Jolene Almendarez talks about Ithaca student push to include race education throughout K-12 [AUDIO]

Jolene Almendarez, the managing editor of the Ithaca Voice, reported on the Ithaca City School District’s board meeting in late February, which largely focused on the lack of discussion about race in the school system. After national right-wing outlets like Breitbart covered Ithaca students protesting the casting of a white female student in The Hunchback of Notre Dame‘s lead role Esmerelda — a role meant for a gypsy, which is typically cast by an actress of color — the students who organized this protest received threats of violence and death. These students, among others, spoke out at the ICSD board meeting, advocating to include discussions of race throughout the entire K-12 curriculum.

Jolene Almendarez spoke with Laura Rosbrow-Telem on WRFI’s “Your Morning” on March 2 to share her impressions of this meeting.

Featured image credit: Prachi Ruina, an Ithaca High School student and one of the organizers of Students United Ithaca, speaking at the ICSD board meeting. Photo courtesy of YouTube