GREAT
GREAT STUFF.>>> THIS MORNING, WASHINGTON RANKS NEAR THE BOTTOM
WHEN IT COMES TO NARROWING THAT
GAP IN PERFORMANCE BETWEEN LOW
INCOME STUDENTS AND THEIR
WEALTHIER CLASSMATES.>> IN AN
EFFORT TO CHANGE THE PROBLEM ON
THE BLACK EDUCATION STRATEGY
ROUNDTABLE IS HOLDING A
STATEWIDE CONFERENCE THIS WEEK,
TO EMPOWER EDUCATORS,
POLITICIANS, STUDENTS AND THEIR
FAMILIES SO HOPEFULLY WE CAN
NARROW THAT GAP.
WE'RE JOINED BY EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR OF THE BLACK STRATEGY
EDUCATION ROUNDTABLE STEVE
SMITH AND CONFERENCE KEYNOTE
SPEAKER TRAN80.
SPEAKER TRAN80. >> HOW BAD IS THIS GAP RIGHT
NOW?>>
NOW?>> WE
NOW?>> WE ARE IN A SPACE WHERE BLACK STUDENTS ARE NOT
ACHIEVING NEARLY WHAT THEY
COULD BE.
COULD BE.
COULD BE. THEY ARE BEHIND MAYBE TWICE AS
MUCH AS WHITE STUDENTS IN TEST
SCORES, ACHIEVING POSTSECONDARY
ENROLLMENT.
ENROLLMENT. SO THESE ARE THINGS THAT WE
REALLY NEED TO TURN AROUND.
>> WHAT YOU THINK IS ONE OF THE
CAUSES FOR THIS, WHERE DO YOU
START?
START?
START? >>
START? >> I THINK I WAS BORN IN THE
UNITED STATES BUT I WAS RAISED
IN ANOTHER COUNTRY.
AND THEN CAME BACK HERE FOR
COLLEGE AND MET MY HUSBAND HE
WAS FROM TACOMA AND STAYED
HERE.
HERE.
HERE. GOT
HERE. GOT STUCK.
GOT STUCK. I LOVE IT HERE.
BUT I THINK THERE ARE TWO
NARRATIVES THAT TEND TO BE
WIDELY SPREAD ACROSS THIS
COUNTRY THAT REALLY PROMOTE
THIS PROBLEM.
THIS PROBLEM. NUMBER ONE THAT BLACK PEOPLE
ARE DANGEROUS AND AGGRESSIVE
AND NUMBER TWO THAT WE ARE JUST
NOT SMART.
NOT SMART. I THINK THOSE NARRATIVES ARE
SEEN WHEN YOU LOOK AT MEDIA.
I'M NOT JUST TALKING ABOUT
FILM, BOOKS, I'M TALKING ABOUT
SOCIAL MEDIA.
SOCIAL MEDIA. I THINK THOSE BECOME PART OF
OUR CONSCIOUSNESS AS A COUNTRY.
AND SO WHEN YOUNG PEOPLE GO TO
SCHOOL, THEY'VE ALREADY HEARD
THESE MESSAGES AND THEY BUY
INTO THEM.
INTO THEM. BUT THEN SO DO THE EDUCATORS.
IT HAS BECOME THE FABRIC OF WHO
WE ARE.
WE ARE.
WE ARE. AS SOMEONE WHO GREW UP
SOMEWHERE ELSE AS AN ATHLETE
AND AN ACADEMIC I SPEAK FOUR
LANGUAGES, I'VE PLAYED
BASKETBALL IN 14 COUNTRIES BEEN
I CAME TO THIS COUNTRY AND WAS
SHOCKED WHEN I WENT TO A SEVEN
SISTERS COLLEGE BUT I GOT
ACCEPTED AT PRINCETON TODAY
DECIDED TO GO TO BRYN MAWR
COLLEGE.
COLLEGE.
COLLEGE. WHEN MY DEAN SAID I COULDN'T
MAJOR IN THREE LANGUAGES
BECAUSE HOW COULD YOU DO THAT?
BUT GO PLAY BASKETBALL AND
SCORE A LOT OF POINTS.
SO I HEARD THAT DYNAMIC WHEN I
WAS 18 AND SO NOW THAT I'VE
RAISED THREE BLACK CHILDREN IT
IS NO DIFFERENT.
THERE'S AN EXPECTATION THAT
ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE A LARGE,
BLACK PERSON OR A BOY YOU
SHOULD BE AN ATHLETE.
MY SON GOT ONE WRONG ON THE SAT
AND HE IS NOW AT HARVARD MED.
BECAUSE OF THAT.
>> HOW DO YOU TALK TO
POLITICIANS, TEACHERS,
POLITICIANS, TEACHERS, EDUCATORS TO GET THEM TO SWITCH
THE WAY OF THINKING, AND BE
ABLE TO HELP THESE KIDS BELIEVE
SOMETHING ELSE?
SOMETHING ELSE? >> I THINK IT'S NOT JUST
HELPING KIDS I THINK IT'S HELP
AND THE ADULTS ALSO.
PARENTS AND EDUCATORS.
I THINK THE DANGER OF
WASHINGTON STATE AND I'VE LIVED
IN INDIANA AND OHIO AS WELL
THAT WE THINK WE DON'T SEE
COLOR BUT WE DO.
AND SO IT'S FIRST ACKNOWLEDGING
THAT WE DO, WE HAVE TAKEN IN
THESE NARRATIVES AND WE ARE
WILLING TO TO HAVE SOME ON
LEARNING TO DO.
AND RELEARNING TO DO SO I THINK
IT STARTED THERE, RECOGNIZING
WE HAVE A PROBLEM.
AND THEN SAYING I HAVE A
PROBLEM TO DO WHATEVER IS TO
TEACH MYSELF A DIFFERENT STORY.
WEATHER IS A TEACHER, PARENT OR
CHILD.
CHILD.
CHILD. THAT'S WHERE WE HAVE TO BEGIN.
WE DO ACTUALLY HAVE A PROBLEM
HERE.
HERE.
HERE. IT'S AS BAD AS THE SOUTH IN
MANY WAYS BUT WE CAN'T AVOID
THAT AND WE CAN'T TALK ABOUT
BEING COLORBLIND BECAUSE WE
REALLY ARE NOT.>> IS THAT BIAS
THAT YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW IS
THERE.
THERE.
THERE. STEVE THIS SOUND LIKE A REALLY
INTERESTING CONFERENCE, WHAT DO
YOU HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH AND WHAT
IS GOING TO HAPPEN?
>> WE ARE FORTUNATE TO HAVE A
LOT OF TALENTED FOLKS, WHO WILL
BE SPEAKING FOR US, IN THIS
CONFERENCE READ A COUPLE THINGS
FOR TAKE AWAY.
THERE WILL BE A LOT OF TIME FOR
PEOPLE TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS
WITH THEMSELVES.
WITH THEMSELVES. IS NOT JUST GOING TO BE
LISTENING TO FOLKS WAS GOING TO
BE TEMPER ENGAGING WITH
CONVERSATIONS.
CONVERSATIONS. SO WE WILL DO A LOT OF THAT.
WE WILL HAVE A CHANCE TO LOOK
AT THE REAL DATA THAT IS
HAPPENING.
HAPPENING. WE HAVE A THING THAT'S CALLED A
DATA EQUITY WALK WE WILL HAVE
PEOPLE WALKING AROUND THE ROOM
LOOKING AT OTHER DATA POINTS
AND TALKING ABOUT IT.
WHAT KIND OF THINGS CAN I DO?
AND FINALLY WE WANT PEOPLE TO
HAVE ACTION PLANS WHEN THEY
LEAVE, WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT
I CAN DO IN MY COMMUNITY OVER
CANDY WITH MY SCHOOL BUILDING
OR PARENTS THAT THEY WALK AWAY
WITH THOSE KIND OF PLANS.
>> THANK YOU FOR HELPING US
CHANGE THE NARRATIVE ON THIS.
WE APPRECIATED STEVE SMITH AND
ERIN JONES.
ERIN JONES. THE CONFERENCE TO THRIVE IS