Growing up as a child and teenager, my family would have been classified as economically disadvantaged because we qualified for free lunch. Shopping as a family in thrifts stores and having clothes donated to us was viewed as normal. Receiving the government monthly checks, along with the blocks of cheese, bread, etc., fed our family of nine. Whenever there was a shortage, other family and friends always helped us out, so we were never hungry, in need of clothing or lacked adequate shelter. So we were always able to come to school with enough sleep and nutrition to learn without challenge. Have you ever gone to bed hungry, because there was no food in your house? As parents, leaders, and educators, it is one of our greatest fears to see our children hungry. However, some children do unfortunately suffer from food insecurity.  

Photo by Mick Haupt on Unsplash 

Food insecurity is, “limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods or limited or uncertain ability to gain acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways.” Unfortunately, many children who face food insecurity are often physically, emotionally, and cognitively behind their food-secure peers. Food insecurity can severely affect children’s health and brain development long before they enter a classroom. That is why leaders and educators need to ensure all of their pupils are food-secure. Addressing food insecurity in your institution will help foster equity in your community. When all children are food-secure, they all have a better chance at success.  

Food insecurity has a direct impact on the health of your pupils. The most affordable food is often the unhealthiest, especially in food deserts, where finding healthy food at an affordable price can be difficult. Because of this, food-insecure households are much more likely than food-secure households to report eating unhealthy foods. It also affects a child’s education. Food-insecure children often show smaller gains in reading and math comprehension than their food-secure classmates. Food-insecure children and teenagers have been shown to miss school more frequently, and are more likely to repeat a grade than food-secure children. Any disadvantages in which food insecurity puts some children also points to inequity in your organization. 

Photo by RODNAE Productions  

So, how can we eliminate food insecurity in our educational institutions? School breakfast programs are a great option. Programs like this help decrease the time between meals for children with limited access to food outside of your institution. School breakfast programs have shown to increase attendance, decrease tardiness, and provide quality nutrition to students who might not always have access to a healthy breakfast. The same goes for lunch and after-school meal programs. Lunch programs are pillars to ensuring the food needs of your students are met. After-school programs help ensure children get in one more meal before returning home, where they might not have sufficient food to eat for dinner. We can often reimburse many of these programs, and they are an equitable investment to make in your educational institution to ensure your community is food-secure. 

Leaders, food insecurity doesn’t stop with the students. It can also affect your educators. Food insecurity affects the health of your educators, as well as workplace productivity. Employees that are food-insecure are more likely to miss and be distracted at work. Time lost when employees are absent or not fully productive comes at a cost, not only to your educational institution but also to the students and their learning experiences. In order to foster a healthy, productive work environment, access to safe, nutritious food is essential.  

Photo by RODNAE Productions 

Combating food insecurity in your educational community is a keyway to help foster equity among your students, as well as your educators. Providing meal programs to your community is just one great way you can ensure everyone stays alert and productive while teaching and learning. Have you identified food insecurity as an issue in your educational institution? GOMO Educational Services can help you do that, and more. We perform equity audits on educational institutions and organizations, and then we use the information we gather to help you change your community so that everyone benefits from the resources they need and are better poised for success. Don’t know where to start? Contact us today for guidance! 

As I look back at the 2000-2001 school year when I was in the classroom, I remember that I was one of only handful of teachers that utilized an electronic gradebook. Other teachers thought it would take too long to learn and understand the software and others thought it would require too much of their lesson planning and grading time to consistently input grades into it. I also remember when I stepped into the new role of a building leader as a vice principal for the 2001- 2002 school year. The most sought-after electronic devices were Blackberry cell phones and newly released HP Jornada 728. In the role of chief academic officer/assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction in the 2016-2017 school year, I challenged myself to find creative ways to ensure all 11,000 students in the district had their own Chromebook. Regardless of profession or role, every year there are new devices that people pursue to keep up with the perceived 21^st century trends. This same feeling exists in educational technology regularly called edtech. Despite the changes in trends in edtech devices and programs, we can all agree that for whatever reason there are disparities between schools and districts that have led to a digital technology divide. 

The teachers in the classroom experience the greatest level of use of edtech tools directly with the students. In many cases, students have begun teaching the teachers on how to utilize new tools and training them on how to implement them into the instructional day for better integration. Even after the world required us to pivot to fully virtual learning, there are still schools with little to antiquated technology, teachers utilizing paper and pencils for all or most instruction and homework, lecturing from the board, limiting the learning to the textbook and the list goes on. Additionally, some of these teachers receive minimal technology training.  

School leaders are challenged with decreasing budgets to purchase new devices and send teachers to edtech workshops to help build their knowledge base. The district leaders struggle even more with budgetary obscurities which impact their district’s technology infrastructure, which then trickles down to the school leaders, classroom teachers and ultimately to the students.    

As the CEO of GOMO, I made sure to communicate and display our company commitment to support PK-12 school districts. I challenged myself with designing experiences, which will benefit teachers and school and district leaders with edtech experiences that will directly and indirectly benefit students. As a result, I offer the following statement for the educators to consider; the 21^st century school district, school or classroom are not limited to tools and devices. It is a mindset. 

 Despite the challenges that may continue to exist due to the digital technology divide, GOMO seeks to help decrease the gap. Digital equity can be resolved when administrators ensure their systems and adult educators are equipped to address the needs of all students. The journey can seem longer for some than others. However, it is journey we must travel when we truly believe that we exist to help all students learn and achieve.  

Growing up, my parents spoke to my brothers and sisters over and over about getting approval before going to places and visiting friends on our own. During my youth years, my understanding was limited because I always thought that everything would be fine and immediate approval increases my time to be with my friends. Since my parents were so protective, I did not encounter explicit racial profiling until I was a sophomore in high school. It was after wrestling practice. My best friend and I were walking through a store trying to purchase some krimpets. Then someone in the store was following us very closely without any shame. We returned to the store many times after because it was on our walking route home. However, we were racially profiled many times in the store afterwards. Additionally, we observed it happening to our other friends of color. Fortunately, this type of profiling did not lead to any harm to me or my friends.  

In our usual GOMO fashion, we seek to find people who have experienced the same type of topical challenges that we’re covering. This time, we have Dr. Michael DuBose, a New Jersey district supervisor and GOMO consultant, to share his input about his youth and racial profiling. “When reflecting on racial profiling, I ponder on Jor’Dell Richardson, a 14-year-old African American male from Colorado, who was fatally shot by Aurora Police Officer Gruszeczka on June 1, 2023 (Easterwood, 2023). I wonder what more could have been done to protect this child. Certainly, a common solution is frequent bi-directional discussions between the parent and child to inform, educate, and model appropriate behaviors to apply when dealing with the police. For this reason, if more minority homes continuously engage in these discussions with their children, perhaps less youth may fall prey to police brutality, like Richardson and countless others. According to Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), a poll illustrated that 7 out of 10 African Americans encountered discriminative practices or abrasive circumstances involving law enforcement (KFF, 2020).  

Defined as the use of race to determine if an individual committed a crime (Oxford University Press, 2023), the insidiousness of racial profiling is a conundrum for the minority population (e.g., African Americans, Latino Americans, etc.) of all ages. Regardless if a minority individual lives in a red (Republican) state or a blue (Democratic) state, two facts remain true. Racial profiling is problematic throughout the United States and minority individuals experience this form of discrimination in modern times.  

While this blog post will focus on racial profiling by way of police officers, I opine that theoretically racial profiling extends beyond the discriminative actions by law enforcement. Clearly, one’s shopping excursion can be dictated by the treatment or perception by a merchant who is racially biased. McCabe (2023) reported the results of a Deal Aide survey wherein 1,020 African American consumers participated. The survey findings illustrated that the over 90% of African American expressed being racial profiled during their shopping experience.  

While flabbergasted by the latter statistical results, these findings are not surprising since my own experiences were bitterly familiar. Living in New Jersey, a progressive blue state, racial profiling is notorious. For example, ABC News (2000) revealed that NJ State Police were fully aware that African American drivers were targets for traffic violations. I’ve experienced circumstances involving racial profiling throughout my life. Some examples involved Santa Claus denying me the chance to pose for a picture while at the mall. Side note, this incident influenced my father to “play” Santa to show me that Santa loves all children. Moreover, in a world so huge, Black Santas exist too. Another example are the numerous moments I was followed from aisle-to-aisle in various stores. A final example were those times that I stood patiently flagging down a taxi in New York City. Despite how far I stretched or waved my arms, the color of my skin prevented me from getting serviced. While these experiences molded my perspective about being Black in America, none have been as detrimental to my being than being racial profiled by the police.   

My 17-year-old self was naïve and still wet behind the ears. With this in mind, never in a million years would I have surmised that I would have my own story to share about racial profiling. My parents were the conversative and practical types who were immensely involved in my development. They were raised in the South and spoke vividly about their experiences with racism. Because they had a child of dark pigmentation and I was learning how to drive, these stories were constant. With these variables in mind, my mother always got on my case about carrying a wallet every time I walked out of the house.  

At this time of my life, my parents and I resided in an opulent and rather prestigious neighborhood in Jersey City, New Jersey. Few African Americans were so privileged to reside on this street consequent to home pricing as well as the cost of rent. Further, I attended a county school whose schedule slightly differed from the city’s school district where I lived. Thus, my high school was off on this particular day, whereas the nearby schools were in session. Being a typical teenager, I was home alone, and I wanted some fresh air and a bite to eat. So, with a happy-go-lucky spirit, I rushed out the door to the nearby McDonalds situated on a busy road. Though I was mindful that I left my wallet at home, I thought what could possibly happen in such a short duration of time. I lived around the corner from McDonalds and hypothesized that it would be a quick trip. Besides, I possessed enough money to purchase one Quarter Pounder sandwich with a super-sized French fry, and an Orange Hi-C, with little to no ice.” 

Whether you live in an urban area like Jersey City, New Jersey or a suburban township like Laguna Beach, California, you are curious to know what will happen to Michael during his short walk to the nearby McDonalds. However, the question we should be asking ourselves, why should Michael have to be concerned with anything beyond having the funds to cover the expenses for his meal? Stay tuned for part 2 of this blog post to read about Michael’s experience of walking in his neighborhood during the day as a young black male. 

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References 

ABC News (2000). N.J. Knew of Racial Profiling for Years. Retrieved from https://abcnews.go.com/amp/US/story?id=95406&page=1 

Easterwood (2023). Aurora cop who shot 14-year-old has past racial profiling complaint. Retrieved from https://kdvr.com/news/local/aurora-cop-who-shot-14-year-old-has-past-racial-profiling-complaint/amp/ 

KFF (2023). Most of the Public Favor a Range of Police Reforms to Curb Excessive Force, though Partisan Gaps Exist on Some Key Proposal. Retrieved from https://www.pacer.org/parent/php/PHP-c171.pdf 

McCabe (2023). State of Racial Profiling in American Retail. Retrieved from https://dealaid.org/research/racial-profiling-in-retail/ 

Oxford University Press (2023). Racial Profiling. Retrieved from https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/definition/english/racial-profiling?q=Racial+profiling 

Most of my life, I have been and continue to be the darkest person or one of the darkest people in certain spaces that I visit. So of course, I get the looks and hear whispers “who is he” and “what does he do to get invited here? It is something that I have become accustomed to since the 1980’s when my family was one of three families of color in a catholic school in Bloomfield, NJ. I was the only black male in my grade levels for five consecutive years out of class average of 22 students. There was another black female and Hispanic male during the same time. Unfortunately, my story is not unique because we are still hearing in 2022 the first black or person of color doing something that had always been perennially designed for white people. Unfortunately, there are students in a number of classrooms throughout America who are being denied many rights, privileges and activities solely based on the color of their dark or darker skin.  GOMO intern, Kamil Moore, was very excited to share his story on the matter. He remembered about a situation during his grade years.

“Imagine being the only person of color in your entire second grade class. As you could guess, it wasn’t always easy. Despite being so young, I could always tell when I was being treated differently by my classmates, and even certain teachers. Years later, there is one memory that stays with me. 

It was recess, and our teacher brought us to the playground outside. I was always a quiet kid, but when recess came around, I would always break out of my shell and ask to join in on the fun all the other kids were having. I approached a group of my classmates and asked them if I could join in on their game. Their response to my request was that I couldn’t play with them because I was, “too dark.” Those words crushed me. Just because I didn’t look like them, I was inferior and not worth playing with. The teacher took notice as I started crying and approached me.  

Once I explained the situation to my teacher, she reassured me. She told me that just because I look different from others it didn’t mean I had any less of a right or privilege to play with them. Swift action followed as she went over to my classmates who made the comment and reprimanded them. She also spoke to their parents about their behavior. Having her stand up for me showed me from a young age that there are people who don’t pass judgment based on the color of one’s skin.”

Kamil’s story is one of many that highlight the impact equity has on a student’s learning experience. As educators, it is our responsibility to ensure a safe and comfortable learning environment for every child. Recess, one of the few designated times for children to strengthen their social skills amongst each other, is no exception. While Kamil’s story centers his experience as a person of color, any child who belongs to a marginalized group has the potential to experience prejudice from their peers, and even from their mentors. This behavior is unacceptable and doesn’t foster a respectful and accepting learning environment. 

Equity in education isn’t about holding a child’s hand through their learning experience. It’s about providing support and resources to children who are at a disadvantage so they can advance to their full academic learning potential. As educators, it is our responsibility to set standards of respect among our pupils. By fostering a learning environment that is inclusive of all children, regardless of their skin color, sexual orientation, gender identity, mental and physical disabilities, etc. we create a school environment that everyone feels safe and accepted in. Inclusivity is an integral aspect of ensuring equitable experiences in a learning environment.

As leaders and educators, we must ask ourselves if our institutions meet standards of equity that foster respect and acceptance on every level. Have you considered your specific equity needs? Do you have a committee that is dedicated to the improvement of equity compliance in all phases of your organization? Are your students seeing themselves represented in your curriculum? What resources do you have for children with disabilities? These are some questions that GOMO Educational Services considers when assessing your institution’s pursuit of educational equity. Don’t miss the opportunity that comes with every pupil. Get started today and schedule a consultation!

While I haven’t been in any encounters with the police about fitting the description of a suspect for anything, I have been accused by people. It is really frustrating to have to keep being on the defense for something when you are totally innocent. While I have stories for days about this topic, I wanted to another person to share their story. It turns out that our GOMO intern, Josiah Lajuenesse, wanted to share his story about a time while he was in middle school in New Jersey. He stated,  

“We gain knowledge through experience. And while I can’t pinpoint when I realized my identity as a Black man would present more challenges to me than others, certain moments in my life proved to me that this is true. 

I remember one day vividly. I was with my friends after school, headed to a convenience store for some candy and Arizona iced tea. As soon as we walked into the store, the manager asked us to leave our bags outside with no explanation. We didn’t want to make a big deal out of it, but we all had Chromebooks that belonged to our school in our bags. We thought of a simple solution: one of us would stand outside with our bags while the rest of us grabbed the snacks. It wasn’t an easy compromise though. Before we could even start browsing, the manager of the convenience store threatened to kick our friend who was watching our stuff off the property. 

Eventually our friend ended up joining us inside, but the trouble didn’t end there. While we browsed, it was undeniable that we were being followed around the store. It didn’t become a real problem again until we were stuck in the candy aisle, trying to decide what to get. The manager threatened to kick us out again, this time for standing in place for too long. We asked him what the issue was, and I’ll never forget his response: “You guys have been in this aisle for at least five minutes. We can tell you’re trying to steal.”  

Even after stressing our good intentions and taking our wallets out to show him our money, he still didn’t believe us. So we settled on Trollies and Sour Patch Kids, grabbed our drinks, and paid. Even after paying, he followed us all the way to the door.  

Later, I asked him what his reasoning was for treating us like that. He claimed that some kids fitting our description stole from the store recently, and he didn’t want to take any chances. He apologized for putting us through that, but the damage was done.  

This experience is one of many, not only for me but also for other people in marginalized groups. It’s so important to treat people with kindness and respect. The manager of the convenience store wasn’t wrong for being alert, but he went too far when he profiled me and my friends because we “fit the description” of the kids who stole from his store. Because of this situation, I know now that this is something I will face more than others.”  

Josiah’s story highlights how harmful stereotypes can be. GOMO Educational Services helps bring awareness to equity issues that challenge learning institutions, like stereotyping. A stereotype is a widely held, fixed, and oversimplified idea of a person. Stereotyping entire demographics harms each person at the individual level because it is an overgeneralization that is a defining factor of each pupil’s character, their ability to learn, and the resources they might need. On the opposite end, stereotyping individuals is just as harmful because every pupil is different, each having their own specific strengths, weaknesses, and needs.  

As a professional group, we are dedicated to ensuring that every student has the resources they need to succeed in an educational setting. We see and understand how stereotyping kids based on their gender, race, sexual orientation, and so on, can negatively affect that student’s learning experience. If equity issues, like stereotyping, are a growth barrier for your institution, GOMO can help you easily identify these issues on a case-by-case basis, eliminating them at the root and allowing for a space that adequately supports everyone based on their needs. Contact us today to get started.