Blacks and Latinos Unite to Fight for Reduction in Black Student Suspensions

“We are taking on a paradigm shift of not fighting over crumbs. We are going to talk about real issues that are hurting us, such as no jobs, poor education, and criminalization of our youth,” said Ron Gochez, Los Angeles Council District 9 Candidate. “We are empowering our people to be part of the solution and not dependent on others to change what happens in our community.”

Gochez and the South Central Neighborhood Council (SCNC), comprised of predominantly Latino members, are examples of Latinos uniting for a common cause. They are championing the reduction of Black student suspension rates, particularly at LAUSD schools where there is largely Latino populations and small numbers of Blacks.

The SCNC recently passed a resolution against the high suspension rates of Black students at Santee Education Complex, one of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s Partnership for Los Angeles Schools (PLAS) whose schools are reported to have the highest black suspension rates in the district. In 2011-2012, Blacks comprised 5% of Santee’s student population, but had a 23% suspension rate.

In the resolution, SCNC denounces the targeting and punishment of Black students and demands LAUSD, PLAS, and Santee Education Complex work with community stakeholders to reduce out-of and in-school suspensions by the end of 2013-2014.

Furthermore, the resolution urges the three to develop an emergency plan that complements School-Wide Positive Behavior Supports and other resources around culturally-responsive behavior management methods. They want an eleven person oversight committee at Santee made up of the following representatives: 2 SCNC, 3 Black Community, 2 Latino community, 2 teachers, and 2 students.

As Gochez points out, “We can’t throw kids out of the classroom that need our help. These kids are already faced with rejection from family, school, and society. We don’t need to be punitive. Administrators and teachers need to take steps to relate, build self-character, and produce better kids in and out the classroom.”

“We are showing that we are allies and neighborhood councils can be allies too to pressure LAUSD to make immediate changes,” Gochez sums up.

Koyaki Kwa Jitahidi of MA’AT Institute for Community Change, one of the organizers of the South LA Black and Latino Unity and Issues Forum echoes Gochez’s comments and concludes why Black and Latino unity is critically important.

“Black and Latino unity is the most important coalition that can be built in South LA. We share common concerns around lack of living wage jobs, struggling public schools and non-responsive government. The unfair targeting of Black students for punishment in LAUSD schools, especially at schools that have high Latino populations, provides a great opportunity for our community to come together.”

NEED TO KNOW-The South Los Angeles Black and Latino Unity and Issues Forum is a free event hosted by the South Los Angeles Power Coalition. Event details are: September 15, 10 am, Mercado La Paloma, 3655 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90007. Special guests include Dr. Maulana Karenga, Chair of the African American Cultural Center and Carlos Montes, co-founder of the Brown Berets and Latinos Against the War. For more information or to RSVP, email [email protected] or call 424-240-8510.

(Janet Denise Kelly is a CityWatch featured contributor. She offers more than a decade of accomplishments in the housing and nonprofit sector. Janet brings valuable insight in the areas of community and economic development. Additionally, she brings knowledge regarding the leadership and management challenges faced by large and small nonprofits that are struggling or growing organizations. She blogs at jdkellyenterprises.org and can be reached at: [email protected]) –cw



CityWatch
Vol 10 Issue 73
Pub: Sept 11, 2012