racial equity Archives - Neighborhood View

Uncomfortable Conversations: Staff and board at UMA take on race and social justice through internal dialogue

March 2, 2021 Saliha Bayrak 0

By Saliha Bayrak As the nation rose to voice their indignation and call for an end to racial injustice following the murder of George Floyd, Urban Media Arts (UMA), joined thousands of organizations across the country and made a statement of solidarity to champion the Black Lives Matter movement. The staff at UMA (formerly MATV) did not want this statement to be a momentary and hollow expression of support without any actions to succeed it. In the months that followed, staff members began to have periodic meetings and discussions to address issues of race, injustice, and inclusivity, guided by the belief that every course of action begins with a conversation. Terlonzo Amos, the Director of Operations at UMA, believes there is an urgency to have these conversations now due to the recent blatantly unjust events that occurred throughout the nation. “These problems have always been in the Black and brown community…since 1619,” said Amos. “For those that may not have believed that these things were happening…a light was shown on it.” Amos often leads these […]

Second rally calls for more racial equity in Malden public schools

August 28, 2019 NeighborhoodView 0

By the staff of Neighborhood View/Photos by Elizabeth Scorsello On Aug. 26 MaldenCORE held its 2nd “Rally for Racial Equity in the Malden Public Schools” in a lively event on the steps of Malden High School, attended by about 50 participants, including students, graduates, teachers, local officials, candidates for office, a representative of the NAACP, the president of the teachers union, and school administrators. All stressed the need for more diversity in the school teaching staff, professional training in racial/cultural sensitivity, and an improved system for reporting and addressing issues of racial inequity in the Malden public schools. “In all my time I only had one black teacher and one Hispanic teacher. And that’s six years. Of about 50 teachers I’ve had, only two have been a minority,” said Sarah Schneider, a Malden High 10th grader, told participants of the rally which was held on the first Professional Development day, which all teachers were expected to attend. “When the teachers of Malden look into the faces of the students in their classrooms, they see a never ending spectrum […]

Rally calls for racial equity in Malden schools

July 17, 2019 minhdomatv 4

By Minh Do Recent Malden High School graduate Birukti Tsige never had a teacher of color throughout her 10 plus years in the Malden public schools. To draw attention to this disparity, Tsige helped organize a rally on July 9 in Malden to push the city to hire more teachers of color. About 40 people gathered outside the superintendent’s office at Malden High School, listened to speakers and then marched two blocks to the mayor’s office, where they also met with Mayor Gary Christenson in his office. Afterwards, the group rallied further down the street outside the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. In total, according to rally organizers, nearly 100 protesters took part in the rally throughout the day. “I’ve been in the Malden school system since I was in second grade and I have three younger siblings that are coming in,” said Tsige. “I’ve never had a black teacher and I don’t want that for my siblings.” The rally, organized by Malden Community Organizing for Racial Equity (MaldenCORE), called for comprehensive reform […]