Growing Together Comes with Growing Pains, But We Will Face Them Together

When I was eight-years-old, Durham Public Schools had their last redistricting process. As somebody who had to live with those decisions, who lost friends as a result of that vote, whose educational path was undoubtedly determined by my attending magnet schools — the historical significance of this moment is not lost on me. At the time, Durham was grappling with the realities of the merging of County and City schools, and as I sit at the dais during Board of Education meetings, I am the first Black woman to ever hold this seat. In fact, this seat was designed to be representative of a more rural, predominately white constituency, but that’s not who I was elected to represent. I ran on a platform that all families, especially those whose voices are not heard — working-class people, single-parent households, and families of color — all families — matter. I was elected because the majority of my district heard that message and agreed. This is the Durham I was raised in and the Durham I have chosen to raise my own child in.

Our community demonstrated during the pandemic that they are capable of care and compassion for others, that if any family is struggling, we will support them in whatever way we can. Our collective vision for Durham has always been one of equity. Even in the speeches opposing our redistricting plan, we heard that vision. We get it wrong often, but that’s our goal post. And DPS isn’t currently living up to that vision. Growing Together was born out of this shared vision, and as we experience the pain that comes with growth and change, I seek to remind us all why we’re here. I, better than anyone, know this will be hard on our students. It was hard on me as a child. There’s absolutely no way for it not to be. But I also know that creating equity for marginalized communities will always be the right decision.

In caring for our community, we all must acknowledge our own privilege. Most of my friends left when my school transitioned to a year-round magnet school because they couldn’t coordinate care during intercession, and while that was hard on me, it was undoubtedly harder on them. We all proved to be resilient when we were able to reconnect in local DPS Middle Schools and at various community events. Many of us acknowledge redistricting needs to happen, but don’t like the specifics of how it impacts us, our families, and our communities. To create equity, we’re going to have to move resources around, and just like I experienced in fifth grade, it’s going to come with some growing pains. For some, those will be minor inconveniences, but for others, the impact will be significant, and I hate that reality. I am, however, confident in the resiliency of our students.

I can’t speak for Durham Public Schools, the Board of Education, or even my constituents. I do believe equity was a value taken into this work, and I also believe there are ways in which we have missed that mark and we may continue to miss some things along the way. Our staff has demonstrated care and concern for all Durham students, during the pandemic and especially now as it applies to Growing Together. They have presented the best opportunities for Durham to become a more equitable learning environment for all our students. They are experts in each of their fields. This is difficult, complicated work, but I know that Durham can rise to the occasion. On Thursday, I am confident that we will be the caring, compassionate community we have proved ourselves to be in working together to find the path forward.

Durham Public Schools will hold a Public Hearing regarding the Growing Together plan on Thursday, January 19th at 5:30pm at the Minnie Forte-Brown Staff Development Center at 2107 Hillandale Road.