When La Sonya Brummell-Pitts was approached about helping to craft an anti-racism policy for the Palm Springs Unified School District by Superintendent Dr. Sandra Lyon, she initially didn’t want to be part of the effort.
“I’ll tell you, when I responded to her email, my response was I don’t want to be a part of a committee,” Brummell-Pitts said. “I don’t want to write white papers and do all of that. I don’t want to do it.”
The reluctance of Brummell-Pitts, a 19-year district employee and director of classified human resources for the district, wasn t just about concerns over another committee that might produce nothing. It was also about her own raw emotions over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man killed during an arrest in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020.
A history of radical Black self-care and the impact of the Black Panther Party
OPINION: If we still had the programs the Black Panthers initiated across the U.S. what could’ve been?
Ryan Pearson
Like many viewers, I was deeply impacted by
Shaka King’s
Fred Hampton (
Daniel Kaluuya) and his assassination by the FBI, which was successful because of the aid of an informant (
Lakeith Stanfield) who infiltrated the Chicago chapter of the organization that Hampton led.
While the racism, anti-Blackness, betrayal and violence against Black people was difficult to digest, the focus on Black liberation that the Black Panther party so mightily worked toward was inspirational and thought-evoking. What captured me most was the party’s dedication to self-care in the Black community. In today’s society, we often are sold this image of self-care as getting your favorite ice cream, bingeing Netflix on a Friday night, having a spa day, exercising, or getting a massage.
The arrival of February marks the beginning of Black History Month. Typically, Black student organizations at Duke have used this time to hold musical performances, put on plays and invite speakers to campus. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, student groups have had to find new ways to connect the community through virtual events.
West valley schools: Black high school, middle school groups unite to reflect, share
Joan L. Boiko
Responding to local Black students struggling with the recent violent activities at the U.S. Capitol a few weeks ago, advisors to the district’s Black Student Union and Junior Black Achievers groups brought members and guests together to reflect and share in a virtual platform last week.
“Students were bothered by what they saw,” said Joi Cox, who has been coordinating the work being done across the district to support the students. “We provided a safe place where students can share their feelings.”