In a year of devastating loss within our community – our founder Dirk and our peerless advocate Rachel Willis Henry, among others – we are honoring their spirit and endless drive for our Black children with tomorrow’s 2022 Black Excellence Awards. It’s a time where we will hold space for their memory and legacy by…
State of Black Education in Oakland Event Series
State of Black Education in Oakland Event Series
Without struggle there is no progress. Please join us.
We are listening to and sharing the stories of our elders, families, youth, educators, academics and the community. We are digging into the context of Black education in Oakland—how we got here, how the Black community is experiencing it, and ultimately what we can do to continue the struggle for progress.
“The Black Paper”—Is the set of policy recommendations that came from our community engagements, it included four key proposals this year: (1) the opportunity ticket, where families from closing schools get first choice at any school, district or charter, (2) that students needed to be meaningfully involved in the hiring and evaluation of educators, (3) that charter schools and the district need to set goals for hiring and retaining diverse educators, and (4) we need to re-purpose district facilities to serve the most underserved homeless children and families. These campaigns will be taking place within OUSD and at charter schools across the City. Please join us.
Events from 2018
Tuesday, 4/24: The Past, Present and Future of Activism for Black Families in Oakland: A Conversation with the NAACP
Thursday, 5/10: Segregation, Integration and Oakland’s Racist History of Housing and Education. A talk with Richard Rothstein, author of “The Color of Law,” along with elected officials and community activists, discussing government-created segregation, the geography of opportunity in West Oakland, and our responsibility to do something.
A Celebration of Black Educators: Supporting and Increasing the Pipeline–Please join the State of Black Education – Oakland (SoBEO) to break bread at noon and engage in a day focused on celebrating some of our Black heroes and sheroes. The program will include panels looking at the experiences of our teachers and best practices for recruitment, retention and development. At 4PM we’ll have a happy hour to cap off the day and celebrate the incredible work being done.
Voices for Change with Energy Convertors– the State of Black Education for Black Students featuring EdTrust-West Executive Director, Ryan Smith. Our student fellows have been hard at work publishing content in hopes to improve Oakland’s education and community. On May 17, they get to share their research, recommendations by hosting a talk with Oakland leaders. The fellows are in the driver’s seat.
Sound Off
We want to capture community stories, and actively engage the community in this process. We are doing interviews, accepting blogs and self-made videos, joining partner events, and ultimately sharing the voices of the community.
Recent Posts About This Event Series
Keep Oakland Segregated? – Join SoBEO & Integrate Oakland Schools this Wednesday.
This Wednesday 7/21 at 11 AM PST, Integrate Oakland Schools and State of Black Education- Oakland (SoBEO) will be hosting part 1 of a webinar series on the history of school segregation in Oakland and where we are now. The conversation will explore enrollment rules, integration and the search for racial equity in OUSD. It…
The Debt Oakland Owes McClymonds and How We Can Start Paying it Off
Where we put out money is a statement of our priorities. And no community in the East Bay has paid a higher cost of progress than West Oakland. While the region and State’s commerce flows over and through it, from the Port, to BART, to the highways that connect the suburbs with jobs. West Oakland…
What’s Really Wrong with Closing Schools and How the “Opportunity Ticket” Fixes It
Closing schools balances the district’s budget woes on the backs of the already most underserved parents. The reality of closings is that it does nothing for those parents who have been dis-served and will be displaced. Typically, they attend an equally low-performing school that is further away and/or less familiar. And while the district may…
Why We Need to Talk About the State of Black Education in Oakland
It’s a mistake to say the education system is failing, at least in regards to Black students. It is not a coincidence that by most measures Black students are being left behind. And if it were only Oakland that would be one thing, but it is literally the same everywhere 200 million test scores were…