We Act Radio’s “Community thru Covid” is taking a breather this week. Many DC locals will be engaged with FY21 Budget markup hearings, as we attempt to ensure that the new budget, in the midst of pandemic and protest, reflects public demands. Schedule for June 24 below. In addition, listeners nationwide are encouraged to take time to imagine “What would freedom look like in our schools?” with educators Bettina Love, Gholdy Muhammad, and Dena Simmons. See below more more on “Abolitionist Teaching and the Future of Schools,” recorded on June 23.

DC Budget Markup

The markup hearing for the Committee on Human Services includes Children and Family Services, Dept on Disability Services, and many others. Mark-up session starts at 10:30 a.m.

The markup hearing for the Committee on Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization includes DC Housing Authority, Office of Tenant Advocacy, Real Estate Commission and many others. Mark-up session starts at 12 noon.

Sessions will be shown on Council streaming service. Sometimes live on Council’s FB page as well.

Abolitionist Teaching

For those short on time, jump to the 1 hour mark to hear the conversation on how Covid-19 — with the sudden shuttering of schools, abandonment of testing, and other enormous changes — has seriously altered ideas about what is and is not possible in schools.

This program, co-sponsored by Haymarket Books and the Schomburg Center at NYPL, looks at how abolitionist educators can make the most of this peculiar moment:

“The coronavirus pandemic has transformed the US education system overnight. The antiracist rebellion in the streets has shown a light on the deep racial inequality in America. Educators and activists who have nurtured radical dreams for public schools now face an unprecedented moment of change, and the challenge of trying to teach and organize online in the midst of unfolding crises.”

Bettina L. Love teaches at the University of Georgia and is author of We Want To Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom and Hip Hop’s Li’l Sistas Speak: Negotiating Hip Hop Identities and Politics in the New South.

Dr. Gholnecsar (Gholdy) Muhammad teaches at Georgia State University and is author of Cultivating Genius: An Equity Model for Culturally and Historically Responsive Literacy.

Dena Simmons, Ed.D., is assistant director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and an Associate Research Scientist at the Yale Child Study Center and author of the forthcoming book, White Rules for Black People (St. Martin’s Press, 2021).

Moderator: Brian Jones, Associate Director of Education at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.

Donations in honor of this programming will be split between Haymarket Books and Schomburg Center.