The Integrated Schools Podcast copertina

The Integrated Schools Podcast

The Integrated Schools Podcast

Di: Andrew Lefkowits Val Brown Courtney Mykytyn
Ascolta gratuitamente

A proposito di questo titolo

Hosts, Andrew, a White dad from Denver, and, Val, a Black mom from North Carolina, dig into topics about race, parenting, and school segregation. With a variety of guests ranging from parents to experts, these conversations strive to live in the nuance of a complicated topic.

©2018-2026 IntegratedSchools Genitorialità e famiglie Relazioni Scienze sociali Successo personale Sviluppo personale
Episodi
  • REVISIT: Finding Hope in Solidarity with Heather McGhee

    REVISIT: Finding Hope in Solidarity with Heather McGhee
    Apr 22 2026

    We’re going back to the archives today to revisit a conversation with Heather McGhee. In February of 2021, Heather McGhee’s book, The Sum of Us came out. With a focus on the ways in which racism harms everyone, and the potential good that can come from cross-racial coalitions, the book was exciting to us. When we realized that Integrated Schools was featured prominently in the chapter about education, we were blown away.

    The book is based around three main concepts. The first is the “zero-sum lie of racial hierarchy”, or the idea that progress for people of color necessarily has to come at White folks’ expense. The second is the idea of the “drained pool,” the disinvestment by White people in public goods simply because they have to share them with people of color. And finally, the “solidarity dividend,” the idea of gains that we can unlock, but only when we come together across lines of difference.

    This last idea, the most hopeful, inspired Ms. McGhee to go back on the road and make a podcast documenting examples of the Solidarity Dividend in action. She joins us to discuss the podcast, what it means to be a good ally, the power of relationships in sustaining movements, and what role the Integrated Schools community should play in participating in the current, cross-racial movement for public education.

    LINKS

    • Ms. McGhee’s first appearance on our show
    • The Sum of Us Podcast
    • The Sum of Us Book
    • James Haslem from HEAL Together
    • Ms. McGhee and Victor Ray’s Op-Ed in the NYT
    • California Calls – organizing in California
    • Ms. McGhee’s mother – Dr. Gail Christopher
    • Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation

    ACTION STEPS

    • Listen to The Sum of Us Podcast
    • Read The Sum of Us Book
    • Get involved locally – find organizations that align with your values, and just show up!
    • Take opportunities to share space with folks – school pick up/ drop off is a great place to start
    • Share stories off cross racial solidarity with others. Stories from The Sum of Us, from our podcast, or from your own life.

    Use these links or start at our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us.

    Join our Patreon to support this work, and connect with us and other listeners to discuss these issues even further.

    Let us know what you think of this episode, suggest future topics, or share your story with us – @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us podcast@integratedschools.org.

    The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits.

    This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Val Brown. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits.

    Music by Kevin Casey.



    Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

    Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
    Mostra di più Mostra meno
    1 ora e 1 min
  • Seeds of Resistance: The Lemon Grove Legacy

    Seeds of Resistance: The Lemon Grove Legacy
    Apr 8 2026
    We're joined by YA author, María Dolores Águila to uncover the largely untold story of the 1931 Lemon Grove Incident—the first successful school desegregation case in California, led by Mexican and Mexican American families.Through her book A Sea of Lemon Trees, Maria invites us into the world of 12-year-old Roberto Alvarez, a child asked to carry the weight of his community’s fight for educational justice.Together, we explore what it looks like when communities organize, when young people lead, and when stories become a form of power.We can’t be what we don’t see.Maria shares how her work is rooted in creating “social capital” for young readers—especially those who have not seen themselves reflected in books or history. When our kids see communities like theirs organizing and winning, it expands what feels possible.The Lemon Grove case unfolded during a time of anti-Mexican sentiment and mass deportations. The parallels to today are hard to ignore. What we don’t know about our history can make the present feel confusing—but these stories remind us: we’ve been here before. While Roberto Alvarez was the named plaintiff, this was never a story about one hero. It was about a community—families organizing, neighbors supporting, people taking risks together. Every role mattered.Resistance is real—and it costs something.This wasn’t a clean or easy victory. Families faced threats, pressure, and even deportation. Telling the full story—including the hard parts—matters, especially for our kids. Through a 12-year-old’s perspective, the absurdity of segregation becomes clear. Kids often see injustice plainly—before we, as adults, complicate it.We keep coming back to this:All of our kids are watching.They’re watching how we talk about history.They’re watching how we respond to injustice.They’re watching whether we stay—or walk away.What might shift if we saw ourselves not as individuals navigating systems, but as part of a community shaping them—together?LINKS:A Sea of Lemon Trees: The Corrido of Roberto AlvarezBarrio Rising: The Protest that Built Chicano ParkMenudo Sunday: A Spanglish Counting BookThe Lemon Grove Incident Mexican RepatriationS11E10 – Micro Activism: Making a Difference One Step at a Time Send us a voice memo: speakpipe.com/integratedschoolsCheck out our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us.Join our Patreon to support this work, and connect with us and other listeners to discuss these issues even further.Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for video versions of our episodes.Let us know what you think of this episode, suggest future topics, or share your story with us – IntegratedSchools on Facebook, @integratedschools on Instagram and TikTok, or email us podcast@integratedschools.org.The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits.This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Val Brown. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits.Music by Kevin Casey. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
    Mostra di più Mostra meno
    50 min
  • Spatial Injustice: School Closures as a Form of Educational Redlining

    Spatial Injustice: School Closures as a Form of Educational Redlining
    Mar 25 2026
    What happens when we stop thinking about schools as buildings—and start seeing them as the ecosystems that hold our communities together?In this episode, we sit with Dr. Mara Tieken to explore school closures not as isolated decisions, but as part of a broader pattern of spatial injustice—where resources, opportunities, and care are unevenly distributed based on where we live.Together, we wrestle with a hard truth: school closures are often framed as inevitable… but what if they’re actually the result of choices—policies, priorities, and patterns of disinvestment—that we can question?We grapple with several key ideas:Schools are more than buildings—they are social, cultural, and economic anchors in our communitiesClosures disproportionately impact Black, Brown, and low-income communitiesThe most common justifications (cost savings, academic improvement, “efficiency”) often don’t hold up under scrutinyWhat gets labeled as a “failing school” is often a school that has been failed—by policy, funding, and systemic neglectSchool closures don’t just disrupt students—they create lasting grief, loss, and disconnection across generationsThis conversation also reminds us that we are not powerless. Across the country, communities are:Organizing and building multiracial, cross-class coalitionsQuestioning the data and narratives used to justify closuresRunning for school board, advocating for policy change, and showing up for each other’s schools—not just our ownWe are left wondering, what would it look like to treat every school as our school? Not just when it’s under threat—but all the time.Because if public schools are foundational to our democracy, then caring for them can’t be an individual act. It has to be collective.LINKS:Dr. Tieken's Hechinger Report Op-Ed - Shuttering public schools is a strategy that rarely saves much money and often leads to test score declinesAnd from The Washington Monthly - Don't Fall for the School Closure TemptationRural Schools Open - Dr. Tieken's guide to fighting school closures and doing it well, when needed. Dr. Eve L Ewing - Ghosts in the SchoolyardAnd Dr. Ewing on our show - S11E12: Schools and Race: Eve Ewing on the Construction of American Racism Send us a voice memo: speakpipe.com/integratedschoolsCheck out our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us.Join our Patreon to support this work, and connect with us and other listeners to discuss these issues even further.Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for video versions of our episodes.Let us know what you think of this episode, suggest future topics, or share your story with us – IntegratedSchools on Facebook, @integratedschools on Instagram and TikTok, or email us podcast@integratedschools.org.The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits.This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Val Brown. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits.Music by Kevin Casey.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
    Mostra di più Mostra meno
    1 ora e 1 min
Ancora nessuna recensione