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