The unjustifiable deaths of George Floyd and so many other black Americans have become the catalyst for national and worldwide demonstrations and protests. Police brutality and disparate enforcement in black communities are symptoms of broader inequities experienced throughout communities of color.
We are saddened, we are angry, we are upset, and we are determined. The ethos of social justice is as close as Americans have gotten to having a public philosophy. We pledge not just to empathy but to engagement.
At The Public Education Foundation, we take pride in having spent the past 29 years investing in ideas and developing and building programs that are models for change.
Over the years, we have provided a safe space for members of diverse communities to meet and have those hard conversations in an effort to encourage honest dialogue and reduce token responses to systemic problems.
We will engage families and communities of color, strengthen the education human talent pipeline, facilitate learning communities and networking between teachers, administrators and the private sector, and increase college access by ensuring equity and opportunity for all students.
We will continue to take time to think, listen and consider. We believe that actions and results define us. We know there are moments in time when people rise up to say that something is wrong and call for change.
We will never stop addressing systemic problems and seeking out opportunities to expand our thinking. We shall be brave, authentic and uncompromising, whether the issues are simple or complex.
Jan Jones Blackhurst Judi Steele
Chairwoman of the Board CEO
