Ronda Bullock
In Durham, plans to reopen schools for in-person instruction continues to play out in dramatic fashion.
This week, Ronda Bullock, chair of education committee of the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People took white, female educators to task for acting like “damsels in distress” and for reacting angrily to the Durham school board’s racially split vote to reopen schools for in-person instruction.
The board’s five Black members voted in favor of reopening schools for young children on March 15. It’s two white members voted against the plan.
Like most school districts in North Carolina and across the nation, Durham’s teachers are majority white. Most students in the district are Black and Hispanic.
Photo: Adobe Stock
Legislation would require public schools to reopen, worrying Black parents about sending their kids back during a pandemic. They also fear their kids will fall behind academically without in-person instruction.
Geraldine Alshamy is well-versed in the science that says schools aren’t big spreaders of the coronavirus, if districts follow state and federal health guidance.
Alshamy, an education advocate who leads Mary Magdalene Ministries Inc., in Wake County also believes research that says learning loss during the COVID-19 pandemic will harm students of color more so than their white peers.
Alshamy also knows, however, that one teacher or student death is one too many. “A dead child will never catch up [academically],” she said.
WRAL TechWire keeps tabs on the latest and greatest meetups, panels, workshops, conferences, application deadlines and all things happening in the North Carolina startup/tech world. “The Headliners” is a multi-part weekly roundup of upcoming events to add to your calendar.
Following is a list of February events in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and the greater Triangle area. To find out what’s happening this month in cities outside of the Triangle, check out part two of the “Headliners” column. Another post highlights events coming up in March. Meetups that occur regularly are listed here.
If you’d like your event to be included, feel free to send me an email.
WRAL TechWire keeps tabs on the latest and greatest meetups, panels, workshops, conferences, application deadlines and all things happening in the North Carolina startup/tech world. “The Headliners” is a multi-part weekly roundup of upcoming events to add to your calendar.
Following is a list of February events in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and the greater Triangle area. To find out what’s happening this month in cities outside of the Triangle, check out part two of the “Headliners” column. Another post highlights events coming up in March. Meetups that occur regularly are listed here.
If you’d like your event to be included, feel free to send me an email.
Keeping up with WRAL TechWire’s ongoing initiative to track events happening across North Carolina, here’s a look at what’s to come in February:
February 1
The NC IDEA Foundation is offering two grant opportunities for startups this season: NC IDEA MICRO provides $10,000 project-based grants to entrepreneurs looking to validate and advance their ideas. NC IDEA SEED provides $50,000 grants to early-stage companies, giving them the boost they need to scale faster. Applications for the spring 2021 cycle open on Feb. 1 and close on March 1.
February 2, 5:30-6:30 p.m. (online)
Flywheel is hosting a five-week educational program covering management and operations for startup founders and C-suite employees. The course is tailored toward startups that have raised funding and are ready to scale their business operations.