STOCKTON, Calif. — Aspire Public Schools (APS) is remaining focused on advancing equity in education, especially for Black students.
APS operates 36 public charter schools in Sacramento, Stockton, Modesto and other cities in California. The schools serve more than 15,000 K-12 students, predominantly students of color from low-income communities.
APS partnered with the non profit Nzinga, Inc. to hold a Black student conference at the Waterfront Hotel in Stockton Friday. The goal was to uplift Black students and educators.
"The school system was designed to oppress Black and Brown students," said Sonjhia Lowery, Chief Equity and People Officer, Aspire Public Schools. "Historically, the system was never designed to serve Black and Brown students. Aspire Public Schools is really about using the voice of students and families in liberatory education, so that we are supporting them and building agency. This way, they can help to design solutions to the system that serves them."
Dozens of students attended the conference. It featured pro-Black student programming, educational seminars, guest speakers and a town hall to help foster student engagement.
Diorue Hodges attended the event. She is a junior at Aspire Langston Hughes Academy in Stockton. As a Black student, she says she works hard to fight statistics about students of color and supports her peers in and out of the classroom.
"The statistics are shocking," said Hodges. "We are not told about these issues in the school system, either. So, it's like, what do you mean half of my peers might be going to jail or prison, rather than college? I want to better my community, better myself and help better my peers."
The achievement gap in education remains a nationwide problem. Black students continue to lag behind their white peers due to systemic barriers like lack of access to learning materials and resources, skilled teachers and discrimination in disciplining.
The school-to-prison pipeline, for instance, highlights how children are funneled out of public schools and straight into the criminal justice systems.
According to data from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Black students are suspended three times more than white students in the U.S. Data also shows students suspended or expelled are nearly three times more likely to be in contact with the criminal justice system the following year.
According to the National School School Boards Association (NSBA), Black students face other systemic challenges to a better education. That includes higher poverty rates, lack of internet access, disproportionate rate between Black students and teachers, higher dropout rates, low high school graduation and college enrollment rates.
Nzinga, Inc. is a community-based organization in Stockton working to make a positive change for Black students and educators. The non profit's vision is "to heal the wounds of curricular trauma through the decolonization of young Black minds by dismantling white supremacy in education for each future generation."
Nzinga offers educational programs for high schoolers at Aspire, including Rise and Black Is Lit. The programs are offered through Black Student Unions. It comes with reading sessions, projects, monthly seminars and much more. Nzinga's goal is to also work with students and school districts on a national level.
"Our mission is to disrupt the inequitable and racialized outcomes for Black scholars," said Tiffany Herndon, Nzinga, Inc.'s founder. "But, it's also about empowering Black educators because we, too, have a problem with a sense of belonging in the education community."
Aspire is also working with Nzinga, Inc. to offer pro-Black programs and conferences to middle students — not just high schoolers — in an effort to ensure a level playing field for all.