Education Equity
Parents and youth have the wisdom and power to lead, shape, and transform our education system. We organize in coalition with community partners, and uplift parent leadership through our training cohorts.
Our priorities:
Ensuring students of color are represented and supported in the classroom
Disrupting the school-to-prison pipeline
Growing the skills and support networks of parents of color
Want to learn more or get involved? Email Ebony Young, VRJ Program Manager: young@voicesforracialjustice.org
Our cohorts
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Parents of color are coming together to support each other, their students, and to defend education equity. For the past 5 years, our Education Equity Parent Fellowship has equipped BIPOC parents with the skills, knowledge, and community needed to navigate education systems and advocate for our children. This paid opportunity continues our longstanding racial justice organizing training.
Graduates of our Education Equity Parent Fellowship have advanced their leadership skills as equity liaisons, teachers, Education Support Professional of the year, and have been appointed to advisory boards and policy coalitions. Other successes include:
Two alumni ran for and were appointed to the Saint Paul Public School Board and the North Saint Paul School Board
Parent Fellowship alumni continue to work on the Teachers of Color Act
Fellows successfully interrupted the school-to-prison pipeline and organized opposition to the Joint Powers Agreement between Ramsey County, Saint Paul, and the Saint Paul Public Schools
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Our Alumni Expansion Cohort continues the engagement, relationships, and skill development of our cohort alumni, and grows the leadership and facilitation capacity of communities of color.
Our alumni go on to facilitate for our cohorts, and have grown their skills into consulting businesses, leadership roles, and facilitation offerings for their communities and workplaces.
Applications for the 2025-26 Education Equity Parent Fellowship are closed. Subscribe to our newsletter for updates about upcoming opportunities to get involved:
Resources for action
The Pathway to Education Equity requires the participation of community stakeholders, including students and parents, the commitment of school leaders, and a sustainable process that leads to transformative change. This framework informs that path, offering a guide that addresses racial disparities in schools through an intentional process of assessment, inquiry, developing and implementing solutions, and measuring progress.
Coalition partners
