Episode 30: Supporting Educators Who Support Underrepresented and Underserved Populations
ABOUT JONATHAN, TITO, AND SHOMARI
Jonathan Santos Silva has been a trouble-making, system-breaking leader in education for over 12 years. You may know him from his work as Founder of The Liber Institute and as Chairman of The Bored of Ed Podcast, but Jonathan can also be credited with contributions to the Cambiar Catalyst Fellowship and South Dakota’s Native American Achievement Schools. Jonathan has been recognized for his work as a classroom teacher, founding school leader, and leadership coach, and is a sought after speaker due to his engaging and uplifting style. He holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Northeastern University and an M.A. in Education Administration from the University of South Dakota and currently resides on the outskirts of He Sapa (the Black Hills of South Dakota) with his wife, four children, and two rez dogs.
Boston Uncornered Executive Director Francisco “Tito” SantosSilva, 36, has worked for more than a decade supporting young people from underserved communities to help them reach their greatest potential. He has a deep commitment to the Core Influencer population Boston Uncornered serves and understands them to be the key to ending systemic generational urban poverty and gang violence. Prior to Boston Uncornered, SantosSilva was Director of Engagement for UTEC, where he was responsible for developing training for staff, consulting other GVP organizations through the training center and helping front line staff and staff of color develop on their professional journey to becoming organizational leaders. He has also worked for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Youth Services where he supported incarcerated young adults in their efforts to transition back into the community, as well as for Eliot Community Social Services, where he identified safe and secure placements for children and families. SantosSilva earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, and a Master of Arts in Community Social Psychology, from the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. Raised in Brockton, Massachusetts, his educational and professional journey was almost derailed by street violence that took the life of a close friend, but with the right support he was able to get back on track as he is now helping other young people to do the same.
Shomari Jones is the Director of Equity and Strategic Engagement at Bellevue School District. He leads staff in thoughtful exploration of institutionalized racism and its impact on student learning and mentors students to raise their social awareness and help them feel more connected and engaged in the district and their communities, which has resulted in a community-wide conversation, bringing to light racial and socio-economic inequities. He serves as a powerful advocate for and witness to the experiences of students of color to help district leaders identify, confront, disrupt, and dismantle structures that limit the potential of those students. He developed several student empowerment initiatives like Students Organized Against Racism (SOAR), Breaking Out Of the Margins (BOOM), and Sistahs Having Outstanding Uniqueness Together (SHOUT), as well as parent advocacy groups like the Parent Alliance for Black Scholars (PABS). In 2019, Shomari was recognized as a “Leader to Learn From” by Education Week. He has served as the Chief Operating Officer at the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle, a not-for-profit organization with 82 years of activism and community experience in the heart of Seattle’s most diverse neighborhood, the Central District. Shomari also volunteers at the Seattle University Center for Social Transformation and Leadership and the Bellevue Police Chief Diversity Committee. He holds a Bachelors in Science in Mathematics from Tuskegee University and has a daughter in college.
EXCERPT FROM PODCAST
"It's not so much as saying, 'this is what we're doing and you all must do what I do', it's, 'here's some room to get creative."
- Jonathan Santos Silva
"Kill the savage spare the man. It’s kind of that same feeling, right, like let’s get these kids out of this hood life. Let’s get these kids out of their culture. Everything that they are experiencing and tell them it’s all wrong. Here’s the blueprint of what you’re supposed to fit into. We try to be intentional around not doing that."
- Tito SantosSilva
"I’m a disrupter to systematized tactics of oppression that have historically underserved or not allowed for opportunity to be accessed by large groups of individuals like our black folks, our indigenous folks, our BIPOC folks in general."
- Shomari Jones