By Aaron Allen
The Seattle Medium
Last Weds, the National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI) released its 2018 State of the Black Child Report Card for Washington. For 48 years, NBCDI has been committed to improving the quality of life for Black children and families through education and advocacy.
A national affiliate network with chapters across the nation, NBCDI develops and delivers strength based, culturally relevant, evidence based and trauma informed curricula and programs that focus on the health and wellness of Black children and the Black community.
The event coordinated and led by Cemere James, Vice President of Policy for NBCDI presented a comprehensive program outlining the organizations role in tracking the educational progress of Black children in the state of Washington.
“We have so many people who advocate for children [in Washington], who are speaking up on behalf of children, but Black children continue to be left behind, continued to be pushed out of education spaces,” says James.
“And so for those people who say I don’t know where to start when it comes to Black children or racial equity, well here is where you start,” said James referring to the report. “We are presenting the top issues, the top disparities and data points that we found that are really driving the lag and outcomes for Black children.”
“This is not about pointing at Black families or children, we want to point at the systems,” added James.
According to the report, Black children are not experiencing affirming and positive learning environments. Today, more than 250 preschoolers are suspended or expelled per day from school. Such statistics as Black boys represent 19 percent of male preschool enrollment, but 45 percent of male preschool children receiving one or more out of school suspensions, Black girls are at 20 percent enrollment and 54 percent receiving one or more days out-of-school suspensions. These examples, according to advocates, are tragic and intolerable.
“Today’s early educational system is not delivering on the promise and it is negatively impacting our youngest Black learners,” says NBCDI.
Other organizations agree.
According to the National Women’s Justice Institute, “the system is aiding in funneling our children into the preschool to prison pipeline at an alarming and disproportionate rate and racial bias is a driving factor for the vastly disproportionate discipline practices.”
Dr. Brent Jones, who works as a director of leadership, organizational development and equity for Seattle Public Schools, says that he is not only concerned about the issues identified in the report as an educator, but he is also concerned as a parent, a member of the community and a product of Seattle Public Schools.
“As a Seattle Public School graduate, I also have a lot of passion for what goes on here,” says Jones. “I’m not shocked by the data that we’re seeing here. But I am hopeful that this issue is more about what adults need to do to change the conditions to make sure African American students are successful.”
Seattle community leaders and activist concur in their own efforts to understand and find solutions to the dilemmas our children face in education.
“In my opinion by having this report card and the data, peeling back the layers of inequity and focusing on Black children in saying this is the real story on what Black children are doing, what more does our system need to do in order to serve our children well,” asks Anthony Shoecraft, special advisor to the Mayor Jenny Durkan on Black Male Achievement.
Some of the programs NBCDI are implementing across the nation to help reduce disparities include the Good For Me and Grow Green Get Fit programs, which specializes in the wellness of our children and communities; the Read to Succeed and Raising a Reader programs, which are designed to promote early literacy and language development in our children; and the Family Engagement Program, a family empowerment program to build the capacity of parents and caregivers as leaders of their families to foster their children’s learning and development.
James proclaims, “We know that beauty, excellence… all these things come from and out of our communities but the data is not showing that and we have to hold these systems accountable.”
