A few weeks ago, I found myself underneath a dead whale.
For New Yorkers, they know I’m talking about the American Museum of Natural History where the taxidermied mammal hangs above other exhibits in the Hall of Ocean Life. That night, Mayor Zohran Mamdani had invited people from across multiple sectors of the city to celebrate the Black History Month Centennial. Amidst criticisms about the lack of Black deputy mayors, this event felt particularly timely. Attendees heard a mix of singers, poets, historians, and public officials offer slivers of the Black experience in New York City.
Mamdani himself spoke to the history of Black New Yorkers in the formation of the city itself. In an interview with LaToya Coleman, the mayor even apologized for his remarks asserting that “immigrants built this country.” Even his apology felt like a stark departure from previous administrations where moments of sympathy felt sparse.
At the same time, New York City found itself embroiled in yet another school controversy. According to multiple sources, a Black student testified in front of his community education council (CEC) in defense of his school amidst plans to close the school. Allegedly, an attendee uttered some racist remarks virtually. She allegedly said that the student was “too dumb” to know how “bad” their school was. She then mis-cited (yes, I’m making up a word) Carter G. Woodson’s Mis-Education of the Negro and said “If you train a Black person well enough, they’ll know to use the back. You don’t have to tell them anymore.”
Education advocates felt the shockwaves immediately. The professor who allegedly made those comments put out a statement to clarify her intent, but the damage was done. Organizations such as Parents Supporting Parents, multiple CECs from across the city, and other individuals mobilized to correct the harm. To their credit, New Yorkers for Racially Just Public Schools, of which I am a part, also put out a statement. CEC30 parent leader Whitney Toussaint put up a few informative videos that circulated among many media news outlets decrying the reprehensible behavior.
This incident sent shockwaves across the cities via e-mails and text chains. I know this not because I’m an education advocate, but because I am also a parent within that CEC. And I finally have the words for this.
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