PSV: Black Lives Matter @ School (Postponed until Fall 2021)

Whether through overt anti-Blackness in the form of racially motivated hateful acts, curriculum that does not validate Black identities, full histories, and power, or because of simple bias, our children feel the realities of racial inequity in school. Inspired by the power of Black Lives Matter and the subsequent Black Lives Matter at School movement, this 5-part series allows students to work with Dr. Jamila Lyiscott to have sacred conversations about racial inequity in school, develop racial literacy skills, and learn tools for youth activism with the goal of making sure our children develop their voice and know that Black Lives Matter in school! PSV is covering more than half of the cost of this program per student. However, we know the requested cost to families may still be difficult for some. For full/partial scholarship requests, please email PSVadmin@privateschoolvillage.org. Conversely, if you want to help cover the cost for an additional student to enjoy this program, please make a general donation under the "donate" button on the PSV website homepage. For 5th & 6th Grade Students. Class requirement: Have screen audio/video turned on with student name/school in "name" box, pen & paper, and be ready to engage in conversation. 

Dr. Jamila Lyiscott is a community engaged scholar, a nationally renowned speaker and a spoken word artist. She serves as an Assistant Professor of Social Justice Education at UMass Amherst and a Senior Research Fellow of Teachers College, Columbia University's Institute for Urban and Minority Education. Across these spaces, Jamila's work focuses on racial justice, community engagement, and youth activism. Her scholarship and activism work together to prepare educators to sustain diversity in the classroom, empower youth, and explore, assert, and defend the value of Black life. As a testament to her commitment to educational justice for students of color, Jamila is the founder and co-director of the Cyphers For Justice youth, research, and advocacy program, apprenticing NYC high school youth, incarcerated youth, and pre-service educators as critical social researchers through hip-hop, spoken word, and digital literacy. She is the recipient of the 2019 AERA Outstanding Public Communication of Education Research Award and the 2019 Scholar-Activist & Community Advocacy Award.

Jamila is the author of Black Appetite. White Food. Issues of Race, Voice, and Justice Within and Beyond the Classroom. She is most well known for being featured on Ted.com and has also been featured in Spike Lee's "2 Fists Up," on NPR, Huffington Post, Lexus Verses and Flow, Upworthy, The Root, and many other media outlets nationally and internationally. Her poetry and scholarly work have been published in several peer-reviewed scholarly journals.