I am a public school parent in Manhattan – District 2. I am Filipino-American, and have a multiracial family. I believe in a public school system that represents the community it serves, and fully supports each child regardless of race, class, ethnicity, and ability.
Ronnette is a single parent from the Hudson Valley, a mother of 7, and grandmother of four. Her youngest, ages 13 and 9, are still in school. After becoming a parent, Ronnette returned to school to get her associates degree in social services. Now she works as a family service worker for Ulster County Community Action Headstart program in Kingston, where she has been since 2006.
Ricardo Adams has been an activist in Rochester for over 15 years.
He has a deep understanding of the intersections of the problems that communities are facing. Formerly incarcerated, he has experienced many of these problems firsthand. He has always been there for people in Rochester, and has a strong sense of justice.
Tanesha first got involved with AQE in 2016, and in 2019 was elected to the Community education Council in District 5. In 2019 she became a member of our first Education Warriors cohort. Throughout the 10-month program she developed skills, knowledge and experience to become a key leader in the statewide movement for educational justice.
Demone Smith has been active in Buffalo’s education, civic responsibility and political awareness of the community. Demone began is activism upon his arrival back home from college where he joined Citizen Action and the Alliance for Quality Education (AQE) that was successful in fighting for afterschool funding in 2000.
Inshirah is an educator and mother of three from lower Manhattan. After taking a break from teaching to focus on being a mom when her children were small, she returned first as a substitute and then to full time teaching when her youngest daughter went off to pre-K. Being a teacher and also a parent gave her a chance to collaborate between her job and her children’s school, with insight into both perspectives in two different school communities.
