Tune in to hear Magen Gonzalez-Smith, the Executive Director of DPS Foundation, unpack how the pandemic has fostered a sense of urgency around digital and educational equity, and how her work is focused on galvanizing community resources to help strengthen and support public schools in Durham.
0:00 Episode starts
0:43 Personal check-ins start
1:02 Rob talks about being hopeful because of the conversations happening on the podcast that change is possible
2:18 Jes talks about being curious as a small part of a bigger picture of where we need to go
3:32 Magen Gonzales-Smith joins the conversation
4:10 Jes introduces Magen
6:06 Jes asks Magen to pick one word to describe how she is doing
6:11 Magen talks about feeling energized about the momentum around how the community is coming together to lift up students
7:14 Jes asks Magen about her story, how she got to where she is, and where her passion for public education was derived
7:52 Magen talks about growing up in a split family where part had a lot of privilege and the other part that consisted of her dad being the first in his family to continue school past 8th grade
10:32 Rob quotes a CNN article talking about how inequalities throughout the education system are exposed by distance learning of the pandemic
11:32 Rob asks Magen about the work that the DPS Foundation does and how they work to address the inequities of public schools in Durham
11:52 Magen talks about the pandemic creating a sense of urgency among digital learning
12:40 Magen talks about how DPS Foundation is focused on creating support for the public schools to galvanize community resources to help strengthen schools
13:07 Magen shares about three ways they are responding to digital inequity in this crisis: Family Relief Fund, The Hope Network, and the Excelling Digital Equity Campaign
15:42 Magen shares about four things that are essential to successful remote learning that they are raising funds for: access to technology and internet, insuring that teachers are well-supported, insuring adequate tech support, and space conducive to their learning
19:50 Jes asks what the biggest challenge is in Magen’s work
20:11 Magen shares that the biggest challenge is that we do not have adequate funding for public education
21:44 Magen talks about wanting to be a good partner in working along organizations to be stronger together
24:52 Rob shares about Bull150’s newest exhibit called “The Schools We All Deserve”
25:08 Rob asks about the history of public school education and the importance of tackling that chapter in our story
25:55 Magen shares about a core value of the foundation being that they believe public schools can lead in dismantling systemic racism when they address current and historic systems of inequality
28:41 Magen talks about the goal that Durham public schools would more accurately reflect the communities
30:53 Rob asks Magen about what gives her hope in her work personally that keeps her going
31:15 Magen talks about feeling energized because she gets to see the incredible ways Durham shows up and cares for neighbors
33:42 Jes asks Magen how listeners can showup for the community
33:46 Magen shares three ways how listeners can showup: volunteering through the Durham Hope Network, giving to the Digital Equity Campaign, and amplifying messages through social media
36:58 Magen signs off the conversation
37:43 Rob shares that he takes away that Magen captures so well in her job the importance of looking at our history to be able to change how things are going now
39:12 Jes talks about the importance of acknowledging our past and future, but being able to pull ourselves out of it to be able to move forward
43:44 Conversation ends
43:47 Outro
Thank you to DJ Pdogg and Producer Lo Key for our awesome music throughout the show!
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Our sponsors:
Our hosts:
Jes Averhart, cofounder of Black Wallstreet Homecoming
Rob Shields, executive director of the Recity Network.
Our Producer:
Ben Azevedo, owner of Bear Cave Audio
Our Editor
Chris Pappalardo