By Michele Broadnax, President & CEO, Los Angeles Education Partnership
As we kick off Black History Month, we want to take a moment to share the story of our work as an organization to better serve and intentionally support Black students and families.
In early 2020, months before the summer of George Floyd, we reflected on our practices and renewed our organizational commitment to racial justice and awareness.
Through ongoing professional development, we deepened our own racial understanding and practice and focused the needs of Black students at the forefront of our work. Hundreds joined our two virtual forums around fostering school communities that honor Black students and staff. We grew intentional partnerships with schools and other community partners to meet the needs of Black students. We continued to learn, individually and collectively.
As a result of our intentional and consistent effort, we have been able to improve our services for Black students and families. For example:
- Partner schools have seen improved engagement from students representing all races, including Black students, through our new STEAM Teaching & Learning work, where previously disengaged Black students are now eager to come to school to participate in STEAM lab day
- Black family participation in our Early Head Start program has increased by 10%
- Our Community Schools and CORE teams continue to work toward building school environments that listen to, support, and nurture Black students, families, and staff as well as schools that are committed to advancing racial justice for all students
We are not stopping there.
When we kicked off our strategic planning process last year, we were intentional about continuing this work to deepen our learning and to serve Black families even better. Our new strategic plan reflects this ongoing commitment.
Just last month, I was also selected to join an exclusive national fellowship program, the Institute for Nonprofit Practice’s Black Leadership Institute. At our kick-off event in Montgomery, Alabama, with its historical significance as a movement epicenter as our backdrop, I was able to simultaneously connect the richness of Black history with the forward-thinking enthusiasm of future leaders. I look forward to participating in this 18-month experience, especially as LAEP deepens our organizational impact in serving Black families.
As we kick off Black History Month, we celebrate Black history, Black communities, Black culture, Black students, and Black families. While events in this country continue to remind us of the fragility of Black life, we commit to continuing to lift up the beauty that is the history, culture, and other incredible assets of our Black community, this month and every month.