The Roots of Educational Inequity
Tuesday, May 7, 6:30 PM
Peace and Justice Memorial Center
414 Caroline Street, Montgomery, Alabama
Segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever! -Alabama Governor George Wallace, 1963
In 2018, over 90 percent of students attending Alabama’s 75 “failing” schools were African American. -A History of Racial Injustice Calendar, 2019
In a country built on racial caste, we must confront the fact that our schools are not broken. They are operating as designed. -Nikole Hannah-Jones
As Montgomery residents grapple with the challenges facing our local schools, EJI invites you to join us next Tuesday evening for an important conversation about education and race with EJI Director Bryan Stevenson and award-winning investigative journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones.
Since April 2018, visitors to the Equal Justice Initiative’s Legacy Museum and National Memorial for Peace and Justice have explored the connections between enslavement, racial terror lynching, Jim Crow segregation, and modern-day mass incarceration. Across our country and within our own community, educational systems have also been shaped by America’s history of racial injustice.
A 2017 winner of the MacArthur Fellowship, Nikole Hannah-Jones writes for the New York Times Magazine and tweets as @nhannahjones under the moniker Idabaewells. Her work investigates the way racial segregation in housing and schools is maintained through official action and policy, and she has written probing pieces exploring educational segregation and inequality in places like Durham, North Carolina; New York City; Ferguson, Missouri; and Alabama communities like Jefferson county and the City of Tuscaloosa. She is also co-founder of the Ida B. Wells Society, which provides training and mentorship to “increase the ranks, retention and profile of reporters and editors of color in the field of investigative reporting.”
This community program at EJI’s new Peace and Justice Memorial Center will gather Montgomery-area parents, students, educators, and activists to reflect on the lessons history can teach, and the lessons our present must learn. Tickets are free but space is limited. Please RSVP to reserve your seat. If you have questions or need additional information, please contact Jonathan at [email protected] or 334-269-1803.