When schools began to close in response to the COVID-19 crisis this spring, it was difficult to predict what the future would hold for Horizons. How long would school doors be closed? What would the remainder of the school year look like for Horizons students and families? How much learning loss were Horizons students experiencing? What basic needs were going unmet?
Horizons programs across the country connected with their families right away and many made quick adjustments to provide meals, help with remote learning technology, and virtual tutoring sessions to help students with schoolwork. As it became clear that Horizons' six-week, in-person summer programming would have to be very different in 2020, our Network leaders came together to consider the best ways to engage students remotely while still maintaining the strong community that makes Horizons so special.
Continuing our Black Educator Blog Series, where every Friday we'll be sharing stories of Black educators who have worked to advance racial and educational equity, today we are highlighting Mary Jane Patterson and Dr. Cornel West.
Mary Jane Patterson was the first Black woman to earn a Bachelor's degree in the United States. She was born into enslavement in 1840 in North Carolina, but once her father gained freedom in 1852, the family moved to Oberlin, Ohio. Mary Jane completed a year of preparatory coursework at Oberlin College, and then enrolled into a four-year program in Classical Studies culminating in a Bachelor of Arts degree.
Each Friday throughout Summer 2020, we'll be sharing the stories of Black educators who have worked to advance educational and racial equity. Today, we are highlighting Fannie Jackson Coppin and Kelly Miller.
Fannie Jackson Coppin was the first Black woman to hold the title of school principal in the United States. She was born into enslavement in Washington, D.C. in 1837, and gained freedom when her aunt was able to purchase Fannie at age 12. Fannie attended Oberlin College, the first college to accept both black and female students, and there established a night school to educate freed slaves.
Juneteenth commemorates the end of the institution of slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the Civil War had ended, and that those enslaved were now free. This news came over two years after President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation became official in 1863, which had little impact on Texas as the order was not imposed by federal troops. But, with the surrender of General Lee in April of 1865, and the arrival of General Granger's regiment, their forces were finally strong enough to overcome resistance.
Today, #Juneteenth, celebrates and appreciates the history, achievement, and freedom of Black Americans, and the extraordinary contributions they have made to the world. We honor this day as a holiday, to recognize and stand in unity with Black Americans in the Horizons Network and across the country. To commemorate, we will be sharing the stories of Black educators who worked to advance racial and educational equity in America.
Horizons National stands in solidarity with people of color throughout our communities and across the country. Black lives matter.
Horizons is committed to ensuring all children have the opportunity to thrive and learn. Eliminating inequities in education has been central to our work for over 50 years, and recent events remind us why this work is so important: systems that perpetuate, tolerate, or indulge racial injustice have devastating effects on our society and must be transformed.
We understand the communities we serve are disproportionately affected and harmed by violence and racial oppression. While the events we have seen in the last several weeks are heartbreaking, they are not new or isolated. Now and always, we stand with our entire Horizons community. We stand with our students and families. We stand with our staff and volunteers. We are united in our efforts to create an equitable world for our young people.
This moment makes our work together even more urgent – to build a society where every individual can experience the joy of learning, build skills for success, and have the inspiration to realize their dreams.
