I haven’t had time & space to think through whatever new botched reopening school plans. As long as it’s happening in a vacuum, these plans will be severely lacking. And there is so much diversity in what parents want. It’s a mess. 1/

I resent the White centering of the identity of “parents”. What’s worse is the lazy analysis of which group of “parents” supposedly wants schools to open and who’s willing to wait it out. My take away: the pimping of the “parent” voice in BOTH directions is disgusting. 2/

Both Admin/Mayoral Control and Teachers should please stop pimping parents. Just stop it. Include us in the diversity of opinions & stations in life as real stake holders in decision making for public education or continue to soak all the air in the room. 3/

Either ways, there’s a fight on my hand as a parent...as a mother...as a Black mother...as a Black mother of children with disabilities. And this fight has always been a lonely journey in education. Saddest part is I likely have more agency & access than the average “parent”. 4/

Things are worse than analyzed when it comes to education. If I as a directly impacted family leader & an educational advocate cannot with integrity say this is the ONE thing that parents want, then I know that the power blocks of DC Gov’t vs. Teachers don’t have a clue. 5/

I say all these to say: do better. That’s not a message just for the Mayor or her appointees OR the Teachers’ lobby (Union and otherwise). And I’m certainly not wagging fingers only at Ward 3/White/privileged parents. There’s enough shame & blame to go round. 5/

My point is everyone gets dirty in the mud. And as a mother, I have a duty beyond law and economy to protect my children by any means necessary. If that means against the mess, then that’s what I’ll have to do. That is what the mothers before me have always done. 6/

So let me be clear on the message of the day: As a family leader, you can’t survey my contribution to what happens next. You also can’t speak for me, no matter how righteous the cause. I am NOT a recruit in any power block army - all paper tigers. 7/

I can’t speak for other family leaders and I don’t need to. That’s the point.