I write to ask that you join me on Nov. 7th when I vote for Kenya Gibson to serve as the Third District member of the City of Richmond Public School Board.
When Kenya first spoke of her interest in running for this office, I did my best to dissuade her. As someone who was elected to this post three times [2002-2008], as a long-time education and disability rights advocate, a journalist, parent and grandparent, I know firsthand that serving on the School Board is an honor as well as a challenging and frequently frustrating experience.
I mentioned the long hours, the strain on family, the seemingly endless and mind-numbing meetings, the soul-crushing weight of seeing the extreme poverty and the pain that far too many Richmond students endure day-after-day and how any sentient human being will lose sleep wishing for the power to fix their worlds. I spoke of the grief of burying children who are victims of violence and neglect and of trying to comfort and give hope to children who lose their parents.
I told her she would need to figure out what teachers are delivering the sort of education that lights fires in the minds of our young people and those who think education is simply a matter of pouring facts from a bucket of standardized SOL tests into their heads.
I warned her that she and her colleagues need to narrow the achievement gap on the frontline of this war to educate our children and give them the knowledge they need not just to survive, but to succeed. I also had to tell her that no matter how hard she works to raise academic achievement and ensure safe, sane and successful schools, that there will be people who personally attack her and whisper lies behind her back.
Nevertheless, she persisted.
Kenya is part of a new generation of Richmond parents, citizens and teachers who are sick and tired of this School Board's lack of transparency and having no voice in what happens -- and what needs to happen in our schools. And while Kenya does not have the support of Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney as one of her opponents does, she does have my support and that of:
- Viola Baskerville, former City Council member, State Delegate and Secretary of Minority Economic Development;
- Kimberly Gray, former School Board member and current City Council member from the 2nd District;
- David Hudson, former RPS principal of Linwood Holton Elementary School;
- Gayle Hefty, former RPS principal of Fox Elementary School;
- Irene Carney, educator and founder of Sabot School;
- Patrick Hanes, a lawyer;
- Amy Harr, an RPS parent, teacher and Holton Teacher of the Year;
- Eric Spivack, a business owner
Kenya has also been endorsed by Richmond Teachers for Social Justice and the Richmond Education Association.
In her own words, Kenya knows that: "Richmond is amidst a cultural renaissance with thriving universities, vibrant museums, and a restaurant scene that put us on the map. But in contrast to this progress, poverty is more entrenched and the impact of violent trauma is more pronounced."
In her own words, Kenya knows that: "Richmond is amidst a cultural renaissance with thriving universities, vibrant museums, and a restaurant scene that put us on the map. But in contrast to this progress, poverty is more entrenched and the impact of violent trauma is more pronounced."
"Schools struggle to meet the demands of a divided city. Richmond Public Schools lives in the legacy of "separate but equal" policies made decades ago. Teachers are asked to do more with less in crumbling buildings. The promise of increased accountability has left students spending days worth of classroom time taking expensive, multiple-choice tests. The achievement gap has not shrunk. We have stressed teachers and students – and have little to show for it.
"The solution is not a quick fix. We need to have difficult conversations, so we can make difficult choices. Elected officials and school leaders must work side-by-side with communities to design a new vision for our district."
Respectfully,
Carol A.O. Wolf
Respectfully,
Carol A.O. Wolf
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