Tuesday’s verdict of George Floyd’s murder trial reinforced for so many the purpose of what accountability seeks to do – to ensure that justice is exercised, fair, and equitable across the board for all people, particularly BIPOC and those impacted by poverty. And when it is not, consequences are imposed.
While it isn’t always clear how the full educational ecosystem intersects, ownership and accountability are critical if we are to realize true justice for all.
Earlier this month, the Foundation for Tacoma students hosted the Charting Our Future conference, which provided our community with dedicated time and space to galvanize about race, justice, and the education system.
Much of the conversation during the 3-day conference underscored the many complexities to nourishing the full potential of young people. Complexities that many of us understand to be deeply baked and perceivably unchangeable within our systems. These complexities include the ongoing murder of Black people at the hands of police and our nation’s long history of racial violence against communities of color.
Our conference achieved many great things. But most notably, it allowed for constructive dialogue across many perspectives that led to our collective call for shared ownership and accountability for the success of every child.
How we name and operationalize practices of holding ourselves accountable to every young person is the task at hand. I call on each of us to interrogate the way we stand complacent in the perpetual outcomes that have yet to equitably transform systems.
Help us stand firm in our promise to support every child achieve success by informing our community’s accountability indicators for Graduate Tacoma’s 2030 goal.
We need your input to ensure we track the right data to drive equitable student outcomes and institutional accountability.
In solidarity and in justice,
Dr. Tafona Ervin
Executive Director, Foundation for Tacoma Students
