The Young and the Woke

You are tuning into "Creating Space to Talk About Race," a special series where we hear from a racially diverse group of Oakland Technical High School students reflecting on their experiences in the Race, Policy, and Law academy known as RPL. In this episode, the students turn their attention to cross-racial solidarity and what it might take for us to get there. They speak candidly about the challenges and successes that they experienced in their classroom. You will hear from Samira, Nia, Audrey, Simona, Nyla, Imahni, Ceterra, Ruby, Summer, and their teacher, Heath. 

For over a year now, conservative politicians and pundits have weaponized "critical race theory" in attempts to turn out voters. Enraged parents have been protesting at school board meetings about what they fear is the indoctrination of their children.  Few, if any of them, have ever stepped into a classroom where students of different backgrounds are discussing race. What would the students themselves have to say about the impact of discussing race in the classroom? In this episode, guest host and producer Rose Khor shares the voices of a racially diverse group of students from Heath Madom's class at Oakland Tech. The students participated in racial affinity groups where they first divided into groups based on their racial identity to share their experiences and then, importantly, came back together as a whole group to listen to each of the groups offer their reflections. Tune in to what the students have to say about racial affinity groups.

For over a year now, conservative politicians and pundits have weaponized "critical race theory" in attempts to turn out voters. Enraged parents have been protesting at school board meetings about what they fear is the indoctrination of their children.  Few, if any of them, have ever stepped into a classroom where students of different backgrounds are discussing race. What would the students themselves have to say about the impact of discussing race in the classroom? In this episode, guest host and producer Rose Khor shares the voices of a racially diverse group of students in Heath Madom's class at Oakland Tech. These students recently graduated from a career pathway at the school that discusses the intersection of race, policy, and law. Take a listen to what the students have to say about the role of discussing race in schools.

This is a special episode on indigenous ways of knowing and how we can awaken to the wisdom of indigenous communities. I was lucky to catch up with my friend and colleague Shane Safir as she interviewed Denise Augustine, an indigenous leader and educator from British Columbia. Check out this episode to learn about how indigenous ways of knowing can help us heal our relationship with one another and to the land we live on.

This episode features Ozzy Johnson, a student in the ninth grade in OUSD. He is one of more than 1500 ninth graders taking Ethnic Studies this year. As someone who has spent close to a decade organizing for Ethnic Studies, developing curriculum, and supporting Ethnic Studies teachers in OUSD, I really wanted to hear what students had to say about the class. In this episode, Ozzy gives his take on Ethnic Studies, politics in general, and the upcoming presidential election.

In recognition of Labor Day and all of our teachers, I caught up with Jah-Yee Woo — long time Oakland teacher and Oakland teacher of the year in 2018-19. We've worked together over the years on various initiatives in the district from civic engagement to Ethnic Studies to the graduate capstone. Sit back and listen to her story: how she became a teacher, why she's passionate about centering youth voice, how she continues to learn and grow, and finally what her dreams are for changing public education. Through her journey, she reminds us that students and teachers alike are not empty vessels. 

In this episode, I catch up with two students who were featured on this podcast before. Don't worry, we recorded the interviews online, so no social distancing guidelines were broken. Given all the changes that are happening in our world during the COVID-19 pandemic, I wanted to hear from young people, particularly high school seniors who are at a critical moment at the cusp of adulthood. We hear from Fremont High School student Midori Butler and former Skyline High School student Angelica Perkins. 

There's no shortage of advice out there for how teachers should teach, but little of it comes directly from students. And that's why in this first episode of our second season, I travel to Castlemont High School to talk to two students in the Sustainable Urban Design Academy about what makes learning powerful. America and Jessica are juniors and they take Green Urban Design with their teacher Ms. Jacobson. In a recent project, they created designs for an empty lot in their East Oakland neighborhood. But this wasn't just an exercise, the students partnered with Carolyn Johnson at the Black Cultural Zone and with Oakland City Council Member Loren Taylor. The students designs are amazing. But don't take my word for it. You can check out links to the students' designs on this document. The City is also using the finalists' designs as the basis for future bids to develop the site. The students are activating the site throughout the spring and summer in partnership with the Pop-Up Resource Village. Their first event is Saturday, March 14, 2-5pm at the nearby Glover Center. Check it out!

Students, especially low-income students, don't have the luxury of taking expensive college classes and building up debt while they “figure things out.” What if we could expose students in high school to more college, career, and community experiences to help them understand how to pursue their future goals? In this episode, we learn about Dual Enrollment - a program between Oakland Unified School District and Peralta College that aims to do just that.

On September 20th, more than a thousand youth from Oakland Unified School District participated in the largest climate protest in human history. This was a response to the international consensus that we have to cut our carbon emissions in half within the next 11 years to prevent irreversible damage to the planet. In this episode, we hear from Skyline High School students, including protest organizer Angelica Perkins who works with Youth vs. Apocalypse.

In today's episode, we meet Tayland Sou a senior in the Community Health Equity Academy at Castlemont High School. He cherishes East Oakland. It's as if his home, his block, his school, and his community are coursing through his veins.  All the generosity and support he receives are what fill his heart, and it's that positive energy that he gives back to his home community. 

Check out our back to school episode! In this episode, we meet Midori Butler - a student in the Media Academy at Fremont High School in Oakland, California. She helps us contemplate the importance of teaching in the lives of students, particularly those who have faced many challenges in their lives. Midori has overcome a lot in her life to get to where she is. She's put herself on a fast track to graduation by taking a college class this summer, which allowed her to skip her junior year of high school. But getting to this point in high school wasn't a walk in the park. For much of her life, Midori was on her own and raising herself. Her experiences have given her a critical perspective on what qualities are important in a teacher, particularly those who work with students who have faced a lot of trauma in their lives. Through Oakland Unified's summer internship program, Midori worked with the Talent Division to develop a teacher candidate screening form that reflects her perspective as a student on what makes a good teacher. Take a listen to Midori's story - A Rose in Oakland's Concrete.

In this episode, we learn about Leonardo, a senior in the Health Academy at Oakland Technical High School. His story paints a picture of how the path to high school graduation isn't always a straight line, but rather a windy road full of twists and turns. There isn't a GPS device to help you navigate all those curves, many of which are uncharted. Instead, it takes the wisdom, guidance, and resources of an entire village. The village that supports Leonardo to be successful begins with his mother and also includes the Oakland Housing Authority, amazing classroom teachers, community organizations like the HOPE collaborative, internship opportunities, and not insignificantly the financial support of voters in Oakland in through Measure N.If you want to support this podcast, please consider a donation here.