In this recording, teacher Ambar Rizwan talks to her brother Daanish Rizwan about their childhoods, and how representation impacted their respective career goals. They describe how their experiences in their majority-white school left them feeling isolated as people of mixed heritage. Both siblings share how their strict upbringing exacerbated feelings of isolation, and Ambar explores how these experiences inform her approach to teaching.
In this recording, creative partners and friends Cam Be and Andre “Add-2” Daniels discuss their educational journeys. Both attended private and public schools and moved around through different states and neighborhoods. Cam remembers being “bored” with school, and how movement hindered some of his ambitions. Add-2 recalls how the investment of teachers in their work directly impacted his interest in schoolwork.
In this recording, Tonia Reaves is interviewed by her daughter-in-law Robin Young about her childhood in a diverse school community. Tonia reveals how this integrated upbringing influenced her understanding of the world for both better and worse. Robin discusses how her schools were mostly homogenous until high school. Both remember certain instances where they felt singled out by white teachers for unequal punishment.
In this recording, friends Janise Wriddle and Sylester J. Miles recount their school experiences. Sylester, who was bused to school in his native Evanston, IL, remembers a diverse school environment, the nervousness he felt entering a white school, and the first grade teacher that helped boost his confidence. Janise discusses her realization of class differences in her school district when she made friends with wealthier students during high school.
In this recording, coach Dallas Anderson talks with his friend the superintendent of Summit, IL School District 217 Dr. William Toulios about the school’s focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Dallas discusses his childhood in the Argo section of Summit; a vibrantly diverse community that opened him up to different cultures and experiences. Dr. Toulios speaks of the importance of dedicated figures like Dallas to achieving the school’s DEI objectives.
In this recording, Crispien Van Alest interviews his family friend Charles Kruner about the integration of schools in his native Lawndale section of Chicago. Kruner, a former teacher, remembers the use of stereotypes against Black students and families by white teachers and residents during the time. He discusses the struggle he faced in counteracting his co-workers’ belief that Black students were incapable of or uninterested in learning.
In this recording, city alderman Jeanette Taylor and teacher Angela Ross discuss persistent inequalities in Chicago public schools. Jeannette and Angela explore the differences in wealth and resources between schools on the North and South sides of Chicago, and the racial disparities that underlie these truths. They also examine the limited potential for children of color that comes from learning in restrictive and under-resourced environments.
In this recording, Elisabeth “Biz” Lindsay-Ryan and Suni Kartha discuss racial equity in Evanston, IL public schools. Suni, a former member of the school board, shares her mission to increase racial equity in schools, and the divide in fundraising between schools in the district. Biz, a diversity, equity, and inclusion consultant, recalls her experiences with Suni to gather data on racial inequity to bring to the PTA and school board, and the resistance they faced.
In this recording, Katie Wetsell interviews her father Chris Horan, who remembers his time as a student during school desegregation in southeast Arkansas. As a child in the Jim Crow South, Chris witnessed white resistance to integration, and recalls the federal enforcement of Brown v. Board of Education when he was in high school. Chris recounts the change of culture and shift in perspective that came from meeting Black students.
In this recording, Sheri Neely interviews her friend Dr. Gina Tillis. Dr. Tillis recalls growing up in diverse California schools, and the whiteness that prevailed in both the curriculum and staff. Gina shares the pressure she felt to reshape herself and her background in order to conform to the expectations of an educated person. She describes the consequences of this conformity to her own understanding of her culture and heritage.
In this recording, twin sisters Sheila Conway and Sharon Malone tell their stories as part of the first group of children to integrate Memphis schools: “the Memphis 13”. Sheila remembers being shunned by white students, the horrendous cruelty of her teacher, and having racial slurs thrown at her. Sharon recalls the inequality of the schools, and the collective forgetting that the city of Memphis seems to have regarding the ordeal.
In this recording, Andrew Jordan interviews his father Howard “Louis” Jordan about his time as a white child in southern Georgia during Jim Crow. Louis remembers the transition to integrated schools in the 8th grade, and the ostracization of the one Black student in his rural high school class. He also tells about the unrest that marked his childhood, and how racial tensions were disrupted through the integration of sports and other activities.
