How to build a parent movement
“Our kids don’t have time to wait; we don’t have time to wait. We can’t keep burying our children because of lack of education.”
– Sarah Carpenter, Executive Director of The Memphis Lift
Yesterday I had the honor of visiting Memphis and spending time with The Memphis Lift team, a group of powerful parents who truly are on the front lines of redefining what it looks like to be truly engaged. I was first introduced to their work in 2015 at our national TFA summit and I was blown away by the authenticiy of a movement by parents and for parents. They truly have built a movement, one that has caught national attention and won several local concessions for parents. Now the question becomes, how do we get it to spread?
What I appreciate most about the work of The Memphis Lift is their mission: making the powerless parent powerful. When you think about a “powerless parent” what type of parents come to mind? Typically parents who don’t view themselves as powerful are those who lack the resources, privilege, or social capital to advocate on their own. Perhaps they’ve been ignored by those in power so long that they’ve also started to internalize some of the negative messages about what they’re capable of doing. But these same parents, once they’re inspired, informed, organized, and as a part of a larger team, they become powerful. What seems to be lost on the organization’s critics is that these very same parents, almost all of them low income and parents of color, represent a constiuency who felt previously locked out of the process of educational decision making. Now, they have a hard won seat at the table and they’re prepared to exercise their voice everyday.
In sitting and talking with Ms. Sarah Carpenter, (who reminds me of my own auntie and grandmother, both trailblazers in education for my family) I’m struck by her honesty and humor. She talks about the need to be more radical in their approach (though one could argue that they’ve already demonstrated a healthy ability to do that!). She also talks about the real ups and downs of leading a movement where you become a target because of your willingness to challenge the status quo. More than once throughout the day in conversation with parents I’m confronted with the question, what am I willing to sacrifice? Power is rarely if ever given, it’s usually taken by those willing to fight for it. That’s what parents are realizing they must do in order to gain a true seat at the table.
I’m also encouraged talking with Ms. Carpenter because as I spend time with the Memphis team, I get a sense that they’ve really become a family. One of their core values is we love, and you can tell that in order to sustain their momentum, the work isn’t just fueled by anger at the system or the status quo. Instead, there’s something deeper driving their sense of urgency. It’s love for their community, their children, and hope for the future. In this day alone we discussed policy implications of their next big battle with the district on behalf of families and the hopes that it would bring for parents trying to navigate the school choice process. We also laughed and ate (great Memphis BBQ), and laughed some more.
There is so much to learn from their approach, but perhaps my favorite aspect is how through their surge team outreach efforts, they meet parents where they are by literally coming to them. They start by listening and building relationships with parents who may have never been seriously asked, what do you want for your child’s education? They assume that parents care about their child’s education because the parents look like them. That’s worth underscoring: oftentimes people who make decisions on behalf of parents assume that parents lack the will and skill to be involved, and that’s largely based out of ignorance. They simply haven’t taken the time to get to know the parents directly that they claim to speak for.
One can argue that my life’s work as an educator, leadership development enthusiast, and passion for empowering families has led me to this moment. In education we’re now fully on the precipice of a much needed breakthrough. Our outdated approach to public schooling where we expect parents and communities to be compliant parnters in our assembly line approach to education no longer works. We need activists on all sides pushing for change, and I’ve argued for a while that the voices most missing at the table are those of students and their parents. Now The Memphis Lift has provided us a template for how to bring at least one of those voices to the table in our local communities. It’s time for this good idea to spread.
SDW3 (aka a powerful parent)
