For Release: April 21, 2021
Contact: Dorie Turner Nolt, 404.861.1127, dturnernolt@all4ed.org
“The verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin is one small step toward tearing down the long-standing racist systems and structures in our country. We are relieved to see accountability for the horrific murder of George Floyd, but we also know we have so much more work to do before there is true justice for Black and brown people in the United States. While the trial was happening, just 10 miles from the courtroom, police shot and killed young father Daunte Wright. Days earlier in Chicago, police shot and killed 13-year-old Adam Toledo and, just as the news of the Chauvin verdict broke, police in Columbus, Ohio, shot and killed 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant. As educators and advocates for children, we must continue the fight to break down barriers for underserved students and ensure that every student can thrive, feel safe, and find hope. At the Alliance for Excellent Education, we continue to stand with those calling for justice and change in this country and urge that these long-overdue conversations about systemic racism take place immediately. We must keep fighting for a more just tomorrow and the courage to create lasting change. Every child in America should be offered hope, and this hope starts with each one of us.”
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Deborah S. Delisle is the president and CEO of the Alliance for Excellent Education and served as assistant secretary of elementary and secondary education from 2012 to 2015.
The Alliance for Excellent Education (All4Ed) is a Washington, DC–based national policy, practice, and advocacy organization dedicated to ensuring that all students, particularly those underperforming and those historically underserved, graduate from high school ready for success in college, work, and citizenship. all4ed.org
