The Integrated Schools Podcast

Andrew Lefkowits, Val Brown, Courtney Mykytyn
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The Integrated Schools Podcast
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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 conversation strive to live in the nuance of a complicated topic.

  1. What Was Lost: Noliwe Rooks on The Failures of Integration

    APR 16

    What Was Lost: Noliwe Rooks on The Failures of Integration

    “At its inception, in the courts, and as a project, integration was deeply contested and Black people were deeply divided about it. ” – Dr. Noliwe Rooks The common narrative about integration often frames it as a clear victory—a moment when American education finally confronted injustice. But Dr. Noliwe Rooks argues the reality is far more complicated. In her new book, Integrated: How American Schools Failed Black Children, she traces the history of Black education, showing how the pursuit of desegregation sometimes led to profound losses for Black communities. In this conversation, Dr. Rooks discusses the overlooked sacrifices Black communities made as schools integrated, from the closure of vibrant Black-led schools to the erasure of Black educators’ roles and perspectives. Through the story of 4 generations of her own family, she reveals how integration initiatives frequently dismissed Black voices and visions for education, leaving systemic inequities intact. This episode challenges us to rethink what integration truly means, and what’s required if education is to fulfill its promise of justice and liberation for all students. ________________ Finding a school where your children can thrive, while avoiding contributing to the ongoing segregation we see today, can feel like a tough issue for socially conscious parents. Check out our FREE guide on how you can start engaging with the education system to achieve just that: Download the guide now - https://mailchi.mp/integratedschools/start-guide ________________ LINKS: Integrated: How American Schools Failed Black Children - https://bookshop.org/a/18658/9780553387391 A Passionate Mind in Relentless Pursuit: The Vision of Mary McLeod Bethune - https://bookshop.org/a/18658/9780593492420 Cutting School: The Segrenomics of American Education - https://bookshop.org/a/18658/9781620975985 S6E9 – BvB@67 – Noliwe Rooks Revisited – Dr. Rooks from our Brown v Board anniversary series - https://integratedschools.org/podcast/s6e9-bvb67-noliwe-rooks-revisited/ S11E9: The Containment: Michelle Adams on Northern Jim Crow - https://integratedschools.org/podcast/s11e9-the-containment-michelle-adams-on-northern-jim-crow/ No Choice Is the “Right” Choice: Black Parents’ Educational Decision-Making in Their Search for a “Good” School – Dr. Linn Posey-Maddox - https://meridian.allenpress.com/her/article-abstract/91/1/38/464262/No-Choice-Is-the-Right-Choice-Black-Parents?redirectedFrom=fulltext S10E14 – Jim Crow’s Pink Slip with Dr. Leslie Fenwick - https://integratedschools.org/podcast/s10e14-jim-crows-pink-slip-with-dr-leslie-fenwick/ Ep 11 – White Women and the Politics of White Supremacy - https://integratedschools.org/podcast/mcrae/ Use these links or start at our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us. - https://bookshop.org/shop/IntegratedSchools Join our Patreon to support this work, and connect with us and other listeners to discuss these issues even further. - https://www.patreon.com/integratedschools Let us know what you think of this episode, suggest future topics, or share your story with us – 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

    59 min
  2. Finding Hope, Together

    APR 2

    Finding Hope, Together

    Last month, integration advocates from around the country gathered for the National Coalition on School Diversity's National Conference to discuss where we find ourselves in this difficult moment. From policy makers to researchers, school leaders to equity advocates, the conference featured many of the brightest minds focusing on how we build up and support an education system that serves all children well. Despite the challenges to education, especially public education, not to mention multiracial public education, attending the conference was inspiring and sustaining. To see several hundred people gather in the face of pushback to reaffirm our commitment to the project of integration provided much needed hope in troubling times. Today we share some conversations with folks from the conference who are committed to a better world and finding hope where they can. LINKS: The National Coalition on School Diversity - http://school-diversity.org/ S10E18 – The 70th Anniversary of Brown v Board – Do It Live! - https://integratedschools.org/podcast/s10e18-the-70th-anniversary-of-brown-v-board-do-it-live/ S11E9: The Containment: Michelle Adams on Northern Jim Crow - https://integratedschools.org/podcast/s11e9-the-containment-michelle-adams-on-northern-jim-crow/ NAACP LDF on The Dept of Ed's Dear Colleague Letter - https://www.naacpldf.org/education-department-anti-opportunity-letter-federal-funding/ Visit our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us. - http://bookshop.org/shop/IntegratedSchools Join our Patreon to support this work, and connect with us and other listeners to discuss these issues even further. - http://patreon.com/integratedschools Let us know what you think of this episode, suggest future topics, or share your story with us – 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

    39 min
  3. Schools and Race: Eve Ewing on the Construction of American Racism

    MAR 19

    Schools and Race: Eve Ewing on the Construction of American Racism

    Public education is touted as the bedrock of democracy, a leveler of playing fields, and our best tool to create active, engaged citizens. And while that vision is powerful, Dr. Eve L. Ewing argues that it was never intended to be those things for Black or Native students. In fact, her new book, Original Sins: The (MIs)education of Black and Native Children and the Construction of American Racism, maintains that schooling in America was created to prepare White kids for leadership, Black kids for subjugation, and Native kids for erasure. She joins us to discuss these three separate strands of education and the tools of discipline and punishment, implied intellectual inferiority, and preparation for economic subjugation used to support them. She leaves us with love, justice and a focus on flourishing as possible antidotes to help us imagine something better. LINKS: Ghosts in the Schoolyard: Racism and School Closings on Chicago's South Side - https://bookshop.org/a/18658/9780226526164 Original Sins: The (Mis)education of Black and Native Children and the Construction of AmericanRacism - https://bookshop.org/a/18658/9780593243701 Bughouse Square - Eve Ewing's Podcast with co-ghost, Studs Terkel - https://studsterkel.wfmt.com/bughouse-square Faith Ringgold - United States of Attica, 1971 - https://whitney.org/collection/works/44678 Gwendolyn Brooks - We Real Cool - https://poets.org/poem/we-real-cool How Watermelons Became a Racist Trope - William R. Black in The Atlantic - https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/12/how-watermelons-became-a-racist-trope/383529/ The Abigail Fisher case - https://www.propublica.org/article/a-colorblind-constitution-what-abigail-fishers-affirmative-action-case-is-r Project a Black Planet: The Art and Culture of Panafrica - currently at the Art Institute Chicago - https://www.artic.edu/exhibitions/10157/project-a-black-planet-the-art-and-culture-of-panafrica Braiding Sweetgrass - Robin Wall Kimmerer - https://bookshop.org/a/18658/9781571313560 S7E9 – Revisiting Heather McGhee on How Racism Hurts Us All - https://integratedschools.org/podcast/mcgheerevisited/ Use these links or start at our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us. - https://bookshop.org/shop/IntegratedSchools Join our Patreon to support this work, and connect with us and other listeners to discuss these issues even further. - https://www.patreon.com/integratedschools Let us know what you think of this episode, suggest future topics, or share your story with us – 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

    1h 4m
  4. Dr. Eve L. Ewing - UNEDITED

    MAR 18 · BONUS • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

    Dr. Eve L. Ewing - UNEDITED

    The full conversation with Dr. Ewing. It was just a bit too long for the actual episode, but we wanted to share it here. Additional stories, a few more jokes . . . it's a great conversation. Let us know what else you'd like to see in this space. IS+ is for you, our supporters. Email is - podcast@integratedschools.org

    1h 6m
  5. Lies and Moral Deficiencies: Greg Jarrell on Whiteness

    MAR 5

    Lies and Moral Deficiencies: Greg Jarrell on Whiteness

    "To be White is, is to be raised on lies. Lies that are passed down, generationally that a lot of White folks don't always know that they're passing down." - Greg Jarrell Our guest today, Greg Jarrell is an ordained minister, a cultural organizer and the author of Our Trespasses: White Churches and the Taking of American Neighborhoods. Through many years of building community while engaging in anti-racist learning, he has come to realize that he also has a stake in ending White supremacy, advancing racial justice, and building loving, multi-racial communities. He joins us to discuss the ongoing moral and intellectual deficiencies that come from Whiteness, the importance of intentional anti-racist education, and the need for material and cultural reparations. Jarrell emphasizes the necessity of developing multiracial coalitions and using one's advantages to dismantle systemic inequities, in order to face historical scars and work towards a more just society. LINKS: Our Trespasses: White Churches and the Taking of American Neighborhoods - https://bookshop.org/a/18658/97815064... QC Family Tree in Charlotte, NC - http://qcfamilytree.org/ The Redress Movement - https://redressmovement.org/ ICYMI: Seeing White - Our episode sharing clips from the Seeing White season from Scene on Radio https://integratedschools.org/podcast... S5E3 – Gifts We Didn’t Expect: Family, Faith, and Integration - our conversation with Albert - https://integratedschools.org/podcast... Charles Mills - The Racial Contract - https://bookshop.org/a/18658/97815017... Use these links or start at our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us. - https://bookshop.org/shop/IntegratedS... Join our Patreon to support this work, and connect with us and other listeners to discuss these issues even further. / integratedschools Let us know what you think of this episode, suggest future topics, or share your story with us – 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

    58 min
  6. Micro Activism: Making a Difference One Step at a Time

    FEB 19

    Micro Activism: Making a Difference One Step at a Time

    Omkari Williams believes deeply in the power of people to change their environments - that through the power of the human spirit, and small, concrete actions, anything is possible, and that true changes requires all types of people. Her recent book, Micro Activism: How You Can Make a Difference in the World Without A Bullhorn, is a testament to this idea. In it, she lays out four activist archetypes - The Headliner, The Producer, The Organizer, and The Indispensable. All movements need all four types of activists, and everyone can find themselves in one or more of the archetypes. This view opens the door to anyone to participate, and the book gives concrete steps to take to figure out how to get involved in a way that leans in to each person's individual strengths. In a dark time, where hope can be hard to find, Ms. Williams brings a grounded sense of hope and possibility, along with actionable steps to changing our environments for the better. ________________ Finding a school where your children can thrive, while avoiding contributing to the ongoing segregation we see today, can feel like a tough issue for socially conscious parents. Check out our FREE guide on how you can start engaging with the education system to achieve just that: https://mailchi.mp/integratedschools/start-guide ________________ LINKS: - Micro Activism: How You Can Make a Difference in the World Without A Bullhorn - https://bookshop.org/a/18658/9781635866889 - Ms. Williams Podcast - Stepping Into Truth: Conversations on Social Justice and How We Get Free - https://www.steppingintotruth.com/ - Register for an Integrated Schools Book Club session! - https://integratedschools.org/book-club/ Use these links or start at our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us. - https://bookshop.org/shop/IntegratedSchools Join our Patreon to support this work, and connect with us and other listeners to discuss these issues even further. - https://www.patreon.com/integratedschools Let us know what you think of this episode, suggest future topics, or share your story with us – 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

    47 min
  7. The Containment: Michelle Adams on Northern Jim Crow

    FEB 5

    The Containment: Michelle Adams on Northern Jim Crow

    The 1954 Supreme Court decision, Brown v Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas declared the separate is inherently unequal. The Supreme Court declared that it was in the national interest for kids to learn together. And while progress towards that goal was slow, and often met with resistance, there was an opportunity in the decision to try to heal our nation from the extraordinary wounds caused by slavery, Jim Crow, and persistent separate and unequal opportunities for Black people. In many ways, 1974's Milliken v Bradley decision put an end to that potential. A tragic Supreme Court decision, that led Thurgood Marshall to write a powerful dissent, in which he says, "unless our children learn together, there is little hope that our nation will learn to live together and understand each other." Professor Michelle Adams has been studying the Milliken decision for many years, and just released a book about the case, called The Containment: Detroit, The Supreme Court, and the Battle for Racial Justice in the North. It's an easily digestible, incredibly compelling story about the power of ordinary people in Detroit who came together to fight for equal opportunity for all kids, and who came up against a court that codified White flight as tool to avoid integration into law. We are still dealing with the ripples of that decision today. Professor Adams joins us to discuss her life, the book, and why she cares so deeply about this decision. While the decision caused great harm, Professor Adams also provides us with hope. The book gives a more complete understanding of the history of the civil rights movement so we can start from a shared set of facts. This understanding can help us all demand that our children learn together, in high quality, fully funded, integrated public schools, because, as Professor Adams says, it's very hard to have a multiracial democracy without that. ________________ Finding a school where your children can thrive, while avoiding contributing to the ongoing segregation we see today, can feel like a tough issue for socially conscious parents. Check out our FREE guide on how you can start engaging with the education system to achieve just that: Click here to download the guide now! https://mailchi.mp/integratedschools/start-guide ________________ LINKS: The Containment: Detroit, The Supreme Court, and the Battle for Racial Justice in the North - https://bookshop.org/a/18658/9780374250423 A review of The Containment by Jeffry Toobin at the New York Times (gift link) - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/13/books/review/the-containment-michelle-adams.html&ved=2ahUKEwjxmt7P3ZaLAxXfGjQIHcrRNWgQFnoECCcQAQ&usg=AOvVaw2ZDwJgL60CBTDzg8BH7yp9 Complete audio from the Milliken v Bradley opinion, including the entirety of Justice Marshall’s dissent. - https://apps.oyez.org/player/#/burger4/opinion_announcement_audio/17265 Professor Adams first appearance on our show - S5E16 – Revisiting Not In My Suburbs: Milliken v Bradley @46 - https://integratedschools.org/podcast/millikenat46/ Justice Marshall's dissenting opinion in Milliken - https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Milliken_v._Bradley/Dissent_Marshall Part 1 of our 3 part series on Keyes v Denver Public Schools - https://integratedschools.org/podcast/s10e11-local-stories-of-desegregation-denver-part-1/ Use these links or start at our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us. - https://bookshop.org/shop/IntegratedSchools Join our Patreon to support this work, and connect with us and other listeners to discuss these issues even further. https://www.patreon.com/c/integratedschools Let us know what you think of this episode, suggest future topics, or share your story with us – 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

    57 min
  8. Gratitude and Validation: One Family's Journey Through Integrated Schools

    JAN 22

    Gratitude and Validation: One Family's Journey Through Integrated Schools

    Every parent and caregiver wants a crystal ball. We want to see how the choices we make for our kids, from screen time to activities to where they go to school, will impact them when they're older. Choosing an integrating school can feel like a risky choice, and even if we believe that it is the right choice, both for our kids, and our community, it's easy for doubt to creep in. Susan, a White mom in Lancaster, PA, and her husband, made that choice for their son, Elias in kindergarten. When he was 15, he was at a track meet with schools from around the county, and recognized how many other schools were almost entirely full of White students. He took that moment to say thank you to his parents for the choices they made. He recognized all the benefits he had received from his integrated education, from a comfort in diverse spaces, to a deeper sense of community, to an appreciation for not being centered at all times. Susan and Elias join us to share their experience, what they've learned, and what they hope other parents, caregivers, and kids can take from their journey. LINKS: -Choosing a school for my daughter in a segregated city - Nikole Hannah-Jones (gift link) - https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/12/magazine/choosing-a-school-for-my-daughter-in-a-segregated-city.html?unlocked_article_code=1.q04.Q_uz.TZ6aKiXLpt1T&smid=url-share -Ep 2 - The Bordon Family - https://integratedschools.org/podcast/ep-2-the-bordon-family/ -The Daunting Task of Staying Put - Susan's blog post on our site - https://integratedschools.org/the-daunting-task-of-staying-put/ ________________ Finding a school where your children can thrive, while avoiding contributing to the ongoing segregation we see today, can feel like a tough issue for socially conscious parents. Check out our FREE guide on how you can start engaging with the education system to achieve just that: https://mailchi.mp/integratedschools/start-guide ________________ Visit our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us. https://bookshop.org/shop/IntegratedSchools Join our Patreon to support this work, and connect with us and other listeners to discuss these issues even further. - https://www.patreon.com/integratedschools Let us know what you think of this episode, suggest future topics, or share your story with us – 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

    1 hr
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About

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 conversation strive to live in the nuance of a complicated topic.

Information

  • Creator
    Andrew Lefkowits, Val Brown, Courtney Mykytyn
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2025
  • Episodes
    148
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    ©2018-2025 IntegratedSchools
  • Show Website
    The Integrated Schools Podcast
  • Provider
    Andrew Lefkowits

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