMMENT RIGHT HERE, YES, SIR. >> I REALLY APPRECIATE EVERYTHING THESE YOUNG PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT. SO WHEN WE WANT TO MAKE HAVE A PROGRAM AT FRESNO UNIFIED THAT STARTED WITH

STUDENTS IN ALL OF THE SCHOOLS, AND IT'S CALLED "WE'RE ALL HUMANS." AND ON THIS IS BLACK, BROWN, WHITE, YELLOW AND RED. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THESE YOUNG PEOPLE ARE DOING IS TRYING TO DO A PUBLIC RELATIONS THING THROUGHOUT THE CITY INVOLVING THE CITY OF FRESNO, THAT WE WANT TO HAVE SIGNS ON BUSES THAT THE STUDENTS ARE PROMOTING. AND MANY OF THE STUDENTS ARE SAYING THAT THE PROBLEMS THAT WE HAVE IN OUR COMMUNITIES AND IN OUR SCHOOLS, IT IS THE PARENTS. OUR PARENTS REALLY DON'T UNDERSTAND. OUR PARENTS ARE TALKING ABOUT THINGS YESTERDAY, THE WAY THINGS ARE DONE. BUT WE'RE LIVING IN THE 21st CENTURY, AND I THINK THE YOUNG PEOPLE ARE THE ONES WHO ARE GOING TO MAKE THE CHANGES, NOT ONLY IN THE CITY, BUT THEY START IN THE CLASSROOM WITH THE TEACHERS. THEY TALK ABOUT HOW TEACHERS, THEMSELVES, DEAL WITH CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS, STUDENTS THAT THEY REALLY DO NOT PAY THAT MUCH ATTENTION

TO. THAT IS PAYING ATTENTION TO BLACK KIDS. >> AS A BIRACIAL PRODUCT OF APS, MY BLACK FRIENDS, MY THAT THEY GO IN THE CLASS AND THEY LEAVE FRUSTRATED. THEY LEAVE UPSET OR NOT WANTING TO DO THEIR HOMEWORK, OR STUFF LIKE THAT. AND IT HAPPENS. BUT I THINK THE MORE IMPORTANT THING THAT US, AS EDUCATORS, AND MY PEERS AND I NEED TO FOCUS ON IS INSTILLING A SENSE OF PRIDE AND ACCOMPLISHMENT IN THEM FROM THE BEGINNING, FROM KINDERGARTEN, SO THAT WHEN THEY GO INTO THAT HIGH SCHOOL CLASS AND ARE FRUSTRATED BY THAT TEACHER, THEY DO HAVE THE SELF-CONFIDENCE TO SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT, I CAN GO AND I CAN DO MY HOMEWORK. >> WHICH MEANS THE TEACHERS HAVE TO BE VERY AWARE AND NOT MAKE THE SEPARATION BETWEEN THOSE WHO CAN SUCCEED AND THOSE WHO CAN'T SUCCEED AT KINDERGARTEN. >> GOING BACK TO THE LADY FROM FLORIDA'S COMMENT, YOU START THAT CONVERSATION ABOUT RACISM WITH YOUR TEACHERS ON A GRASSROOTS

LEVEL AND TELL THEM, YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS CHILD'S FUTURE, AND YOU NEED TO INSTILL A SENSE OF PRIDE AND A SENSE OF SELF-CONFIDENCE IN THEM THAT, YES, THEY ARE GOING TO GET THROUGH SCHOOL REGARDLESS OF THEIR RACE. AND I FEEL LIKE THAT'S MAYBE WHERE SOME OF YOU COULD START WITH YOUR TEACHERS, MAYBE SMALL WORKSHOPS LIKE THAT, STUFF LIKE THAT. (APPLAUSE) >> THESE ARE VERY, VERY HARD ISSUES, AND I HOPE THAT WE CAN COME BACK IN FIVE YEARS, OR A DECADE, IT MAY EVEN TAKE LONGER THAN THAT, TO SAY, LOOK WHAT WE'VE DONE. WE'VE TRANSFORMED OUR SYSTEM BY TAKING ONE STEP AT A TIME, ONE INDIVIDUAL AT A TIME, ONE DISTRICT AT A TIME, ONE TEACHER AT A TIME, ONE CHILD AT A TIME, AND LOOK WHAT WE'VE DONE NOW. WE'VE DONE A LOT. WE HAVE A LOT MORE TO DO. BUT YOU KNOW WHAT, WE ARE GIFTED AND EQUIPPED TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN. SO LET'S MAKE THIS OUR SUCCESS. THANK YOU ALL.