EQUITY delayed is equity denied? EQUITY denied is injustice

Moral Mondays, Connecticut BATs, Save Our Schools March CT are launching a Equity Now Campaign for equity and justice in our public schools. We are calling our campaign "Equity Now", and it is a year long campaign beginning with Equity Now Salon across the state from June to December, holding a Equity Now Legislative Institute in January, and a massive Rally in Hartford our state capital.
 

Our first "Equity Now" Salon on June 9 is a TEDxCCSU event. We sent out our invitation late Monday afternoon, and in less than 48 hours we were at capacity. The house ids full, but this is not a one time thing. This is the start of Equity Now Salons across the state. So if you missed this one there are more coming. This is the start of something bigger than us. This is Connecticut's march to justice in our public schools.
Why an Equity NOW campaign. 
I am trying to understand something a legislator told me recently when I ask why can't we have equity in Connecticut's public schools. 
She said we are working on it, it's complicated, it costly, and to be honest voters are not willing to invest in it. 
My reply what should we say to Black, Brown, and Poor Children in Connecticut?
Children be patient, it complicated, it's costly, and to be honest people are not willing to invest in it.
We are doing the best we can for the children of the wealthy, and doing what we can for poor children of color.
If we don't have equity in our public schools, then we don't have justice in our public schools.
William E. Gladstone said "Justice delayed is justice denied." Our Equity Now coalition refuses to accept a system that tells Black, Brown, and Poor be patient equity is coming someday.

Three quick beliefs about equity I have on equity in our public schools:
1 In conversation about equity it often come down to property taxes the way we fund our public schools. As long as property taxes are used to fund our public schools, the system is fixed deeply in the corner of some will get more and some will get less. Any formula using property taxes to fund our public schools equals quality education by Zip Code.
2. Equity does not equal spending the same amount of money per child. Equity means providing all children with access to the best public education we have.
3. Using test scores as the accountability to hold schools responsible for equity is a status quo of justice denied.
Rather than use test scores to measure accountability. We should hold public schools accountable by insisting wealthy and poor children access same quality education.
We could hold schools accountable by demanding all children regardless income, color or zip code have access to:
The same services,
The same resources,
The same small class sizes,
The same quality art and music programs,
The same highly trained professionals.
Finally if you want to hold public schools accountable for inequity. You should start measuring the above indicators of equity not the test scores of Black, Brown, and Poor children forced into a system of inequity.

Connecticut will be in the house come July 8 at the Lincoln Memorial in DC at the Peoples March for Social Justice and Public Education. July 8 won't end inequity and injustice in our nation's public schools. Justice is not some stagnant puddle of water, it is an storm filled ocean on which brave ships of justice ride. If you live in Connecticut or any place USA come ride with us on these ships of justice?
Like Dr. Martin Luther King I reject justice delayed,Jesse The Walking Man Turner 

If you like to hear more about my views on our Equity Now Salons, the Peoples March, and equity...please consider listening to my guest with Denisha Jones (6/26/16) appearance on DC We Act Radio BUS Education Town Hall.
https://www.mixcloud.com/education_town_hall/may-bus-ed-collaboration-campaign-with-jesse-turner-denisha-jones-on-education-town-hall-5-26-16/

If you are wondering what this Walking Man listened to on his sunshine filled walk over the Avon mountain its....Marvis Staples version of Eye on the prize..> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZWdDI_fkns

7/8 come lay a new Corner Stone of Justice for Public Edcation

Howard Zinn said: “We don't have to engage in grand, heroic actions to participate in the process of change. Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.”

These are my sisters in justice Ruth Rodriguez and Ceresta Smith, we met some years ago on the road to change. We are three small acts of change, come join us as we become millions?

Trust me America's children will love us, not because we won, or lost, but because we stood up for them. We can do this people, we can become the change that transforms our public schools. Know this angels of change are gathering this July 8 at the Lincoln Memorial. We are gathering to lay a new corner stone for justice in America. Justice begins by reclaiming our public schools and demanding an end to this era of test, punish and privatize.

My sisters, our brothers and I are already marching arm in arm to a new tune of No More Justice Denied.
We reject that old corner stone of that "School To Prison Pipeline" rooted in racism, inequity and injustice for Black, Brown, Poor and Special Needs Children.  We will not tolerate 49 states spending more money on their wealthy schools than their poor schools.  We will give our political leaders and policy makers:
No cover for injustice,
No cover for inequity,
No cover for segregation,
No cover for their bigotry of false choices,
Not one vote for inequity,
Not one vote for injustice,
Not one vote for the lies of testing equals equity liars.
Calling all you masons of justice come lay that new corner stone in our nation's capital at the place where Dr. Martin Luther King gave birth to a new dream.  Come join us as we demand that Pledge of "Liberty and justice for all" in our public schools become real? You can stay on the sidelines of apathy and silence, or you can come lay the new corner stone with us? 

One Man Walking In The Name Of Love,

Jesse The Walking Man Turner

PS you can march for free people on July 8.
If you want a little more come join us at Howard University for a day of social justice conference sessions.  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/save-our-schools-activists-conference-new-experienced-organizers-working-for-public-education-tickets-24822224943 

If you want to know what this listen to the tune this Walking Man listened to on his walk on this windy day....it's " One Day" by Matisyahu > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXACMQtuuZI&index=15&list=PLf8sMnaEtkFRxgw3K-K7F92_x0y2S3uMM < 

We refuse to do fast, we educate teachers the old fashion way

 Our Jamaican teachers hanging with Doctors Chuck, Carol, Lynda, Lousie and Jesse last July. Their two year learning journey ends this June with me.  

Some of our graduating Connecticut Reading Specialists graduating next week at our Teacher Love Fest last May

Harry Chapin sang:

"All my life's a circle, sunrise and sundown
The moon rolls through the nighttime, till the daybreak comes around
All my life's a circle but I can't tell you why
The season's spinning' round again the years keep rollin' by"

Today we welcome a little over 30 new teachers into our Central Connecticut State University graduate program for Reading and Language Arts, and next Thursday we graduate about the same.
It never gets old, it's always fresh, the new ones are always bright, and the ones leaving are always shinning stars.
We don't do it online, we don't do Graduate Education Relay scams, we don't do Teach For America 5 weeks over the summer, our students are full time teachers, and it usually takes around two years to complete our program. We don't do fast, we do well, and we have been doing it well for 167 years. We prepare teachers the old fashion way. We mentor them in apprenticeships of love and compassion for learning and teaching. We are not some fly by night hedge fund manager's dream. Our teachers are taught by real educators with PhDs in Education from top research institutions with years of public school experience.
We are not in the business of preparing CEOs. We are in the business of preparing teachers to become something far more important, Reading Specialists, Literacy Coaches and Reading consultants.
We are wise enough to know along the way the teachers we work with teach us. Learning is funny you can't teach without learning.
So my circle today welcomes new teachers, and my circle next week sends genuine experts in their field on their way. We can't do fast.
We do exemplary with compassion, love, and right,
Dr. Jesse Patrick Turner (AKA The Walking Man)

If you want to listen to the song from this mornings walk it Harry's "All My Life A Circle" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fW0vjZiu_rw