Host Sharon Hinton invites guests Ruby Reyes & Keondre McClay of Boston Education Justice Alliance to discuss what justice in education looks like, the organization's mission and accomplishments, preventing the BPS system from falling into receivership, Keondre's role in progressing the organization as the incoming Executive Director, & much more!
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Black Teachers Matter
The following commentary does not necessarily reflect the views of the staff and management of WBCA or the Boston Neighborhood Network. If you would like to express another opinion, you can address your comments to Boston Neighborhood Network, 302-5 Washington Street, Boston, Massachusetts, 02119. To arrange a time for your own commentary, you can call WBCA at 617-708-3215 or email radio at bnnmedia.org. Hello, and welcome to WBCA LP 102.9 FM in Boston. This is Boston's Community Radio Station. I am your host and the producer, Sharon Eaton Hinton, and Black Teachers Matter. We're here this evening with amazing guests. We always have amazing guests, and I'm sitting here messing with this poncho loinhead mercy. It looks nice, but, you know, let's get it functional, y'all. And we're live here, got some call-ins if we want to 617-708-3211. My guests are in going and outgoing, in going and out coming, and going and out coming. Well, executive directors at the Boston Education Justice Alliance, one of them is Mirmana Ruby Reyes, and you're going, like, away, which is really making me sad, but you can't go that far away from me. And so she is the outgoing executive director at the Boston Education Justice Alliance that does amazing work. She actually recruited me five years ago, pre-pandemic, and I just met. He goes by Kio McClay, but, you know, we don't call the brothers. Not what you get called, what you answer to, but you answer to Kio McClay or Kio, but you prefer Kio McClay. And you are now the current incoming executive director at the Boston Education Justice Alliance. I don't have a laugh track or an applause check there. You know, stuff like that. But I want to welcome you both to Boston Black Teachers Matter here on W2, W2.9FM in Boston. You know, Ruby, I'm sad to see you go, but you can't really leave, because it's still in the continental United States for right now. Tonight, before we get started, there is a watch party about to start in about a half an hour at our Brownian Hall, and it's with the 20-some things doing a watch party around the election. And before we went in the air, we talked about what that would mean for people of color, what that would mean for Americans actually globally, if the wrong person has the nuclear football, what it will mean for the world. And we probably won't really find out who the next president of the United States and vice president are until a week, truly, but welcome you guys, because we're going to talk about all that, and education, justice, B-E-G-B-E-J-A, Boston Education Justice Alliance, and what education and justice and education looks like. I'm going to start with the Queen, Queen Ruby Reyes, that's my girl. Tell me, in the seven years that you've been the executive director, what it looked like when you came in, how it changed since you were there, and what are some of the visions that you have, and Keon and I get to talk a little bit on Saturday. And I just meant, I mean, these amazing, wonderful men, I know that this organization, I did not know about this organization before you actually during the pandemic, invited me to start coming to some of the sped back and the sped working group meetings. And so that whole thing was around the memorandum of agreement or, you know, around the sped and desi, and I'm throwing all this stuff at, if you guys, because we're going to go into the Department of Elementary Secondary Education, desi, the Boston School Department, Boston School Committee, the Boston Dysfunction, in the public schools, all of that. So welcome, where was Bezia when you first started, and what were some of the things that you got accomplished while you were there as executive director, and what are some of the things that you, you, because you got to go, since you leave and you got to go. What are some of the things that you wish you had time enough to be able to do? Well, it's been a long seven years, thank you for having us here, I feel so honored. Don't cry. But I would say that when I started seven years ago, it was a little desk in an office and it was just like, okay, you know, like, figure some stuff out. And over the past seven years, I think we've been able to do just a lot with very limited resources, but really been able to create some level of accountability for Boston Public School leadership. So we work with parents, students, and educators. We focus in on issues that impact schools and families that are majority black, Latino, have students with disabilities and English learners. So we really focus on equity, and we are explicit about the schools that we work with and the campaigns that we kind of take on. We do grassroots organizing. So I think that's really, really important to really like highlight because it's not something, you know, like innate, and it is something that I think is, you know, you learn and you grow in your organizing skill set. And it's really about community and building relationships with not just families, but with school communities, what most people don't realize, or maybe they do. I guess I would say what most of the Boston Public School leadership and our mayor and many of the folks making decisions about our schools don't realize is that our schools are communities. And so when you have a child whose whole education is, you know, like this is their whole world for, you know, the vast majority of their life. And so, you know, they go from, you know, pre-K to like sixth grade, they want to be with the same friends, they want to see their teachers, they like, you know what I mean? They fall in love with like learning because of that community. Yeah, but you came into a community, you weren't born here, but you actually became, I can say this, being in an educational space, a strong force. And so you got to do, I can say the stuff that I saw that you got deep in the weeds and started coalition building, you're talking about this community, coalition building around education and brought major players so that you guys started influencing policy on a city level and policy and even on a state level, I remember, you know, you testifying with Desi and you organizing and have, you know, coffee and donuts and stuff on the front, but also having people making posters and flyers and direct action kinds of things that still is still in motion, really. And then there were at least, I think, Mayor Walsh was the mayor when you first came here, right? I think so, yeah. And then now it was, yeah, it was Mayor Walsh and then Kim Janie and then now, Mayor Walsh, so you've seen changes in administration and you've been able to speak to power and all of them. I'm just giving you your props while you hit, says, you know, I'm just saying. Thank you. I know a little something, something about who you is now, I'm just saying. Well, I think, you know, I feel like, I just, I feel like in Boston, you know, politics is a blood sport here, but the reality is that the majority of our kids are in the Boston public schools and they need to be great for our kids. And so as much as our politicians want to say, you know, I'm doing this, I'm doing that. In reality, like our city, under Walsh, I firmly believe that he was creating a city not meant for children, like he was trying to get rid of children. And to me, that's the most disturbing thing a society can be is a society not based on the health and well-being and the happiness of their children. And so, you know, you see the seaport, it has no children, it has dogs and I think- Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, but it does have the children's museum, but that was there before he started building up. Right. For me, it was really disturbing to think about Boston, not focused on families and not focused on children. And so, you know, I think under when he left Mayor Walsh, you know, it was the building's situation was like he was trying to revitalize buildings by- he was trying to close schools by saying that he was investing all this money and build BPS and, you know, doing all these like, you know, research that we had too many buildings, too much space, and that just wasn't the truth. And so, you know, I think he really was focused on closing schools. He wasn't focused on making the Boston Public Schools better for kids. And then we saw Kim Janey come in and she wasn't there for very long. Briefly, yes. Yeah. And then Mayor Woe started and, you know, we were promised a lot of things. And just that she has not delivered. But all three of these mayors, and it's no small feat to survive, a mayor, a heavily mayor run school department and school committee, and they've all been appointed, and Boston is the only appointed school committee and the whole Commonwealth of Massachusetts. And you were also, and Beige was also supporting that initiative, and there was an last election where over 99,000 people voted to go back to an elected school committee. So, and you were involved in that. So I'll go back to one of my first three individuals, and I want you to tap into this too, Kio, 'cause you sitting there and you, you know, you're out going and going, but you're here now, bro. And so what, what do you feel like have been your strongest accomplishments, even despite a mere, heavily run and controlled city and different focus, you know, about developers. That's still happening now. And then an elected school committee with the initiatives, 'cause you and I, you and I, and Edith, and some of us, we were tag teaming them, and we were hurting them. And I had to drop out, man. I mean, I just had to, because, and thank God it was virtual, because I think if I had been there physically, it would have been a different story. And so now it's going back to being in person, but the difficulty of you and your organization navigating COVID, because everything went virtual, and that's a different energy when you're trying to organize people versus them, you know, the donuts and, you know, who streets are streets, kind of a thing. So what are some of the accomplishments hardcore that you feel Beige has done, accomplished, and then what has still left to be done as you're outgoing as executive director? I think our, I would say there's my favorite accomplishments, and then there's the accomplishments that I think have had just a huge ripple effect. I think the, the accomplishment that I think of really, for me, that was very pivotal was having the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to back down on receivership from the Boston Public Schools, because receivership is all decision-making power taken away from families. Regardless of whether you have an elected school committee, regardless of whether you have an appointed, all decision-making power lies in the state. And it's like the state doesn't know what's happening day to day, and as if it wasn't hard enough, her families to get help, or resources, or even think like navigating the Boston Public Schools, it would have been a thousand times harder. So I think we were able to like really say to the state, you know, and Mayor Wu was behind this, and just say like, this is not, A, this is not good, and what you have done with other cities that are under receivership is also embarrassingly not good. And so I think to me that was a huge win, because it left control in the space for decisions to be made with families, you know, having a voice in their schools. And I think that it would have been much worse, especially post-pandemic, coming back the lack of control that our families would have had in terms of things that they needed, in terms of like being able to reopen their schools the way that they wanted to. I will say that was also an organizing campaign that I was really proud to be a part of for the simple fact that it was so multidimensional, and it was like this huge puzzle that we all kind of put together, and it was just so many different strategies, so many different people involved, and it was just incredible to watch. It was incredible to be a part of it, but it was incredible to watch, and it was incredible to be told by Beijer members, like, this is what we need you to do, this is your role. And I was like, yes, I'm going, like go team go, like that I think to me has been one of the greatest accomplishments is that I always felt like I was directed as the director. And I think for an organization that does organizing, that is such a beautiful place to be in, that your members are like in this level of leadership, that they're like, this is what we need you to do, this is how you're going to do it. Okay, let's go, you know? And so I think for me that was an incredible experience, but also a huge win, because we didn't end up going under state control. And I think other nationally, there's been this movement to put school districts under state control in order to like basically move private companies to take over the school districts. And it's happening a lot in rural communities that I'm just like, like rural communities, like who, like why, you know? But also because Boston is the gorilla in the room, like we're the biggest in the state and what happens in Boston has a ripple effect across the state. And so if we went into receivership, it was like the domino effect, like the state was just going to start taking over all of our school districts. And quite honestly, like public education would not be public anymore. And I think that's really what I hold sacred is like public education is the last kind of like beautiful thing about democracy, and it's being attacked, right? And so that's what I started doing, you know, what I hold sacred in this work around education organizing is that truth, that it's got to stay in existence, it cannot be destroyed, and like children who don't speak English, children who need, you know, additional services for special education, they can go to public schools and get those services. Like what an incredible thing in, you know, I'm Mexican, in Mexico, you pay for school, you pay for your books, you pay for like your uniforms, you pay for everything or you don't go, right? So that doesn't happen here. And what an incredible thing, right? Like my nephew is three, he has autism and he has services, he had like, he just started reading last week, I was just telling, yeah, he just started reading, you know? And so what an incredible thing, right? To be in public school system where that is sacred and it doesn't matter, like who you are. How much money do you have? Well, yeah. But there's still inequities. I want to bring Keo into this. Yes. There's still inequities. There's still inequities. Let's give it real. Without my education, let's not teach about everyone who's an American, American history. Let's not tell everybody. If you've just tuned in, you're listening to WBCA, LP102.9, FM in Boston, this is Boston's community radio station and this is Black Teachers Matter. If you want to call in 617-708-3211, we will see if we can let you in because this is going to go really quickly and I'm going to need to get squeezed everything out of this conversation so that you guys know who are pivotal people in leadership, who are young, you know, yes, you're relatively young. You're coming in. Both of you guys. I mean, I can say that is the elder in the room that I'm excited that there are still people in education when so many people are leaving and don't want to come in being teachers. Keo, why did you want to lead this organization? Wow. Thank you for that question. Why did I want to lead this organization? Over 10 years ago, I moved to Boston from Ben and Rouge, Louisiana. I was sitting at a table at Freedom House Memorial Street in Roxbury and at that table was the then city councilor Ayana Presley at Tito Jackson, the former BTU president, Jessica Taing and we watched Eyes on the Price and they turned to me and asked, what do you think, young man, about what happened in the history of Boston as the fight for education, the fight for equality and understanding the impact of youth voice and youth organizing? And I didn't know what to say. From Louisiana, you're told to go to school, get a job, not get shot, stay on the streets, don't make trouble and they said, what do you have to say about that? And I didn't know. I froze. I paused and I went home the night and really thought about, like, what do I have to say about that? What do I have to say about youth voice? What do I have to say about how the school just retreats me and my peers about the quality of my education and from that point on, it sparked me to understand the importance of my voice but the importance of having an educated voice. So understanding the history, understanding the now and understanding how that impacts just not me but also future generations of young people. So I joined organizations like the Boston Student Advisory Council where I was able to meet with district officials and talk about policies and talk about, well, why is this the end all be all for what we want to see in our classrooms? Why do we have to say just because, oh, funding, oh, we can't have a sports team, we can't have a gym. I'm a proud alumnus of Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers but our campus was divided into two campus, one in Brigham Circle, one in Findway and that impacted our school culture. Wait, wait, wait, wait, go back, go back. When you were, when Health Careers Academy started, I was teaching at Northeast University at the African American Institute and it was in one place. It was in one place. So they ended up expanding to the point of where it ended up being two campuses and that's where you were, you graduated from there and you were in BSAC. Yes, ma'am. That's a guy to slow you down for a second because I'm sitting here thinking, no, no, no, no, no, no, because I'm getting you a Kool-Aid in the flavor and the whole thing is we want people to find out who you are because they need to support you. This trans, you know, because we talk about plans of succession, which is what's happening between what Ruby has done and wants to do is she's leaving and then you and I talked on Saturday, you've got some plans to be able to come in and make it more powerful. That's why you, but BSAC, I was just talking to my professors today about BSAC and how BSAC fueled and still fueled the argument about having more student representation on the school committee, voting representation on the school committee and then also the whole, what do I call it? Because they haven't really adopted it. There was this policy change of restorative justice that was supposed to be incorporated that BSAC led. So you've already been in a leadership position and decided to step it up. Talk to me about that because that is the courageous move for a younger person because you could decide to be doing something else. And here you are working for a volunteer led organization that is not easy, getting people to do stuff both free and sometimes with their lives and their careers on the line. Where do you see yourself in this continuum of leadership? Where do I say myself, where all being in part of BSAC have also progressed to being the student rep on the Boston School Committee. So I've been privy to behind the curtain of how these people think and how they go about the decision making process and what they really feel about student voice and parents advocating and educators and hearing certain members of the school committee say, do they really think they're being heard by young young men? So I've made it my mission to champion amplifying the most marginalized, the most impacted by these decisions, but also thinking about how to educate my peers as a young person. And like you said, I'm relatively young. So I'm relatively young and what I think in this space I want to do is be able to bring my youth to the space. And on Saturday I attended the event that you had the media networking forum and these young gentlemen from two online platforms, I believe one is called Diasper Mass and one is called Show and Tell Boston and they really amplified something that I was thinking about when I came into the space as part of my interview, which is thinking about the importance of understanding where we are in the organizing landscape in Boston, so thinking about digital organizing more. How do we use social media and the media as a tool to amplify the work that we're doing in the community already? Basia has a rich tapestry and a rich history of people who span decades in educational advocacy in Boston and I want to be able to tap into that and put it on display and amplify two young people, amplify two those people who can't attend school community meetings or can't go to hearings or even have time to get off of work or find childcare to take care of the kids so they can go to the school district and advocate on behalf of their students. You know, wow, I'm starting to connect the dots now because I knew I'd seen your face before I saw you on Saturday and now you disconnected the dots. At one point, I was all over the school committee meetings, and I got so disgusted with the circus that's still there, Gilligan's Island and the Skipper and I just was like, okay, let me go to school and get my doctorate and come back with some more alphabet soup behind my name and make these people pay me for my opinions that I'm giving for free. I have a question for you directly to you as a young person who has entered a space where there's older people who think because they've been there longer than you may not want to listen to you or how you're about to go about changing this. Do you have any ideas in terms of, because that's just deep. I mean, I'm one person, I'm always open to young people. You saw the people that came to the table on Saturday, I'm all about that, right? And I think you're going to be incredibly powerful, but I also know how stubborn and how rocky and how cold-blooded Boston politics and these old heads are in terms of opening up to young people. So you got any ideas of what kind of support you need and what you're looking for in terms of building a coalition? Well, coalition and change management are difficult. So some of the things that I want to do is be able to really create Bayja and make it this intergenerational space. Coming into the space, a lot of people talked about the 2016 through 2018 where youth voice was out there. Young people were rallying behind the BPS budget and school closures. They were rallying behind Black at BLS. They were rallying behind youth jobs and raising the minimum waste to $15 an hour. So being able to bring my experience with that inter-Bayja helps create more experience for young people to see. We all can learn from each other. The older people can see, like the young people do want to carry on the fight. They do want to put in the work. And young people can say, well, the older people have, not everyone left did a mess for us. Some of them still fight for us every day, whether they have kids in BPS or not, whether they're going to the City Council hearings or not, people carry that torch with them. And I think in the Bayja space, I started introducing the idea of a torch holder. Like, you know, we are all torch holders in some way or form. Just because I'm no longer a student doesn't mean I don't carry piece of this movement for educational liberation. And thinking about how do we transition people in the Bayja space too, to like being legacy torch holders where they get to amplify the work that we're doing, they get to share their wealth and acknowledgement experience that they've seen in Boston and help us navigate the bureaucracy of pushing for policy advocacy or fighting for legislation or thinking about how do we advocate outside of just that? How do we advocate for families? How do we advocate for young people? How do we advocate for educators outside of just what we do by supporting the union? You know, as I talked to you more, oh, wow, Saturday to me, first off, so for those people who just tuned in, you're listening to WBCA LP 102.9 FM in Boston, where Boston's community radio station, however, there were many radio stations at the panel. We had at the media networking forum and community conversation this Saturday, the Boston media producers group of which I'm president pulled together this form that has never happened, never happened in Boston, across television, radio, print media, and social media. And we've had people in their 20s till their 80s in this room. So we had broadcast people and we had community people, we had grassroots people in that room. And I have to tell you that I was so glad to see you there and you stayed there even through the craze and some of the craziness to been on. But I expect that to happen when you're shaking up the establishment. I expect that to happen when you've got that kind of energy in the room. And I felt that when I met you, there's certain people that me and Ruby are going to be rocking. We've already talked about who's going to play us in the movies. I mean, seriously, because there's just, there's an energy that she has and a ripple effect that she has. It's not going to go away. And you're writing on that and she came in writing on that. And so I'm glad that you got to connect with the young people in the room today, right now, it is about 6.30. So people who have not voted, you've got an hour and a half. Get up off of your blessed assurance and go there and pull a lever. Well, actually, it's not even pulling a lever anymore. It's like circling a little dot with a little magic marker. And get up there because in my lifetime, people died for the right to register and to vote. In my lifetime, you talked about eyes on the prize. I lived that because I was born in 1955 and I don't mind telling somebody that because people think when they look at black and white and stuff, they say, "Oh, there's back in the day. There's nothing to do with this. The devil is a liar." Pants on fire with gasoline drawers. I know what that was like. And I know what it was like being in Boston where you were not welcomed and you had to fight your way across Columbia Road if you wanted to go to Strand Theatre. If you wanted to go downtown and shop in places, there are places that would not open the door for you or open up say if you wanted to buy jewelry or something, they wouldn't let you touch it. They didn't want you to open up the case. That's in my lifetime. We have a person or persons that are threatening, they threaten to try to drag people of color back in that, but bro, the two faces out of the two, we ain't going back in there. They ain't happening. I mean, I don't care what you say, what you're wearing, that's not happening, but your generation is coming along and talking about building on the shoulders of giants. By the way, Quincy Jones at age 91 died yesterday. Quincy Jones was a giant and then I just found out on my way in here that Prince Rogers Nelson, Prince's sister Tyka, just died today at 64. I mean, we're losing people, not necessarily her, but Prince and then Quincy Jones open up the doors for so many people in the music and producing and business. And I see two people in front of me that have opened up doors and are about to open up some more doors for other people, because both of you guys are about the people. I know people in Boston and go call them out because you don't deserve any airtime that only want to open up doors to themselves. I know who you are. You know I know who you are. So when we get in space as you walk out, I'm not going to wear it. And I am committing myself right now to you, brother Kiel, Mr. McLean, Prince McLean. We going to do this together. You know, Ruby has seen me step back from some stuff and step up to some stuff and I hate to lose. I don't like I don't like lose a monopoly and that's fake money. I hate to lose. I don't care. But this is a fight that we have to win because you both are talking about the minds of the current generation and the generations after in addition to the ones that have come before you who may need to be unplugged from the Matrix and think in a new way. I'm in coalition. Did you get to meet other people that were old school that were in that room Kiel when you were there? I did get to meet. I got to meet a few people and have some great conversations. Mr. Robert, who I'm familiar with as well, who helped set up the space and he runs the elderly group. Mm hmm. Twelve seven. Not elderly. I don't say older age strong. Seniors. Seniors. He runs that group out of the Roxbury Library branch and thinking about creating a community for people to share their history, share their experiences, but still be able to build and support the next generation is very powerful too. And that was a great event by the way. So thank you for being able to share that with me and invite us to that. But also too, talking about standing on the shoulder of giants too, it starts at home and having that experience. I think I shared this story just yesterday at a meeting with some of our steering committee that I come from Ben Rouge, Louisiana. And I was raised by my grandmother and my mom and my aunts, but I stayed with my grandmother a lot and she had a strong passion for education to the effect of, you know, in the fifties and sixties, she made sure that all of her seven kids in Ben Rouge, Louisiana had access to college. She fought for them. She made sure that they were able to get there. Once they got there, she made sure they stayed there. She supported them. She was able to help them live out their wildest dreams. And my uncle passed last year from Alzheimer's to dementia. One of the things that we started sharing stories was like, you know, it was, it was, we had to MacGyver, no office room at first, you know, we had to rally behind him and support him. And my grandmother was like, well, I'm the receptionist. She's like, I'm going to make sure that you live your dream and make sure that you have access to the support of a family. And I think that was a blessing. Not many people have the opportunity to even get to that point. So the fact that she was able to do that and make sure that her children had that platform too, I want to be able to create access to those same resources as the community to support the next generation. So, you know, it is hard. And yes, we do have to fight, but we have to be courageous. We have to be on the front line. And we have to be able to say, you know, if you need support, like you said, I, you offer yourself to me. We need to do the same thing for each and every young person who is in boss public schools, who doesn't have family or who has a family who doesn't know where to start when it comes to advocating for their students, or even knowing what supports they do need, you know, when we talk about, oh, sorry. No, I was just going to say that, you know, Hurricane Katrina was what the establishment used to create the first charter school, fully charter school system. That's right. And destroyed basically public education by putting that charter school system in there. And so you're coming into a situation where charter schools have been stealing resources and taking resources in terms of monies and also teachers and not being transparent about where they're getting the money from. And there's also a public school, Latin, one of the exam schools that has, I think, at this point, $65 million in endowment that they're not sharing with anybody else. Because you're coming in, what are some of the goals that you want to do as the new executive director of Asia? Oh, wow. What are some of the goals? Well, one, let's start by saying there's no place for the privatization of public education. It restricts our rights, it restricts our freedom, it restricts the way that we are able to make sure our students are set up for success in their lives to live a well-rounded and balanced life with access to health services and mental health services and quality education. So leaving and picking up the mental where really it's passing the torch to me to lead this organization. Some of my goals are being able to continue that fight, but like I said, being able to bring into 2025 with us, thinking about that digital organizing and how do we engage more people and have more seats at the table, whether it's voting seats, whether it was sitting at the table, whether we build our table ourselves to think about how do we hold the Boston School Committee accountable? How do we hold the mayor accountable? How do we hold Boston Public Schools accountable for providing quality education, for providing support to parents with students with special needs, or supporting educators and making sure that we're not pushing out our black and brown educators and BPS, or in leadership in the district, or cutting the community out as part of the discussion. In 2016, BPS had an attempt of bringing the community in and seeing people like John Mudd or Barbara Fields be part of those conversations and advocating and saying, you know, these policies are messed up and we need to change them and we need to think about how do we bring those voices of those most impacted into that space. And I want to make sure that I can help amplify those voices. Do you have a current, I mean, a flowing, what's the word? I'm not using the right word yet. Do you have a pipeline between BSAC and Bezier now that's stronger since you do have the connection? We are working on it. So we are building out a whole new youth, a youth division of Bezier where young people get to lead the campaigns and thinking about how do they center their voices and build community with each other while the adults kind of get to step back and say, you know, let's support our young people, let's think about how do we give them the resources to make those campaigns a reality. So yes, we are working with BSAC to think about how do we support them with what they're doing internally and being a tool and a resource for them as well. You know, as I'm sitting here listening to you, I've got this idea, but I'm not going to say it on the air because you don't let your enemy know that you're coming in 12 o'clock on Main Street with a shotgun. So we're not going to put that on the air. Ruby is bilingual. Are you bilingual? Do you speak another language? I am not. We're going to work on that. I am working on it. Okay. I'm not going to do it now. Yeah. We're working on it. The other thing is Ruby, as I was sitting here thinking about you, you know, you're leaving and you're going to another place physically, but your spirit is still here. And you're always a fighter. I didn't ask you about the play last week that you and I both saw that, you know, we didn't have different perspectives than that because I didn't get some of the cultural references. There was some stuff. I mean, you know, I could speak Spanish. I was listening to Spanish. So I followed and I watched a lot of movies that are in, you know, subtitles, but there was some cultural references where clearly Latino people in the audience got and I was like, okay, I didn't get that joke right there. That went by. But there was a play, an incredible play. It's still happening at the Emerson, Emerson Theatre, Paramount Theatre. And it was about abolition. Now it's happened. So anybody who's thinking about, and I'm thinking about Dr. Bettina Love with abolitionist teaching, are you, I know Ruby had some impact on how to teach students that have different abilities. I don't like to say disabled, different abilities, special education and working heavily with sped pack. Is there a transition plan so that that Kio that you're going to be able to step in that space because that was one of the major vulnerabilities with Desi being able to try to take over the school department, there was, there have not now or ever really been a comprehensive plan to deal with students who are differently abled, special needs, who are the most vulnerable to the school to prison pipeline. And that sort of Damocles with Desi is still, even though I don't think Riley's there anymore, but it's still hanging over the Boston Public Schools head to be able to take it over, right? Flight of schools and transformation schools, and the word schools and the system being named after Mel King, I have my own attitude about that part. But is there a direct action that is on your agenda for 2025 that you guys are transitioning as you hand over the torch from Queen Ruby to King Kio? Well, I can say, well, I just, just to backtrack a little bit, I just want to give a shout out because, you know, we're sitting here with black teachers matter in the back and in New Orleans, they had one of the largest, strongest teachers union that was majority black. And so it was really like black teachers holding down the fort and after Katrina, they were able to like completely got that union and destroy that really powerful black leadership. So I just want to acknowledge that because I think, you know, when we, it just needs to be acknowledged, like the level of leadership that black teachers really were just playing this pivotal role in public education in, you know, in New Orleans. So just to like give credit where credit is due. In Atlanta, and Brooklyn, and in LA, and in Chicago, got it. So yeah. But yeah, so I just wanted to say that. And then also wanted to say that the play at Emerson is called the eve of abolition. It was a beautiful play. And then, you know, just also talking about the transition, we, you know, Bayjia members designed our transition so that it's a funnel so that I'm funneled out and Keo is able to like take on work, but not, not have it feel like not have it be just like, oh, you know, like I'm gone and you figure it out. But so that I'm funneled out and things and that way that the work, the like organizing work, doesn't get hurt and doesn't skip a beat in the sense of like the work that we're doing. And so it was specifically designed that way by our members so that it wouldn't, it wouldn't be abrupt. It wouldn't. And also so that, you know, like the new ED and thankfully Keo was selected, right, would have the supports needed to kind of like take on the role and be able to kind of like get your footing, because I know, you know, and when I started, that's not what happened. It was just kind of like, okay, like figure it out, you know? So we didn't want that to happen again. And, and I, you know, and I've talked about this to Keo and our, you know, steering committee is how I didn't want to pass on kind of like generational traumas, you know, because you're in this work. It's a lot of work. It's really exhaustive. It's, you know, it's exhaustive because you're really passionate about the work. And you like, you know, there was a school closure that they voted on in G one, the west zone. And literally I just started crying after the meeting. I was like, my God, like they're closing another one of our schools. And I remember them voting. It was unanimous. And I just started crying and, you know, our families that were working on that campaign to fight, to keep their schools open, started emailing me and so like, and being like, so like is our parent organizers, so the amazing human being just started emailing like, you know, I know they voted to close our school, but I'm so grateful that we got to like do this organizing. I'd never done anything like this before. Like I've learned so much. You know, we're going to keep fighting. And I was just like, wow, like, that's what the work is about, right? Like, that is what the work is about. And I was over here just crying because it's like you, I don't like losing and don't like losing. Never. And so, but our losses, right? Like when we lose, we have a school shutdown. So it's not as simple as just like a loss, like our losses are so monumental. And so, you know, that's also part of why I hate losing because it's like, you know, it isn't just like a policy change. It's like the destruction of a school community. And you know, those children are going to have lapses in their education. And so, some of them are not recoverable. My daughter went to the little Frederick, which is now closing, which is crazy. And I lived in that neighborhood long enough to remember when that whole area was all woods, was all green space. And then, you know, to see this beautiful school that my daughter literally could walk steps down to and she could take music and sports because they built the football field and soccer field and the whole thing. And then now to hear that it's closing and I'm like, huh, this brand new facility. And even this, you know, curriculum wise, structurally how they had the four different academies to be able to address the different concerns. It's like, who the heck is making these decisions and not understanding the destruction, like you said, about the community and how you're destroying the fabric of these children's schooling and their academic. I mean, they're in schools, they're forming partnerships and they're forming, you know, friendship. My daughter still remembers the people that she was in preschool with. That's crazy. I mean, that's kind of like how she is. But then we had to make a decision because the little Frederick was only in middle school trying to get her into a charter school because it was such a crapshoot and it still kind of is when it came to high school. So then she went to Boston, collegiate, but then I was fighting as an educator and a leader of like school side councils and parents side councils and being in there and fighting for my daughter. From an educational perspective and educators, I watched how this system and still does it. Marginalizes students and student voice and parents as if we don't know who our kids are, right? And then even when I taught undergrad in high school, watching my kids disappear, like they're on, you're supposed to be taking, when you're, you know, b-block, you're taking attendance, right? And I had students who were Latino and were missing, but they're telling me they're in the school and I'm like, they're not in my class, what's going on? And then I find out that one of my kids is working at night because his mother, his mother left and went to New York where some of my kids, their parents were deported or some of my kids, you know, were displaced and they're homeless. But then the policy of the school department, crunching these numbers, trying to justify this money is abandoning and ignoring the humanity and the student and humanity and the parents. But other people are making so much money that our kids are getting jacked up. It's daunting. And so I have to, you know, we're coming down in the last few minutes, we still get some more time. Wait, can I add one thing? I'm gonna bring you up in here because before you leave, you know, I want you to give some words of wisdom from both generations, but I have to say to both of you, I'm outgoing and incoming. I'm impressed because this is not easy work and you have to put your soul and your spirit into it and I'm watching it on both hands. So go ahead, give. I just want to commend you because I met your daughter on Saturday at the event. She was supporting you and she was so happy about it. And I just wanted to say I'm glad she made you think that. I love. Okay. She was setting up. She was like, where's your questions? Yeah. And I love that she, she, she loved being part of the community. And I love the joy that she had to be there supporting her mom. So I just wanted to commend you for that and being there and for being a courageous parent too, not to speak up for your daughter, but to speak up for so many other children that you've encountered over your years, whether you're in a classroom or on the radio. So thank you. I appreciate that. You know, I'd like to hear that, you know, because when I'm dead and gone after being a hundred and twenty with legs like Tina Turner, I am, I am, I want to encourage the two of you and I don't know where Ruby's going. And I'm still, you know, we figured out who your parts, who's going to play your part in the movies. I'm still working in my, but the books, I see Ruby writing books and actually doing consultant work. And so I'm going to ask you, where do you see yourself from leaving from Asia? I'm talking about Ruby first and then you just got here, you just got here, I'm talking about Ruby. You just got here. I'm not really sure yet, my, my, well, I have aging parents, so my family has required more time of me. So I don't, I actually don't know where I'm going to end up. And right now it's just kind of like, I've been so focused on making sure that this transition happens well and it's thoughtful and it's, you know, like has all the pieces in place as best as possible, because you can't always like plan for the unexpected. But I just don't know yet. I mean, the reality is that, you know, I just really don't know. Is there a way for people to still keep in contact with you, even when you're not affiliated with Beijo? Are you just cutting us off? No. First of all, she always has a home with Beijo, where she goes and she has the backing of her community and she knows that. No, I mean, I hope to stay, I would like to stay involved and become a, like just a Beijo member, like a volunteer member. So that's my hope is that I'll be allowed to remain part of the fabric of the community and still be able to just, you know, go to school committee and tell them what needs to be told. You know, that is a position of power because I don't work with them anymore. I'm actually more dangerous. They should have left me alone. That's a title of a book that I'm writing. You should have left me alone because when you no longer are part of the machine and in ways that they can control you because they can cut off your livelihood or your income or whatever, you know, they should have left me alone. They should have let me graduate and with my doctorate and with no debt, you know, and my plan was to just work for that charter school for three years, two years when my daughter was in high school and in the 12th grade, we go to Disney and come back for one more year and get rid of my student loans. That was the extent of my revolution. But as a result of their racism and their oppression and their approach when I was trying to be Martin Luther King, they ended up getting Malcolm. That's when black teachers matter came from. So, you know, as I watch, even now that I remember seeing you, Kio, as a student and affiliated with us, you're much more powerful now. I don't even know if you see, I don't even know if you see what I see because I've been doing youth stuff and work with young people, hundreds of them, whether it was a teaching Sunday school or it was working as a middle school or a high school teacher or an undergraduate advocate and academic advisor, there's a certain special light I see in you and I saw it on Saturday when I met you and it's like, "David, watch out for this, this brother's about to bring their butts to their, I mean, woof, to the knees, I'm looking forward to that." Is there a particular focus, I asked you that before and we talked about that in creating youth voice and you're already in the position, you're still in the transition position. You have a specific date for your next big thing or you're just going to come and blazin. We're going to wait for the new year and you'll see a lot of new things coming out. You have a meeting that you want people to attend or? Not yet, but we do have things coming up and we'll share those out via social media in the new year about the way that we choose to organize and the resources that we're creating and what more community buy-in to be part of, right? So do you have some particular, I'm going to ask you how old you are because I'm going to put you out there. How old are you? I have 25 years old. Get off. Quarter of a century. Stop playing and I'm not going to ask Ruby because Ruby's timeless. What if she wants? Well also, someone told Dr. Wendy Osefo from a show and she's also a professor at John Hopkins. She talked about, you know, she owns her age because let me see, stands behind everything that she's done up to that point, whether all of her accomplishments, failures, wins, family, whatever, she earned those years. So I mean, but you don't have to disclose. You can say what you're going to say, Ruby, I know you already told me, but it's up to you. You can own it. I'm 27 years old. My mom told me she was 25 until she was like 80. So I'm 69 and was born the same year that Emmett Till was murdered. I was born the same year that Brown versus Board of Education became legislation. I was born the same year in 1955 when we only had three channels of television. They were all black and white except for "Wonderful World of Disney", "Wizard of Oz" and "Bananza". And there were 7, 5 and 4 and we were ecstatic when we got channel 2 and 38 and 56. It was like a whole celebration, 44 and now we've got all these cable channels. Kio, you talked about incorporating digital media and bringing old heads to the table before you leave tonight. I want to drop something in your spirit to see what's happening. Ruby, I don't know when you're leaving, but before you leave, we're supposed to have brunch or lunch or something together, right? So if I can get a, we've got coming down to the last minute or so of the program. Do you guys have words of wisdom and encouragement on this new election thing that we're going to find out hopefully who the next president is within a day or two? So first, give it to the Queen and then to the King. I'll just say that we made it through four years of Trump and we, you know, what I always tell people is that there are campaigns in Asia that I never thought we would actually win and we did. So it's really a matter of like fighting tooth and nail and like not being afraid to start that fight. And it's a big mountain, but there's things that I just really didn't imagine we would actually win. And it's a matter of just chiseling away. And when you get tired, the beautiful part of the work is that there's other people to take the chisel from your hand as you rest. And so I just, words of wisdom, like just fight, fight, fight. And when you get tired. I get to get to Kio now, before we got to go off the head. So what are your words wisdom? I was the shortest, sweet. We're not going back and keep the fight alive because the revolution will not be telling us. Well, let me try to tell you, as we thank you so much, my two guests, Kio Mcclay, the incoming and current executive director at the Boston Education Justice Alliance and my girl, Miramana. Ah, Ruby Reyes, I'm a mystery girl. The outgoing executive director at the Boston Education Justice Alliance. You tuned in to Black Teachers Matter here on WBCA LP 102.9 FM. Have a good evening and go out and vote. The preceding commentary does not necessarily reflect the views of the staff and management of WBCA or the Boston Neighborhood Network. If you would like to express another opinion, you can address your comments to Boston Neighborhood Network, 302 5 Washington Street, Boston, Massachusetts, 02119. To arrange a time for your own commentary, you can call WBCA at 617-708-3215 or email radio at bnnmedia.org. [BLANK_AUDIO]