Monday, September 13, 2021
Chairman Lewis, Chairwoman Peisch, and Members of the Joint Committee on Education:
My name is Jonathan Cohn, and I am the chair of the Issues Committee at Progressive Massachusetts, a statewide grassroots advocacy group committed to a more equitable, just, democratic, and sustainable vision for Massachusetts.
We urge you to give a favorable report to S.365/H.584: An Act relative to anti-racism, equity and justice in education (Lewis – Elugardo / Uyterhoeven).
The events of the past year and a half have put a spotlight on the racial inequities in US society: the COVID-19 pandemic, the growing attention to police brutality since the George Floyd murder, and the rise of anti-Asian racism—not to mention how the January 6th attack on the US Capitol manifested the dark legacy of racism and white supremacy in our country’s past and present.
Our schools need to be equipping students with the tools and knowledge to understand the totality of our country’s history, to critically engage with current events, and to be agents of change in their communities. And we need to ensure that all students can see the contributions that people who look like them made to our nation’s history by teaching history in its fullest.
These bills would do so by creating a Commission for Anti-Racism and Equity in Education, with members chosen from advocacy groups, teacher and superintendent unions and associations, and parent groups, to develop curriculum materials with a social justice perspective and to ensure that ethnic studies and racial justice are taught at all grade levels using an analytical and age-appropriate approach. The Commission would also be tasked with advising the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education on how best to support and retain teachers and school counselors of color and with ensuring that teachers and counselors have access to professional development that fosters an equitable and inclusive pedagogy.
Thank you for your work on this important legislation.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Cohn
Chair, Issues Committee
Progressive Mass