Mt. Hope High School &
Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights/
Speak Truth to Power
Strategic Partnership Director
Task: To provide a social justice and human rights high school curriculum, and to create a more honest, equitable and accurate depiction of history, intended to provoke understanding, empathy and dialogue among students, faculty and staff.
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Specifics: Held focus groups with students, faculty and community to give voice and input on programs and to meet needs based on equity imbalances and underserved representation within the district, then co-authored a grant to gain funding.
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Outcome: Within three months, the grant was approved and the program was live.
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How I Worked with Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, Speak Truth to Power
Working with Mt. Hope High School and the RFK/Speak Truth to Power organization was a meaningful experience. Upon reading the XQ+RI Equity Audit, a tool used to identify and assess educational gaps within the school population, we identified our underserved populations and the imperative to address educational injustice.
While attending A Calling: The Civil Right to Education, an XQ event, I spoke with an attorney for RFK and explained how I had been researching a curriculum which portrayed history more honestly. He shared that they had an educational component entitled, The Defenders, which is global stories told by over 50 activists who have endured injustice in the fight for Human Rights. Additionally, many of the individuals portrayed have even spoken to classes via video conferencing because they want to share their stories directly with students.
After hearing about this, I became determined to bring it to Mt. Hope High School. However, while there was urgency to incorporate this curriculum, there was also a need to acquire funding in order to partner with RFK. Therefore, I teamed with a local agency and we co-wrote a grant which funded the program.
Three months after the approval, seven teachers were trained. It is now an integral part of the high school curriculum with the intent to broaden access in the district over the next two years.