Page 6 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, May 28, 2021 ~ Guest Commentary ~ School Dept. must hire more people of color By Fern Remedi-Brown Dear Malden Residents, As a longtime member of the Malden community and a parent of two Latinx daughters, I wanted to bring to your attention a longstanding issue in our school district that increases the achievement gap that some of our students experience – namely, racial inequity, especially the experiences of Black and African American students and educators in Malden. Malden is known as a great city – the fourth most diverse in the Commonwealth. Knowing this, can you believe that in a school system with kids from so many different cultures, that some students have never had a BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) educator? While intentional efforts have recently been made regarding hiring BIPOC educators, there’s a disconnect with their retention in the District. As an example, many BIPOC educators who were hired in 2019-20 left before the academic year was up, and this occurred even before the Covid-19 pandemic highlighted these inequities. Why is this happening? 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As we know, this pandemic has deeply affected staffing – in the Malden Public Schools as well as elsewhere – so the pandemic has served to amplify the loss. This is what I’ve learned thus far through my community conversations: Many BIPOC educators are often not treated as colleagues, they experience exclusion and feel unwelcome in their work environments. BIPOC educators’ opinions are often not heard. Multiple BIPOC teachers have shared with me that there’s a theme of feeling invisible in their workplaces. For example, their ideas are not heard, but if a white colleague then states the same idea as their own, it’s applauded. Even white educators who support either their BIPOC colleagues or students have experienced pushback and become targets among their peers. Moreover, when BIPOC students have the courage to speak up, they are not listened to. One BIPOC educator who left the District said, “When Malden is hiring, they need to add, ‘Blacks need not apply.’” If we look at the language differences that are represented in Malden, according to Malden Superintendent of Schools John Oteri, “More than 37% of new educators are fluent in a language besides English. These [seven] languages include Arabic, Chinese, Haitian Creole, Spanish, Vietnamese, Italian, and American Sign Language.” (Email from Superintendent Oteri, December 22, 2020.) This means that 90% of students’ languages – approximately 60 languages – are not represented by their teachers, even when the students are new immigrants. If you look at the statistics, you will see that only 27% of students in Malden are white and 73% are Asian, Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and multirace. (Ref./DOE: https://bit. ly/3e6x1Xd ) Yet, in 2020, there were only 7 African American full-time teachers in Malden (2%) in comparison to 306 white teachers (91%). (Ref./ DOE: https://bit.ly/3e5Iyq0) Why does that matter? Some white parents might ask, “If you have a great teacher, what difference does it make what color they are?” Why do Black educators matter? “...society is better off when students see diversity in the ranks of teachers rather than when they hear lessons about the importance of inclusion from a monolithic group of educators. Representation matters.” “Research shows that Black students who have Black teachers have better academic outcomes, are suspended less often, and face higher expectations from their teachers.” ... This may reduce teacher turnover in “hard-to-staff” schools. “Ultimately, all students benefit from teachers of color, as exposure to individuals from all walks of life can reduce stereotypes, prevent unconscious bias, and prepare students to succeed in a diverse society.” (Ref./Hechinger Report: https://bit.ly/33yx6OG ) It has been shown that student outcomes have been proven to be much more positive when students identify with the demographics of their educators. (Ref./NY Times: https://nyti. ms/3afutF8) Our students depend on us to empower them with all the resources this city can provide. Malden students have spoken out about the need for BIPOC educators to represent them. In 2018, 7th grade Salemwood students spoke, to the City of Malden School Committee, on the racism that they experienced. Take a look at this moving MATV recording of the meeting: http://vp.telvue.com/preview? id=T01001&video=332367 How can you make a positive difference? Here are some ways: You can ask the superintendent and school committee members why there are so few Black, Indigenous, People of Color teachers in Malden. When you notice that something seems amiss in the schools, find a way to speak up. If you are white, learn how to be an ally to BIPOC students and educators. Read, for example, “Waking Up White,” by Debby Irving, https://www.debbyirving.com/ the-book/ or “Me and White Supremacy,” by Layla Saad, http:// laylafsaad.com/meandwhitesupremacy . Watch videos, such as, “How to raise a black son in America” | Clint Smith, https:// bit.ly/3hiWgcc or “How to get serious about diversity and inclusion in the workplace” | Janet Stovall, https://bit.ly/3eJHDND . Consider civic engagement, such as learning about local candidates and if they are what the community needs. Attend Malden School Committee meetings and speak up during the Public Comment Period about policies that you see as incongruous with those of the forward-thinking and inclusive community, in which we seek to live. Attend MaldenCORE 4th Wednesday Conversations, https://www.facebook.com/ MaldenCORE . We want to create spaces so that we can hear the voices of the BIPOC community. We need data, we need policy, and we need protocol. These are lacking in Malden Public Schools. When we have all of our voices at the table, we can become who we say we are. Fern Remedi-Brown and her family have lived in Malden since they moved here in 1988. She can be reached at @ FernRemediBrown on Twitter or fremedib on Instagram. MEMORIALS | FROM PAGE 2 and the Soviet Union. More than three million people (including over 58,000 Americans) were killed in the Vietnam War. Opposition to the war in the United States bitterly divided Americans, even after President Richard Nixon ordered the withdrawal of U.S. forces in 1973. Communist forces ended the war by seizing control of South Vietnam in 1975, and the country was unified as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam the following year. Veterans Services Director Kevin Jarvis is requesting that the families of Malden Veterans who died during the Korean or Vietnam Wars please contact him at kjarvis@cityofmalden.org or at 781-397-7139 so that we may acknowledge them on Memorial Day.
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