The Duval County School Board is scheduled to discuss the wholesale removal of diversity, equity and inclusion language from district policies on July 1. Conversations at a recent workshop suggest a majority of the board is inclined to do so. We discuss what abandoning language of inclusion and equity could mean for school operations and the experiences of teachers and students.
Guests:
- Yasmina White, Duval County Public Schools parent.
- Warren Jones, former Duval County School Board chair.
- Geanny Joseph Ruiz, senior manager of Safe and Healthy Schools, Equality Florida.
Then, the second installation of the Riverside Avondale Preservation’s Porchlight Series illuminates some of Jacksonville’s Black architects, paying homage to their influence on the city’s history and identity. We speak to Mitch Hemann, archivist at Ritz Theatre and Museum, ahead of the panel discussion, Shaping Our Streets, June 19 at Happy Medium Books Cafe.
And, the annual St. Augustine Music Festival kicks off the free, seven-concert series with a Juneteenth performance by the Ritz Chamber Players and soprano Ann Marie McPhail. The concert at Cathedral Basilica commemorates the 125th anniversary of what’s come to be known as the Black National Anthem, James Weldon Johnson’s iconic Lift Every Voice and Sing.
Guests:
- Jorge Peña, musician, festival co-founder and artistic director.
- Jin Kim-Peña, musician, festival co-founder and artistic director.
