3 Tips to Survive College From Someone Who Made It

Editor’s Note: This is a condensed version of Samantha Smylie’s speech to the 2018 graduating class at John Hope High School in Chicago. Hope is one of the

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My Native American Students Don’t Need to Be Taught About Racism But They Do Need a Space to Talk About It

Just this year alone, Kanye West has said slavery was a “choice,” Roseanne Barr compared former Obama Advisor Valerie Jarrett to an ape, Starbucks closed d

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I Didn’t Want to Go to KIPP But Now I’m in College and I Totally Get It

It’s 5:45 a.m. on a Monday in mid-August. The year is 2006 and my mom is rapping on my bedroom door. “Julien! Time to get up Ju, you have school in an hour

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We Need to Stop Pulling Black Girls Out of Schools for Dress Code Violations

Dress code enforcement is as American as apple pie. Most of us have had some experience with dress codes, either in school or the workplace. And like all o

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Who’s Watching Out?

Outrage: Who’s Protecting Our Kids Why does a fifth-grader have to go to her school board to beg for protection from bullies? “Hi my name is Delanie. I’m h

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Her School Didn’t Just Get Her Through College, It Got Her Through Tragedy

Three people, two tragedies and one college visit shaped April Austin’s post-secondary dream of becoming an occupational therapist. Growing up, April’s gra

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It’s Time to End Violence and Create Beloved Communities

As a young man in Chicago, I can tell you that sometimes, being listened to is all you need. It can open the door to a whole new way of being. In elementar

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She Wrote a Guide for Herself and Then Turned It Into a Book to Empower Others

Ivy​ ​Box​​ currently​ ​serves​ ​as​ ​the​ ​chief​ ​executive​ ​officer​ ​of​​ ​​Voice​ ​T.H.E.​ ​Movement,​ ​Inc.,​​ ​​which ​hosts​ ​an annual empowermen

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What White Educators Can Do to Create Space for More Black Teachers

Last year, several of my talented, dedicated colleagues of color announced they were leaving our school, and the news hit some students hard. “Black teache

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