Learning In Public with Courtney Martin

---SPECIAL NOTE --- If you enjoyed this conversation, a wonderful artist in the Bay Area, named Jen Bloomer, has created a piece of art inspired by Learning in Public. It's beautiful and she has generously offered to donate the proceeds from sales to Integrated Schools. Please check it out and support a wonderful artist and our organization. ------------------ From the time Courtney Martin strapped her daughter, Maya, to her chest for walks around her neighborhood, she was curious about Emerson Elementary, a public school down the street from her Oakland home. She learned that White families in their gentrifying neighborhood largely avoided the majority-Black, poorly-rated school. As she began asking why, a journey of a thousand moral miles began. Courtney journey led her to Integrated Schools and our founder, Courtney Everts Mykytyn, who told her: "people like you do things like this." Integrated Schools, and a friendship between the two Courtneys, became a support system as Martin decided to enroll her daughter at Emerson - and discovered that her public school, the foundation of our fragile democracy, is a powerful place to dig deeper - to go beyond hashtags and yard signs to be a part of transforming herself, her community, and ultimately, the country. She chronicled this choice and then the complexities of living into it in her new book, Learning in Public. More than a memoir, Learning in Public is an exercise in doing the best you can, owning your mistakes, and committing to knowing better and doing better.  She joins us to talk about the book along with one of the key characters from the book, Mrs. Minor. After teaching Courtney’s daughter, Mrs. Minor left the public school system to start her own private preschool, The Learning Forest. Courtney and Amha (as Mrs. Minor’s new students call her) developed a friendship over the course of monthly conversations about integration, public education, race and more. Ahma brings a critical eye and nuanced perspective to the topic of integration, and pushes us to constantly reconsider if we are doing the right thing.  To support The Learning Forest, you can sponsor a family through GoFundMe, or donate directly CashApp $TheLearningForest.   LINKS: The Learning Forest Preschool Courtney's new book - Learning In Public  On Being Column by Courtney Mansa Musa Courtney's last appearance on the podcast Rucker C Johnson on our podcast talking about his book, Children of The Dream Use these links or start at our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us.  Join our Patreon to support this work, and connect with us and other listeners to discuss these issues even further. Let us know what you think of this episode, suggest future topics, or share your story with us - @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us [email protected]. The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits. This episode was produced, edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits. Music by Kevin Casey.