Education First Shawnee Mission was honored to support the Social Justice March for Educators that was held on June 12, 2020. This march was organized by local educators and featured speakers such as Dr. Janet Carter, Dr. Tyrone Bates (Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator for the Shawnee Mission School District), Anisha Jackson (Shawnee Mission parent), Jill Johnson (SM-NEA Vice-President), Amber Pagan (NEA), Kim Urenda (Shawnee Mission counselor), Laylan Hamid (student and Shawnee Mission West National Honor Society President), and Katiana Hutchinson (Blue Valley Northwest Alumna). Education First was grateful to be asked to speak and share more about our plans as an organization to combat systemic racism and racial bias in our schools. After the speakers, attendees marched silently down 95th Street, with most passers-by sharing their approval with honking horns and shouts of encouragement. We owe a debt of gratitude to the co-organizers of this fantastic event, Dr. Janet Carter, Kim Urenda and Jennifer Elliot.
You can view a video of our speech below. To learn more about this event, please visit this link to read a story by the Shawnee Mission Post.