Jackie Coleman
Jefferson City
Dear Editor:
The JCPS superintendent’s letter posted on the school website and in last Sunday’s paper states he will reach out to small groups to listen more, not speak as much and try to have empathy. If you cannot be empathetic, why waste our time?
Past and present superintendents and boards of education have given “lip service” to racial injustice, disparate student achievement, a diverse workforce and ongoing diversity training. I observed this firsthand for 15 years as the first African American female to serve on the JCPS board.
In 2017, the board and superintendent had an opportunity to be part of the solution when a racist and anti-Semitic photograph went viral. The district’s response was lackluster to say the least. The superintendent responded with three listening sessions, each attended by a few school board members. The superintendent talked most of the time, controlled the meeting format and announced he would follow the advice of previous JCPS superintendents, who failed to address racial injustice, by establishing another hand-picked committee/task force. What has the committee accomplished?
I think the board and superintendent’s desire to curb racial injustice is a move in the right direction. However, listening is not enough. Meaningful community engagement and a scorecard to measure success are a must. We cannot allow social injustice action to be relegated to a PR checkoff box.
Systemic racism is a Jefferson City community issue. Let us take this opportunity of unrest and activism to move toward a racially, socially, and economically just community. What a better institution to start improving racial injustice than our tax-supported public education.