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The San Diego Monitor
Heated Charter School Debates Ignore One Key Fact: Black Students Are Underperforming In Our Schools
“The critical question is not being asked: ‘what is best for our children?,’” said Assemblymember Shirley Weber (DSan Diego), a member of the Assembly Education committee.
Tanu Henry | California Black Media
On top of that, nearly 68 percent of all African-American students in California perform below their grade level in English and language arts. In math, about 80 percent of Black students fail to meet the state’s proficiency mark.
She was speaking at a hearing held earlier this month on three charter school bills – AB 1505, AB 1506 and AB 1507 – before her colleagues voted to move them out of committee. The package of legislation would place significant restrictions on charter schools, if the full legislature passes them and Gov. Gavin Newsom signs them. Then, last week, the Senate Education Committee voted in favor of another charter school bill. This one, SB 756, would place a five-year ban on certifying any new charters. The language in the bill, introduced by Sen. María Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles), states that it is designed to ensure public charter schools do not “replace or undermine” the state’s public-school system.
Black children are also three times more likely than Whites to be suspended for similar behaviors, according to a report by San Diego State University’s Community College Equity Lab and UCLA’s Black Male Institute. When it comes to getting admitted to a California State University or University of California school, only 22 percent of Black high school seniors graduate from schools where a majority of their racial group passes the required courses.
In California, roughly 52,800 Black students attend charter schools. Although the independent taxpayer-funded schools only account for about 10 percent of public schools, they enroll 3 percent more Black students than the traditional district schools. Because such a high percentage of African Americans attend charters, opponents of the bills see the package of proposals as a direct attack on Black students. Continued on pg. 5
African-American children are California’s lowest performing group of students, only above students with special needs. Only 2 percent of Black kids in the state attend schools that are considered “high performing.” And only 10 majority AfricanAmerican schools, located mostly in hard-to-count, high-poverty census tracts around the Bay Area and Los Angeles, score, on average, above the state math and language arts requirements.
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The San Diego Monitor
Equity Defines 2020 Election Marianne Williamson award winning author tells San Diego audience, “the People have got to take control.” by Nechel Sheree’ Best
Equity defines 2020 Election San Diego Califia NOW brings the Marianne Williams and the Reparations Conversation to town San Diego Califia NOW hosted a Speaking Truth to Power Townhall on April 29, 2019 at the Jacobs Center. Featuring a 21st Century Conversation on Reparations, with Author and Presidential candidate Marianne Williamson. Early in the bid for the 2020 Presidential election, the Marianne2020 campaign is making San Diego and a base of women voters a priority. The non-partisan event attended by the public and new leaders that came out to hear more about Ms. Williamson’s platform showed promise for the candidate in their diverse representation of progressive goals and seemingly aligned ideals. At the VIP Candidate Mixer, District 9 City Councilmember Georgette Gomez had the opportunity to meet the candidate and outline her initiatives on economic equity and representation in an interview with the San Diego Monitor News. Pointing out that she is the first openly queer Latina female councilperson and the first Council President to implement a yearly work plan. Seeking to “put the Mayor on notice” of agenda items that are important to her and her constituency.
Michelle Price, President of San Diego Califia, the African American women’s sister organization of California National Organization of Women (CA NOW), had the support of chapters throughout the state. Ms. Price and Adria Fox, Califia member and event organizer brought current President of CA NOW, Kolieka Seigle, the first African American women to represent the entire state of California for the national organization of women. Kolieka shared that CA NOW board of directors is presently composed of all women of color with an expanded legislative program that reflects issues beyond reproductive justice, including police reform. Along with a host of volunteers eager to empower women, Los Angeles Califia President Cheryl Branch took to the stage paving the way for Marianne Williamson’s keynote also focused on equity. Dismal economic study findings of a $5 median net worth of Black women in contrast to $26,000 to their White women counterparts in the same situation sparked her activism. Presidential candidate Marianne Williamson believes the average White American is woefully ignorant about the impact of 400 years of slavery on Black Americans as a group.
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The San Diego Monitor
Push the Boundaries past your comfort zone
Celebrating 2 years of Black Excellence! The excellence continues at San Diego’s hip, historic City Heights neighborhood for this Young Black & N' Business Festival; one of the largest celebrations of its kind in San Diego. This festival attracts over 250+ attendees. A multigenerational celebration, the festival offers food, music, award ceremony, history and interactive activities for children and families. YB & N'Business Fest! includes live performances from San Diego's hottest talent, and appearances from San Diego's prominent black city officials like Monica Montgomery. This event attracts over 30 vendors, more than 30 volunteers and is strongly supported by the City of San Diego and San Diego County. For vendor information please contact ROOSEVELT WILLIAMS III at www.ybandnb@gmail.com
The Empire www.solecobbler.com www.ybandnb.com Roosevelt (yellow rose, far right) has built an empire on giving young and up and coming Black entrepreneurs a platform to showcase their talents and ideas. Roosevelt states “As an accomplished cobbler I know how important connections are to my business bottom line. Register for his next event! www.ybandnb@gmail.com
The San Diego Monitor
Equity Defines 2020 Credited with bringing the reparations issue to the fore in the 2020 election cycle, she introduces the subject matter with a detailed history lesson defining slavery’s evolution into black code laws as “domestic terrorism” ensuring generational inequity “subpar social, economical and political opportunities for black people” says Williamson. What’s most interesting about Madame Williamson’s petition for paying reparations is that she is the focus on reconciliation for all Americans. Citing Germany having paid reparations for the Jewish holocaust meliorating guilt by “doing the right thing”, she is embraced by rousing applause and a standing ovation from this very diverse California crowd. And then shares how typical this positive reaction is everywhere she goes.
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Charter Schools continued: Charter schools have been a way within the public school system for African-American and all families to have choice,” says Margaret Fortune, an African-American educator who founded and runs Fortune School, a network of seven charter schools in Sacramento and San Bernardino that focuses on closing the AfricanAmerican achievement gap and preparing students for college beginning in Kindergarten. She says, under current California law, the number one consideration for a charter school to be approved is the academic performance of students. Under the new proposals, one of the criteria would be money – if the applying charter impacts the finances of the local school district. The legislators who authored the bills and their supporters say they introduced them to bring about more accountability and that charter school reform is long overdue. “School board members have a fiduciary duty to ensure the fiscal health of their district. They know the needs of their schools the best and should be able to consider the fiscal impact on their students and district when considering whether to approve a new charter school,” said Assemblymember Rob Bonta (D-Oakland). Read More on www.sdmonitornews.com
“Reparations is important for Black people, but more importantly for America as a whole. Healing is good for any country, this would make us a great nation!” ~ Marianne Williamson
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The San Diego Monitor
NOW ON
Editor-In-Chief Cheryl Morrow wants you to share in this discussion on Black Exceptionalism & Immigration. Please comment, sharing your thoughts and this video. Thus, broadening this important conversation. To hear the full SDMN values the discourse and contributions of insightful Black thinkers. Embodying our motto "it's not about the
news, it's about information" or as one engaged reader put it "if you're not informed, news doesn't matter" this audio series intends to provoke progressive thought on cooperative economics, political will & power rooted in logical analysis from an Afro ethos.
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The San Diego Monitor
Avengers Endgame: Ends on Top By Jre Best
Fun, funny, tear-jerking those are the three terms the keep rolling around in my head when I think of Avengers Endgame. Avengers endgame is the much-anticipated ending/ celebration of Marvel's last decade of success. It’s the direct follow-up to Avengers Infinity War, which famously ended with half of the Marvel universe vanishing into dust after the mad titan Thanos (Josh Brolin) snapped his fingers after he finished creating the Infinity Gauntlet. Avengers Endgame revolves around mostly the original Avengers cast plus some newer faces like Nebula (Karen Gillan), Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper) and Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) going on a cosmically scaled adventure to restore the universe to its proper state. Endgame is a very different movie
from any other installment in its series. The movie’s first act is more deliberately paced than your typical Marvel movie. But don't mistake the slow-paced beginning for an uninteresting one because Endgame is a feverishly engaging movie. It uses its 3-hour run time well for a movie whose story is closer in structure to classic comic book events than any conventional movie structure. This in large part is because of the actors; the performances in Marvel movies while rarely ever outright bad don’t often reach the levels of great and Endgame achieves that with the standout performances being Robert Downey Jr. and Karen Gillan for their portrayals of Tony Stark and nebula. Read more www.sdmonitornews.com
