Baltimore Community Leaders and Higher Education Support Black Lives Matter Week of Action In School

We,
The undersigned professors, scholars, and community organizations publicly express our support for and solidarity with Baltimore teachers, students and community members and their February 5-10th action in recognition of making Black Student Lives Matter in our schools.
We believe that these goals are vital for educators, parents, students, and all communities in order to…
Create a space for introspection and dialogue around the 13 guiding principles
Build deeper connections between educators, parents, students, and community organizations
Stand in support of national organizing groups supporting Black Lives Matter;
Empower students and student groups to play a leading role in this week and moving forward
As this work continues beyond February 10, we support the Local Demands for the Black Lives Matter Week of Action written by the Baltimore Movement of Rank and File Educators, the Baltimore Algebra Project, and their partners, which calls for mandated Black History/Ethnic Studies K-12, a more thoughtful implementation of Restorative Practices, the hiring of more Black Teachers and teachers of color, and racial equity in school funding.
This ongoing work will promote equality; the value of human life, and educational, political, and social justice. It requires us to develop the knowledge and actions necessary to eliminate the barriers that structural prejudice, stereotyping, discrimination, and bias create in Baltimore and beyond. We are committed to teaching, learning, and culture in our classrooms that reflect these missions and goals, and to our role in building the leadership of our students to live b them. The survival and empowerment of all communities demands this.
Signed,
Zeke Cohen
City Councilman, City Council
Shannon Sneed Resident, Baltimore City
Sharon Green Middleton
VP / District 6 Councilwoman, Baltimore City Council
Bernard C. "Jack" Young
City Council President, Baltimore City Council
Bill Henry
Councilman, Baltimore City Council
Lawrence Brown
Associate Professor, Morgan State University
Ailish Hopper
Associate Professor, Peace Studies, Goucher College
Emily Riehl
Assistant Professor of Mathematics, Johns Hopkins University
Carol Ott
Director, Housing Policy Watch
Jessica Shiller
Associate Professor, Towson University
Nicole Fabricant
Associate Professor Towson University
Patrice Hutton
Executive Director, Writers in Baltimore Schools
Melissa Badeker
Director, Baltimore Teacher Supply Swap
Joe Neumann
Digital Legal Resources Librarian, Francis King Carey School of Law, University of Maryland-Baltimore
A. Minter
Academic Librarian, Towson University
Sarah Burns Gilchrist
Research and Instruction Librarian, Towson University
Tahira Mahdi, Ph.D
Human Services Psychology-Community Psychology, #SistaScholars
Zackary Berger
Associate Professor, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Camika Royal
Director, Center for Innovation in Urban Education & Assistant Professor of Urban Education, Loyola University Maryland
Adell Cothorne
Instructor/PDS Coordinator, Johns Hopkins School Of Education
Nathan Daniel Beau Connolly
Herbert Baxter Adams Associate Professor, Johns Hopkins University
Morgan Shahan
PhD Candidate and Instructor, Johns Hopkins University
Jilene Chua
PhD Candidate, Johns Hopkins University
Greg Zacharias
Professor of English, Creighton University
Graham Mooney,
Associate Professor, Johns Hopkins University
Robert Helfenbein, PhD
Associate Dean, Loyola University Maryland School of Education
Amy R. Boyd
Chair, Greater Baltimore Democratic Socialists of America
Bilphena Yahwon
Outreach Coordinator, Community Conferencing Center
Donna Martin
Rev Dr (retired), St. Matthias Episcopal Church
Kimberly Humphrey
Legislative Counsel - Education, ACLU of Maryland
Valeska Maria Populoh
Faculty, MICA
Celeste Perilla
Director K-12 Initatives, Downtown Baltimore Family Alliance
Katie Moy-Santos
Administrative Coordinator, Baltimore Asian Resistance in Solidarity
Dayvon Love
Dir. Public Policy, Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle
Ava Pipitone
Executive Director, The Baltimore Transgender Alliance