COVID-19 & Racial Equity: A National Reckoning in Public Education

The civil unrest following the death of George Floyd and the COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare for all Americans the unprecedented challenges facing Black and Latinx students, the inequities and growing opportunity gaps. Across the United States school closures have forced district leaders, principals, and educators to transition more than 55 million students to distance learning practically overnight. Simultaneously, young people have played a pivotal role in building momentum to advance social justice, following the death of George Floyd–and the Black lives taken since. These events have hit everyone hard – but they have hit Black and Latinx students even harder. Hosted by NBC News education correspondent Rehema Ellis, this panel features educators, parents, and more on covering the needs of Black and Latinx students as the new school year starts.

Read our detailed breakdown of the National Association of Black Journalists and National Association of Hispanic Journalists 2020 Virtual Convention virtual education luncheon, to learn more about the issues discussed in the panel, and for resources from the panelists on  advancing equity in public education.