Chyrise Harris of Colorado School Talk reflects on the latest DPS ED Talk featuring YAALL.
Students from YAALL speak their truth.
Nearly three hours after the final bell rang throughout the halls of several Denver high schools, class was just beginning for a room full of educators in the Denver Public Schools.
Leading the night’s lesson were the students, eleven brave individuals from the Young African-American and Latinx Leaders (YAALL), a group formed in response to a study by Dr. Sharon Bailey, who was commissioned by the district to help its leaders better understand the experiences and challenges facing African-American students and educators.
While the Bailey report detailed various inequities toward students and educators of color, this particular evening offered students a chance to speak their own truth about the experiences that have both scarred and motivated them to reclaim the culture and dignity they believe was once stolen from them.
The EdTalk began with every educator standing.
“Sit down if you’ve ever assumed a student of color speaks another language,” the first student directed.
“Sit down if you’ve had lack of faith or expected failure from a student of color,” another student followed.
Class was definitely in session. (…)
Read the full article on the Colorado School Talk website.
