Executive director Nyah Berg reflects on Nikole Hannah-Jones's essay "In Fighting for Every Black Child, Did I Betray My Own?” . The article explores the complex feelings and individual choices students and their families face when deciding where to go to school in New York City. However, at its core, her essay is a condemnation of the ongoing and harmful consequences of a segregated school system.

Berg ruminates on the need to desegregate NYC schools and explains that there are already successful examples of school integration to replicate. What the city needs is the courage and political will to implement change through meaningful policies and action. Only then can we, as a society, move forward and transform the city’s public school system into one that is equitable, inclusive, and integrated.

Read the full reflection here.

Last week, the Road to Better Busing Coalition co-hosted a press conference with Senator Jackson and Assemblymember Tapia’s office to demand safe, reliable, on-time busing for NYC students. From Samantha, a parent who spoke on her four-year-old child waiting on the bus for four hours just to get home, to Chief of Staff for Senator Jackson Johanna Garcia's speech on how education justice should extend beyond school walls to encompass how students arrive to and leave school, the press conference amplified the dire circumstances NYC families and children have endured for decades.

Change is long past due. We need a complete overhaul of NYC’s school bus system and that starts with passage of necessary state legislation.

We are also incredibly thankful to NYC Councilmembers Restler, Dinowitz, and Brewer, as well as the Public Advocate, who joined the call for better busing.

View clips of speeches here.

Read the CBS news article about the rally here.

Sign up for the Road to Better Busing Coalition updates here.

We welcome Aneth Naranjo to the team! New York Appleseed is starting a year-long project with Territorial Empathy called Conversaciones Comunitarias, a bilingual civic education and advocacy series that empowers Latine and immigrant families, particularly native Spanish speakers, to advocate for their children's educational opportunities. Aneth will be coming on as a coordinator for this initiative, and we are lucky to have her expertise as a facilitator, program developer, and Spanish speaker.

Aneth Naranjo (she/her) is an Ecuadorian youth organizer whose work is grounded in transformative justice. A founding member of IntegrateNYC and The Peer Defense Project, she advocates for student rights, education justice, and community empowerment. Aneth has designed organizational structures, supported in creating policy, and facilitated youth leadership development. She prioritizes leading through holistic and decolonized frameworks in her advocacy work.

Aneth Naranjo holds a B.A. in Latin American Studies from Macaulay Honors College at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and is based in NYC.

School is in session, and so are we! Join our first webinar of the school year where we orient and refresh executive board members on roles and responsibilities. Guest speakers include NYCPS staff, as well as seasoned parent leaders who will share how they came into their roles, why they ran for executive board, and what their biggest PA/PTA achievements and challenges are.

RSVP here.

Interpretation will be provided in Mandarin and Spanish. Por favor, utilice este formulario para solicitar servicios de interpretación. 请使用此表格申请口译服务。