The Dallas-based advocacy group is asking white allies in wealthy neighborhoods to commit NOT to send their children to Ivy League or US News & World Report Top 50 Schools and leave those spots open for students of color
Dallas Justice Now, a social justice activist group dedicated to ending institutional racism and creating opportunities for the black community in the segregated city of Dallas, is today asking white liberals and allies of the Black Lives Matter movement to make sacrifices to open up opportunities for students of color.
Specifically, white allies are being asked to sign a pledge to commit to not sending their children to Ivy League or US News & World Report Top 50 schools and instead leave those spots open for students from Black, LatinX, and other marginalized backgrounds who were denied access to these institutions for hundreds of years.
“This pledge is a historic opportunity for our white allies to join our movement.”Tweet this
The pledge reads as follows:
The Dallas Justice NOW College Pledge:
As a white person with privilege both from my whiteness and my neighborhood I recognize the need to make sacrifices for the purpose of correcting hundreds of years of murder, slavery, discrimination, and lack of educational and economic opportunities perpetrated upon people of color. I understand that access to top schools is a key component in economic and social advancement. Therefore, I commit that my children will not apply to or attend any Ivy League School or US News & World Report Top 50 School so that position at that school is available for people of color to help correct historical wrongs. If I do not have children under 18 then I will commit to encouraging my white privileged friends, neighbors, and family members with children to sign the pledge and holding them accountable until they do so.
“This pledge is a historic opportunity for our white allies to join our movement,” said Michele Washington, spokesperson for Dallas Justice Now.
“Donating a few bucks that was otherwise stolen from our communities, tweeting, and putting up a yard signs are meaningless self congratulatory gestures. Being an ally means making sacrifices to right the cruel wrongs perpetrated upon people of color in this racist city and in this racist country.,” Washington added.
Pledges are currently being sent out in the 95% white Highland Park and University Park neighborhoods.
The pledge can be found at www.DallasJustice.org.
Contact
Michele Washington
Michele@DallasJustice.org
