A RIGHT DENIED - BEFORE MY GRANDSON UTTERS HIS FIRST WORDS

My grandson is almost a week old. His whole world from birth to high school graduation will be dependent upon his parents, grandparents, educators, peers and the community supporting his positive development thus ensuring he has equitable access to opportunities and life experiences that keep him safe, nurtured, healthy and LOVED! YET, before he utters his first word, the current public educational structure is designed to have him believe that he is inferior because he is a BLACK boy! Before he utters his first word, the current public educational structure is designed to put him on a low tier educational TRACK that is a segway to prison because he is a BLACK boy! Before he utters his first word, the current public educational structure has counted him in their educational funding formula as a child with behavior problems and a learning disability not AP classes bound (Advance Placement) because he is a BLACK boy! Before he utters his first word, the current public educational structure has discounted his parents, grandparents and community because of zip-code and the fact that they are BLACK people therefore they must be uneducated (sarcasm)! Only the public school educators & administrators - you know - "the experts" can save him - because he is a BLACK boy! I will say this, as his grandmother; NEVER underestimate the LOVE parents have for their children! And if you think parents of color and poor communities will continue to allow this "designed" educational system to DENY OUR kids their RIGHT to access an equitable SAFE education - think again! History tells us that those which were oppressed answered the civil rights call for Freedom & Justice and we rose to action in the 50's, 60's and we are rising to a call for immediate action TODAY WE MUST FIGHT TO GIVE OUR SONS & DAUGHTERS A CHANCE TO LIVE AND LOVE! WE MUST FIGHT TO REBUILD OUR FAMILIES AND MAKE A STRONG SELF-SUFFICIENT VILLAGE! WE MUST MOVE FROM OUR EDUCATIONAL RIGHTS BEING DENIED TO A PLACE THAT EQUITABLY PROVIDES - A QUALITY EDUCATION FOR ALL!

"The nation recognizes its social, civic and economic strength is directly linked to the strength of its public schools. But if every child is to have an opportunity for success, every student must have a true Opportunity to Learn." - John H. Jackson, President of Schott Foundation for Public Education Love always your Grandma Gwen Samuel