News and Views
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Jawando’s Seven Black Fathers: Part 3—Education Reform (or not)
Read more: Jawando’s Seven Black Fathers: Part 3—Education Reform (or not)Throughout My Seven Black Fathers, Will Jawando returns several times to his experiences (good and bad) in school, as well as the differential treatment between white and black school children. In Chapter 2, Jawando relates horrific treatment at the hands of a teacher’s assistant at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic school. Being falsely accused of…
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Affordable housing: We need bulldozers, not corridors
Read more: Affordable housing: We need bulldozers, not corridorsGo to the soft-drink aisle of the supermarket, stand in front of the display for 16.9 oz Coca Cola bottles, and you will see something absolutely amazing. The level of the beverage inside the bottles is almost identical. You’ll probably never find a bottle with exactly 16.9 ounces, but all of them—millions of them—will be…
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Jawando’s Seven Black Fathers: Part 2—Choked Housing
Read more: Jawando’s Seven Black Fathers: Part 2—Choked HousingIn the lead-up to the vote on his 2023 rent control bill, Will Jawando mentioned that as a child he experienced what it’s like to live in sub-standard housing. How did that happen, and what was it like? He describes the deplorable situation in My Seven Black Fathers (p. 20–21): Dad paid child support when…
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Call To Action: Help Jane Decolonize Montgomery County Public Schools
Read more: Call To Action: Help Jane Decolonize Montgomery County Public SchoolsTLDR; Scroll to the bottom of this post and send urgent emails to the County Council and our Annapolis delegation demanding that MCPS issue a high school diploma to Jane Doe (we don’t know her true name). Forced conversion and assimilation is a topic that comes up in most histories of conquest and colonization. Canadians…
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Jawando’s Seven Black Fathers: Part 1—A Must Read
Read more: Jawando’s Seven Black Fathers: Part 1—A Must ReadIn 1930, the Soviet newspaper Pravda published an article by Josef Stalin in which he summarized his accomplishments in agricultural policy: The Soviet government’s successes in the sphere of the collective-farm movement are now being spoken of by everyone. Even our enemies are forced to admit that the successes are substantial. And they really are…
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John Locke, Tyranny, and MoCo
Read more: John Locke, Tyranny, and MoCoOne of DC’s architectural treasures is Georgetown’s Riggs Library. Quoting Atlas Obscura, “Riggs has four floors of cast iron walkways laid out around a central light court. Sixteen columns divide the hall into smaller alcoves and two spiral staircases connect walkways.” Trust me, Riggs is one of those spots for which viewing electronic images is…
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Attach Performance Metrics to All Future MCPS Budgets: Our Children’s Education Depends on Our Fiscal Prudence
Read more: Attach Performance Metrics to All Future MCPS Budgets: Our Children’s Education Depends on Our Fiscal PrudenceThe County Council, County Executive, and MCPS are placing its residents in a moral and financial bind. On the table, there appears to be a dialectical dilemma: our children’s future or fiscal prudence. However, an honest discussion regarding fully funding MCPS above and beyond historical trends demands that we resolve the following questions: How can…
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Turning Challenges Into Change: Why Montgomery County Needs MBLI Now More Than Ever
Read more: Turning Challenges Into Change: Why Montgomery County Needs MBLI Now More Than EverStarting something new is never easy—especially when it’s never been done before. As the first and only business-focused public charter school for middle school students in the state of Maryland, The MECCA Business Learning Institute (MBLI) Public Charter School was always destined to be more than just a school. It is a movement—a bold reimagining…
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MoCo Sonnet #1: Hidden Exclusion
Read more: MoCo Sonnet #1: Hidden ExclusionCandidate Glass is a victim Of an alleged Fox News smear They wanted to depict him In an apparent context of jeer He gave a response well spun For with him everyone wins He’s here to fight for everyone For all those in the margins There is one demographic Over which he never…
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Affordable Housing Is Not a Public Benefit
Read more: Affordable Housing Is Not a Public BenefitIn a previous post we introduced Maria, an irresponsible alcoholic parent. Her sister Juanita is fortunately much more responsible. Juanita’s daughter broke a leg during hyperactive cheerleading tryouts, and the orthopædist recommended a waterproof cast. Juanita runs to the medical supply store and sees an item for $200—exactly the amount she budgeted for medical emergencies.…