Southern Voting Rights Assault. Texas Cop Excessive Force. Black Ranchers Land Battle.#TheBreakdown
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Quick Read
Summary
Takeaways
- ❖South Carolina's governor called a special session to push a failed redistricting bill, while Louisiana passed a bill reducing Black majority congressional districts.
- ❖A former Texas police officer was indicted for excessive force during the arrest of a Black woman in a McDonald's restroom.
- ❖St. Augustine's University, an HBCU, is navigating bankruptcy, accreditation loss, and recent vandalism, highlighting severe financial strain.
- ❖A historic Black cemetery in Florida was vandalized with 'Trump' and 'DeSantis' spray-painted on headstones.
- ❖The Mallerie family, Black ranchers in Colorado, experienced years of racial harassment, dead livestock, and a drive-by shooting, prompting them to champion new livestock protection legislation.
- ❖Capital Prep, a charter school network, boasts a 100% college acceptance rate for its graduates over 21 years, despite being the lowest-funded high school in Connecticut.
- ❖Dr. Steve Perry's Capital Prep model replicates practices of wealthy private schools, focusing on high expectations and extended learning time, rather than relying on parental involvement or small class sizes.
- ❖A state senator in Middletown, CT, blocked $4.5 million in funding for a new Capital Prep school, leading to a lawsuit, despite widespread community support and the school's proven success.
Insights
1Systemic Dilution of Black Voting Power
Southern states are actively engaged in legislative efforts to redraw congressional districts, which critics argue are designed to reduce Black political representation. South Carolina's governor forced a special session after a redistricting bill failed, and Louisiana's Senate passed a bill that would cut the number of majority-Black US House districts from two to one, potentially giving Republicans a 5-1 advantage. These actions are framed as a continuation of historical attempts to erase Black political power, using gerrymandered maps and court rulings.
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster issued Executive Order 202609 to reconvene the General Assembly for redistricting (). The Louisiana State Senate passed Senate Bill 121, reducing majority-Black districts ().
2Racial Harassment and Legislative Advocacy by Black Ranchers
The Mallerie family, Black farmers in rural Colorado, endured years of racial harassment, including doxing, dead livestock, racial slurs, and a drive-by shooting. Their local law enforcement, the El Paso County Sheriff's Office, reportedly did not adequately investigate their claims. In response, the Malleries advocated for new legislation, which passed both the House and Senate and awaits the governor's signature. This bill mandates the Colorado Department of Agriculture to work directly with local law enforcement on reports of stolen or lost livestock within a 24-hour period, aiming to make the process more efficient and ensure farmers receive timely assistance.
Nicole and Courtney Mallerie experienced doxing, dead cattle, racial slurs, and a drive-by shooting (). They reported inaction from the El Paso County Sheriff's Office (). New legislation awaiting the governor's signature requires the Colorado Department of Agriculture and local law enforcement to collaborate on stolen/lost livestock reports within 24 hours ().
3Capital Prep's Model of Educational Excellence and Political Obstruction
Dr. Steve Perry's Capital Prep charter school network has achieved remarkable success, sending 100% of its graduates to four-year colleges for 21 consecutive years. The Capital Prep Harbor School in Bridgeport is ranked as the number one high school in Connecticut for college preparation, despite being the lowest-funded in the state. Their model replicates practices of elite private schools, focusing on high expectations (assuming college attendance), academic advisors, and 'illuminators' (teachers) who work longer hours. However, efforts to open a new Capital Prep school in Middletown, CT, were blocked by State Senator Matt Lesser, who removed $4.5 million in allocated funding from the budget, leading to a lawsuit. This highlights political resistance to successful alternative education models, particularly those serving predominantly Black and Latinx students.
Capital Prep has a 100% college acceptance rate for 21 years (). Capital Prep Harbor School is the #1 high school for college prep in CT, despite being the lowest funded at $11,525/year (, ). State Senator Matt Lesser removed $4.5 million from the budget for the Middletown school (, ).
Bottom Line
Political opposition to successful educational models for minority students can manifest through funding obstruction, even when the model is proven effective and community-supported.
This suggests that the resistance to charter schools like Capital Prep is not solely about educational philosophy or funding efficiency, but can be rooted in political agendas (e.g., teacher union influence) that prioritize existing structures over demonstrated student outcomes, particularly when those outcomes challenge the status quo for underserved populations.
Advocates for educational equity must anticipate and strategically counter political obstruction, leveraging legal challenges and public awareness campaigns to secure resources for high-performing schools. Documenting and publicizing the political motivations behind such blockages can galvanize broader support.
The 'new Jim Crow' tactics extend beyond traditional voter suppression to include gerrymandering and court rulings that dilute Black political power, making communities 'politically invisible.'
This reframes the fight for voting rights as a continuous battle against evolving strategies that aim to undermine minority representation. It implies that legal victories can be quickly eroded by legislative and judicial maneuvers, requiring constant vigilance and adaptation from civil rights advocates.
Organizations need to focus on multi-faceted strategies that combine legal challenges, grassroots organizing, and public education to expose and combat these sophisticated forms of disenfranchisement. Emphasizing the economic and social consequences of political invisibility can broaden coalition building.
Opportunities
Replicable High-Performance Charter School Network
Develop and expand a charter school model that explicitly replicates the pedagogical and structural elements of elite private schools (e.g., academic advisors, assumed college attendance, extended learning time) but operates on significantly lower per-pupil funding. Focus on underserved communities and demonstrate consistent 100% college matriculation rates to build a strong case for expansion, even in the face of political opposition.
Children's Book and Educational Game Publishing for Representation
Create a publishing house and product line focused on children's books and complementary educational games that feature diverse characters and narratives, celebrating Black motherhood, family bonds, and cultural identity. Emphasize engaging storytelling and learning, while ensuring strong representation in illustrations and themes. Leverage social media for direct engagement with parents and communities.
Key Concepts
Academic Apartheid
Dr. Steve Perry uses this term to describe the systemic disparity in educational resources and outcomes for African-American children, particularly in communities like Middletown, Connecticut, where they perform significantly worse than even the poorest school systems in the state, leading them to believe they are less intelligent due to unequal access to resources.
Twice As Good
Dr. Steve Perry emphasizes to his students that despite being the best and having the highest-performing school, they 'still got to be twice as good' because systemic barriers and opposition can still undermine their achievements, as evidenced by the political blocking of funding for a new Capital Prep school.
Lessons
- Support the Mallerie family's Freedom Acres Ranch by engaging with their social media (Instagram, Facebook) and website to learn about events, volunteer opportunities, and direct support needs.
- Advocate for educational equity by supporting organizations like Capital Prep, which are fighting political obstruction to provide high-quality education to underserved students. Engage with local politicians regarding school choice and funding.
- Stay informed and active in voting rights advocacy, particularly concerning redistricting efforts in Southern states. Support organizations working to combat gerrymandering and voter suppression tactics.
Building a High-Performing, Underfunded Charter School (Capital Prep Model)
**Replicate Elite Private School Structures:** Adopt proven elements from wealthy private schools, such as dedicated academic advisors, mandatory participation in extracurriculars (e.g., two-sport requirement), and a culture of high expectations where college attendance is an assumed outcome for every student.
**Cultivate Dedicated 'Illuminators' (Teachers):** Recruit and retain faculty who are committed to working longer days, weeks, and years, viewing their role as 'lighting the way' for students rather than just teaching. Prioritize outcomes over traditional employment protections often associated with teacher unions.
**Focus on Student Needs, Not Parental Circumstances:** Design the school to be so effective that a child's success is not bound by their parents' educational background or ability to participate in school events. Provide comprehensive support to negate external challenges, akin to a boarding school environment without the residential aspect.
**Implement Equitable Admissions:** Utilize a random lottery system for admissions to ensure broad access and counter accusations of 'cherry-picking' students, demonstrating that success is achievable with diverse student populations.
**Leverage Data and Outcomes for Advocacy:** Consistently track and publicize high-performance data (e.g., 100% college acceptance, top state rankings) to demonstrate effectiveness. Use this evidence to advocate for funding and expansion, and to challenge political opposition that prioritizes existing systems over student success.
Notable Moments
The Mallerie family's resilience in turning racial harassment into legislative change.
This demonstrates how personal experiences with injustice can catalyze broader systemic change, even in politically divided environments, by focusing on common ground (e.g., protecting farmers' livelihoods).
Dr. Steve Perry's direct challenge to the notion that money is the primary barrier to educational success, citing Capital Prep's low funding and high performance.
This shifts the conversation from funding levels to effective school models, leadership, and expectations, offering a contrarian perspective on educational reform.
Quotes
"They've been trying to erase black political power since reconstruction. Now the Supreme Court is helping them finish the job."
"If you took the African-American children in Middletown and they were their own district, they'd be one of the lowest performing districts in the entire state of Connecticut. Even the poorest school systems, African-American children outperform the kids in this community. There is an actual academic apartheid underway and it's real."
"We're also the lowest funded high school in the entire state. So you get the lowest amount of money, $11,525 a year. In Bridgeport they get 18. In Middletown they get 235. We get less than half of what they get and we smoke them."
"Not one child in that school was asked if they were going to college. It was assumed upon entry that they were going to college."
"The teachers union does is it takes the emphasis off the product, which is a better educated child, and puts it on the employees. It makes it about employment, not about outcomes."
"Dr. King said that a school should be so good that you cannot tell who that child's parents are."
"You still got to be twice as good. It's not enough for you to be the best. you got to be twice as good because somebody can come behind you and do dirt."
"We have the most dangerous thing in America. We have educated, motivated young black and Latin people who ain't scared of nobody."
Q&A
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