Kamala Harris brings home the importance of black teachers in our schools at Democratic debate

[BeyondGeography]

This was the most powerful moment of the night for me:

Harris: My first grade teacher, Mrs.. Francis Wilson, God rest her soul, attended my law school graduation. I think most of us would say that we are not where we are without the teachers who believed in us. I have offered in this campaign a proposal to deal with this, which will be the first in the nation, federal investment, in closing the teacher pay gap, which is $13,500 a year. Because right now, in our public schools, our teachers, 94% of them are coming out of their own pocket to help pay for school supplies. and that is wrong.

I also want to talk about where we are here at TSU, and what it means in terms of HBCUs. I have—as part of my proposal that we will put $2 trillion into investing in our HBCUs for teachers, because—because—because, one, as a proud graduate of a historically black college and university, I will say—I will say that it is our HBCUs that disproportionately produce teachers and those who serve in these many professions—

Moderator: Thank you, senator.

Harris: —but this is a critical point. If a black child has a black teacher before the end of third grade, they're 13% more likely to go to college. If that child has had two black teachers before the end of third grade, they're 32% more likely to go to college. So, when we talk about investing in our public education system, it is at the source of so much. When we fix it, it will fix so many other things.

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/9/12/1885188/-Kamala-Harris-brings-home-the-importance-of-black-teachers-in-our-schools-at-Democratic-debate

[bigtree]

1. great content on that exchange

Link to tweet

...she also wrote an op-ed with this theme:

Link to tweet

But the part about the black child's potential for success based on a diversity of teachers, with some who share their race or ethnicity, is a compelling argument.

[DesertRat]

2. K&R

[in2herbs]

3. Black, yellow, green or gold, we need teachers! We must educate the youth about the

perils we are facing because of our ignorance. After having lunch yesterday with some lady friends (all retired) I am more than ever convinced that our youth must be educated so that they don't turn out like the seniors of today (DU seniors excepted.)

[Andy823]

4. K&R nt

[Kahuna7]

5. Wow, really? Kamala says, water is wet...

[BeyondGeography]

6. Bakari Sellers says hello

Link to tweet

[Kahuna7]

7. What is that suppose to mean? There are plenty of black teachers...

Maybe you and baracki don't know that. Am I suppose to care what baracki thinks? I didn't get that memo.

[Kind of Blue]

8. N'eh, Kamala is reiterating overlooked research. The earliest I've seen are

from '96 in what's considered seminal works of Michele Foster, Jackie Irvine, and Vanessa Siddle-Walker, "Their Highest Potential: An African American School Community in the Segregated South" and "Growing Up African American in Catholic Schools." As well as Johns Hopkins University and American University's "The Long-Run Impacts of Same-Race Teachers" and the National Bureau of Economic Research's paper by the same team titled "Teacher Expectations Matter."

[Kahuna7]

9. '96 huh? I'm 65. I've had plenty of black teachers. I

don't care about a study. I rarely do.

[Kind of Blue]

10. Well, you may not care but studies love us

especially the remedies from them to reduce the disparity in education.

[Kahuna7]

12. Yeah right. I'm sure you believe it when people are identified as

"experts." I don't. Why? Because for every so called expert, you'll find another so called expert with a differing conclusion.

[Kind of Blue]

13. Thank you for your so-called expert opinion.

[Kahuna7]

14. Oo. Pithy. I'm not arrogant to consider myself an expert on anything.

But do you.

[HeartlandProgressive]

11. K&R

[DesertRat]

15. Kick for visibility

[Politicub]

16. One of her best moments

She is tackling systemic racism head-on with her proposals.

She will wipe the floor with Trump if she wins the nomination.