About

Public education is on the top of everyone's minds today! Especially in Los Angeles where the teachers' strike has everyone talking about school finances and the need to make it rain on schools. We continue our conversation on the importance of public education for our communities - a topic that is critical to our survival and incredibly political. Our guest is Dr. Manuel Pastor who knows everything there is to know about California's politics, race, demographics and social justice movements! Dr. Pastor breaks down California's defunding of public education and the subsequent fall of LAUSD from one of the best school districts in the nation to one that is on the brink of financial insolvency. A reality that is knocking on the doors of many districts across the state! ABOUT OUR GUEST Dr. Manuel Pastor is a Professor of Sociology and American Studies & Ethnicity at the University of Southern California. He currently directs the Program for Environmental and Regional Equity (PERE) at USC and USC's Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration (CSII). Dr. Pastor holds an economics Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and is the inaugural holder of the Turpanjian Chair in Civil Society and Social Change at USC. Dr. Pastor’s research has generally focused on issues of the economic, environmental and social conditions facing low-income urban communities – and the social movements seeking to change those realities. He is the author of a number of books on social and economic justice topics. We recommend you check out this title: 1. State of Resistance: What California’s Dizzying Descent and Remarkable Resurgence Mean for America’s Future ABOUT THE SERIES Public education is incredibly important for our communities - it's also incredibly controversial. We kick off our next series to dissect the history of public education and the fight for education justice. The series, entitled "Nature of The Threat", will explore various issues impacting the quality of education that children are receiving - quality that is inconsistent, inequitable, and outright unjust in some neighborhoods. We will discuss school reform efforts, school funding, teacher quality, teacher strike, charters, and that delicious coffee cake they used to serve in the school cafeteria. Send us questions you want us to explore by emailing us at thehooddigest@gmail.com or slide in our DMs on IG: @hooddigest, Twitter: @hooddigest Love, The Grand Supreme Chapin & Profesora Panamena