Extra Credit: The Hearing
“By refusing to even use the word segregation I worry that we’re whitewashing the historical context of racism that explains why our schools have been so inequitable for so long.”
At the City Council hearing on school integration December 7, student members of Teens Take Charge and Integrate NYC wore shirts and sunglasses honoring Elizabeth Eckford, one of the Little Rock Nine. Watch the Teens Take Charge testimony here.
Six months after the NYC Department of Education released its long-awaited "diversity plan," the City Council hosted a hearing on school integration to assess progress. Editor Taylor McGraw and student members of Teens Take Charge joined close to 200 advocates in the audience and spoke during the public testimony portion of the meeting, urging the city to move faster on the issue. Taylor sat down with Whitney and Nelson (featured in Episode 3) to recap the highs and lows of the hearing, including several excerpts of the students' testimony.