The 1954 Brown v. Board ruling “that in the field of public education the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place” had far-reaching consequences. But the fly in the ointment, the missing piece, the reason we are more segregated now than we were 40 years ago, is that White families and others with racial and economic privilege – including many of us who claim progressive values – have not been willing to desegregate our own children.
Integrated Schools is all about that missing piece. Your gift of $19.54 supports and helps to grow a community of families — many of us White, many of us with access to choices — who are prioritizing integration in our personal choices: enrolling our children in public schools that do not concentrate resources within our communities; entering those spaces without expecting our needs to be centered; staying put when things aren’t perfect.
Showing up for integration – that is, actually integrating our families – is the work that White people most consistently avoid.
And it is work. It takes work to swim against the current of parental peer pressure; to disrupt prevalent narratives (deliberately crafted and then mindlessly repeated) about “failing” public schools; to risk “doing it wrong” or giving offense in an unfamiliar setting; to come face to face with the ways under-resourced schools fall short of meeting the needs of children marginalized by an inequitable society. There is also great beauty and delight for privileged families in all of this, but it takes work to “unearth joy” (as Gholdy Muhammad puts it) and to make space to dream together of what we could build for our children.
Every gift of $19.54 helps connect another family with this movement. Here are a few examples of the work your $19.54 gift supports:
- A podcast that reaches people’s minds and hearts, giving them concepts, language and stories that inspire action (Check out Calling in with Loretta Ross and join a Book Club discussion session this week!)
- Social media posts that invite people to engage with us as we name the ways segregation shows up in contemporary parenting practices
- Thoughtful, nuanced stories that speak to the heart of our lived experiences as integrating parents, giving others context and inspiration to keep going (Check out: The Bordon Family, What is a Good Parent?, Between We & They, I Hope They Hear it in Our Voices, Gratitude & Validation, and Caring for Our Community in a Time of Crisis)
- Networks of support (including local chapters) for families who may be navigating imperfect choices as they strive to live their values
- Dynamic, unique tools that empower people to have the impactful conversations that prompt change
- Targeted training and ongoing support for local volunteer leaders in communities across the country
Your contributions power the work Integrated Schools is doing to guide more people to connect the dots: between 1954 and today, between the choices they make for their child and the society our children inherit. Brown v. Board opened the door to the possibility of integrated schools; your gift helps fund the work of realizing what the Brown decision made possible.
Listen to the most recent Integrated Schools podcast, Carrying the Torch: The Legacy of Thurgood Marshall from His Granddaughter’s Perspective.
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