On January 24, 2019 Our Director, Hashim Jabar attended a legislative briefing in Washington, D.C. at the Rayburn House Office Building hosted by Representative Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut and Representative Bobby Scott of Virginia. We were invited by national partners, the Journey 4 Justice Alliance (J4J) based in Chicago, Illinois. J4J worked in collaboration with The Alliance to Reclaim our Schools (AROS) to have parents and students testify on their experiences of divestment and inequity from the ground and the findings on the Failing Brown v Board report and the Education Debt Report.
The AROS Confronting the Education Debt Report found that every year, Congress denies billions in authorized funding for Title I, a program that provides additional supports for schools serving large majorities of students living in poverty.
J4J’s Failing Brown v. Board Report revealed savage inequities that have remained since the civil rights movement. In one of the richest countries on the planet, trends seen nationwide reflect that majority Black and/or Brown and disadvantaged schools are still offered fewer courses than their white counterparts. Racial Justice NOW!’s Ohio chapter was featured in the report, highlighting the extreme difference of course offerings in suburban schools versus inner city (Black) schools.
