Excited to work toward equity & excellence as the 15th Chancellor of
@SUNY
! Humbled & honored by the opportunity to advance
@GovKathyHochul
’s vision to make
@SUNY
the best statewide system of public higher education in our nation.
I just became the first U.S. Secretary of Education to call on President Biden to unilaterally cancel student loan debt. Can I count on you to retweet and help me hit 35k followers so we can spread the word?
My uncle was a Tuskegee Airman. He faced bigotry and hostility, but he put his life on the line for a country that still regularly denied Black people equal rights.
His story is not an attack.
Texas Republicans have voted to remove Susan B. Anthony, Cesar Chavez, and Martin Luther King Jr.'s “I Have a Dream”speech and “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” from Texas social studies curriculum.
My ancestors were enslaved. They lived in a cramped cabin only 25 miles away from my home today. Three generations later, I served in the cabinet of our first Black President.
Our family's story is as American as it comes — no matter what Mitch McConnell thinks.
There is an indisputable student debt crisis in our country. I’m proud to be the first US Secretary of Education, former or current, to call on President Biden to unilaterally cancel student loans for ALL borrowers. My latest in
@BusinessInsider
:
Truth matters.
The far-right wants to erase our history. The truth is, my family went from being enslaved to serving in the cabinet of our 1st Black president.
I’m running for governor because I know the power of progress and I know that it’s Maryland’s time to move forward.
I’m running for governor of Maryland because I see the vision of a prosperous future for our state, built on economic, racial, climate, and educational justice. We as Marylanders have a common destiny, and we can realize that future together. Join us:
Discovering that my great-grandfather was enslaved in Montgomery County, Maryland less than 25 miles from where my family lives has led to a remarkable exploration of painful truths, our ancestors’ amazing perseverance, & ultimately hope.
Thinking today about my great-grandfather & his family who were enslaved here in Montgomery County, Maryland (just about 25 miles from where I live). Seeking to honor their memory through working to dismantle systemic racism & advance justice.
#Juneteenth
Meet my new opponent, an organizer of the January 6th riot. Make no mistake:
He’s dangerous and Maryland can’t afford to have him as governor.
Retweet and follow to help me beat him.
“When we exclude those behind bars from Pell eligibility, we ignore the transformative power of education, leaving those in prison worse off than when they first entered.”-from
@mic
op ed I co-authored w/
@arthurrizer
of
@RSI
on
#SecondChancePell
“Kehinde Wiley’s Times Sq. Monument: That’s No Robert E. Lee -The sculpture, of an African-American man in streetwear & mounted on a horse, was unveiled Fri. & will eventually move to Richmond, VA, home to a number of Confederate memorials”-art is powerful
I’m BLOWN AWAY by the support we’ve seen. I’m running for governor of Maryland to give all our kids a world class public education, make health care universal, and close the wealth gap. Can you pitch in a few bucks to help power our movement?
“A slate...that emphasizes diversity on both sides of the camera. The lineup includes the first openly L.G.B.T.Q. superhero in a Marvel film, a superhero who is disabled, & a film anchored by an Asian superhero.”
#RepresentationMatters
👏🏽
My mom passed away when I was 8, but I think about her every day. Her spirit of love, kindness, & passion for education inspire me - & I see them in my daughters. Today we celebrate moms - including the ones we miss.
Profoundly saddened by this:”African American employee's office vandalized inside Education Department.” Thinking of my former
@usedgov
colleagues, ED’s mission to protect students’ civil rights & advance equity, & nation’s need for justice & love.
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill came out 23 years ago today. It's the first album that I remember loving cover to cover and still one of my favorites of all time. This article sums up why.
“King explained to the committee how Black student borrowers are uniquely impacted by student debt & how this targeted relief would help. Black students are more likely to borrow for college than their white peers & borrow more, on average, when they do.”
Our family spent this afternoon at the DC protest to demand justice for
#GeorgeFloyd
& policy change at the federal, state, & local level.
#BlackLivesMatter
Only 17% of public school teachers in Maryland are Black. Our kids need teachers that look like them and understand their experience. As Governor, I’ll work to create pipelines that build an education workforce that reflects the growing diversity of Maryland.
50 years ago, Pell Grants were created. When the program began Pell Grants covered 77% of the cost of a 4-year college, today they cover less than 1/3rd.
We must
#CancelStudentDebt
, bring down skyrocketing tuition, and recommit ourselves to the idea of college as a public good.
“Doing Schoolwork in the Parking Lot Is Not a Solution: In a pandemic-plagued country, high-speed internet connections are a civil rights issue.” Congress must act to close the
#DigitalDivide
.
My family went from being enslaved in a cabin in Gaithersburg to serving in the cabinet of our first Black president in just 3 generations.
My family's story is a profoundly hopeful one and I want to thank
@Mdlobbyist
for giving me the space to share it.
“Denying students entry to a college based on their ability to pay undermines equal opportunity. It perpetuates intergenerational poverty. And it strikes at the heart of the American dream.”-
@MikeBloomberg
re: amazing gift for financial aid
.
@SenWarren
is right that President Biden’s legal authority to cancel student debt is clear. In the Obama Admin, we established a process for debt cancellation & began canceling the debt of students who had been taken advantage of by predatory for-profit colleges.
WATCH:
@SenWarren
(D-Mass.) says she has no doubt President Biden has the authority to carry out his student debt forgiveness plan.
"If [the Texas court is] going to play politics instead of following the law, they're going to put the program at risk."
This race for Governor has always been deeply personal to me because I know there are too many Maryland families that have been denied real opportunity.
While we do not yet know who will be our Democratic nominee, sadly we know at this point it will not be us.
A very sad day and tremendous loss for Baltimore, Maryland, the nation, & the fight for civil rights and a more just society. Rest In Peace, Congressman Cummings. Praying for the Cummings family.
“"The simple truth is that remote & hybrid learning will be with us for the foreseeable future. In that context, denying students access to broadband is tantamount to denying them access to education."-from my new op ed w/FCC Commissioner
@JRosenworcel
“Democracy is not a state. It is an act, & each generation must do its part to help build what we called the Beloved Community, a nation & world society at peace with itself.”-Rep. John Lewis in essay written just before his passing & published today
“The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to speak openly & candidly on the subject of race, & to apply the Constitution with eyes open to the unfortunate effects of centuries of racial discrimination.”-Justice Sotomayor via
@educationweek
Love how excited
@lizzo
is to see her high school band director & how grateful she is for the difference he made in her life. As I know firsthand from my experiences as a kid in
@NYCSchools
, teachers transform lives every single day.
.
@CBSSunday
surprised Lizzo with her high school band director, who encouraged her to apply herself when she was learning to play the flute — and her reaction was priceless: “Wow, I did it, didn't I?”
101 years ago today, women gained the right to vote. Unfortunately, that right was delayed for Black women and women of color who are still fighting to this day.
The story of their continued struggle is an American story. It can’t be erased.
My ancestors were enslaved, but I went on to serve in the Cabinet of our first Black President.
Now, I'm running for governor.
I'm only here because they survived and my teachers saved my life — and I know we can build a Maryland where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.
As former history teacher, especially disgusted by parallels between what happened in Georgia today & efforts to thwart promise of post-Civil War Reconstruction amendments. The struggle for equality & democracy continues. Grateful for indefatigable leadership of
@staceyabrams
.
Republicans passed & signed
#SB202
to signal their capitulation to lies over truth. To fear over fairness. To suppression over participation. But we will not be defeated by their worst actions & instincts. We will spread the word, we will sue & we will win. For democracy.
#gapol
With the passing of John Lewis, we have lost a national treasure, tireless champion of democracy, & true hero. As
@BarackObama
writes, “he will continue, even in his passing, to serve as a beacon in that long journey towards a more perfect union.”
“This virus is exacerbating the inequalities we knew were there before. The kids who have the least are getting the least now... If the state is serious about equity, it will try...to address that.”-
@PedroANoguera
in piece re: need to address learning loss
“It is easy to rename a street, to hold a ceremony, to claim solidarity, to perform for press & social media. It is harder...to actually implement & rethink policies that help & not harm Black people by pushing for institutional changes...”-
@TakirraWD
🔥
THIS: “I believe that now, more than ever, educators have a responsibility to hold themselves individually, & hold others mutually accountable to the repair of our country & race relations”-
@kelisa_l2teach
, 2017
@DoDEA
Teacher of the Year
#BlackLivesMatter
Exciting news from New Jersey which today became most recent state to ensure DREAMers are eligible for state financial aid to pursue higher education! Grateful for leadership of
@GovMurphy
& hopeful more states - & Congress - will follow his example.
Our DREAMers are as much New Jerseyans as my kids. They grew up and were educated here and want to be part of our future economic success.
That’s why today I signed a bill to allow our DREAMers to be eligible to receive state tuition assistance to help pay for their educations.
Reinstating access to Pell Grants for incarcerated students “would lower recidivism, pump millions into local economies, & save state taxpayers hundreds of millions in correctional costs, advocates argue.”
#SecondChancePell
= stronger & safer communities.
Thrilled Congress restoring access to Pell grants for incarcerated students! When we launched the
#SecondChancePell
pilot in the
@BarackObama
Admin, this is the moment we hoped for. This wouldn't have happened without tireless advocacy of those directly-impacted.
New – Key Congressional leaders have agreed to reinstate Pell grants for incarcerated students as part of a deal on a package of higher ed policies expected to be included in year-end omnibus spending bill, per aides:
“And while a children’s book can never erase the heartbreak of a tragedy, reading a book with a child can help bring solace to the ugly vagaries of a scary world. That was as true in 1963 as it is today.”
"We need a functioning 'care infrastructure' — paid family & medical leave, access to affordable, quality childcare, long-term care...and better wages & benefits for care workers who provide the services we all need."-
@aijenpoo
&
@womenswealthgap
On Veterans Day I’m thinking of my uncle, Haldane King. He was a Tuskegee Airman who took me in after my parents passed. I’m eternally grateful to him and all the veterans who have given so much for our country.
Friday AM inspiration: “We are truly our ancestors’ wildest dreams”-fifteen Black
@Tulane
medical students in photo in front of enslaved people’s quarters on a Louisiana plantation
Standing in front of the slave quarters of our ancestors, at The Whitney Plantation, with my medical school classmates. We are truly our ancestors’ wildest dreams ✨✊🏾
Absolutely! The King-Siri administration will work every day to make sure that no Marylander faces discrimination in obtaining the care they deserve, and that Maryland becomes a safe state for abortion & trans refugees.
@JohnBKing
I am still 100% undecided, but I will 100% throw my support behind you if you can get behind:
- A transgender healthcare equity act in Maryland covers all trans health procedures like WA, CO, HI, MA
- A safe state law for trans and abortion refugees from TX, AL, AR, FL, Etc.
JUST ANNOUNCED: The 2019 National Teacher of the Year is... Rodney Robinson! He teaches social studies and history at Virgie Binford Education Center, a school inside the Richmond Juvenile Detention Center.
#NTOY19
My Trump endorsed opponent, Del. Dan Cox, stood onstage next to me and tried to erase my family history with far right lies about “cultural Marxism” being taught in our schools.
These kind of dog whistle politics are meant to divide us. I will never let them go unchallenged.
“In the familiar aftermath of America’s latest mass shooting, something new stood out: This time, the kids who survived the rampage on Wednesday were demanding to know why the adults who run the country had not done more to prevent it.”
I'm honored to have been named a
@MomsDemand
2022 Gun Sense Candidate! Banning ghost guns was a great start in Maryland and we'll do more to protect our communities when I'm governor.
TFW your student from when you were a principal comes back to teach at the school & then becomes the school’s new principal. There are no words to describe how proud I am of
@titcBARROSiana
! cc:
@UncommonSchools
Congrats to Dr. Miguel Cardona (
@teachcardona
) on nomination as next Secretary of Ed! His experiences as an English learner, 1st gen college student, & teacher of color powerfully inform his work. Looking forward to partnering to advance education equity.
Rothstein explains, “The policies of segregation that were followed by the fed gov’t were so powerful that they determine the racial landscape of today,” & therefore “You need explicit policy, race-based policy. You need affirmative action in housing.”
It's illegal for Maryland teachers to bargain for smaller class sizes. I'll change that as governor. Our students and educators deserve that at the minimum.
Lesson Plan: Discuss 22-year-old Amanda Gorman’s inaugural poem “The Hill We Climb” - a lesson plan from
@KateTeaching
(9-12 language arts teacher at Poudre School District Virtual in Fort Collins, Colorado) via
@pbsnewshour
Great piece! Really like “looping” idea which could be very helpful for addressing students’ socioemotional needs. Having same phenomenal teacher for 4th/5th/6th grade made huge difference for me as a kid during really difficult period in my life.
Progress in Portland: “The ballot measure, dubbed Preschool for All, provides free, voluntary preschool for all 3- & 4-year-olds. It also increases the salary of preschool teachers, as well as classroom assistants...” via
@ChelseaCirruzzo
of
@thelilynews
“It's my job to fit the needs of each & every student no matter what they bring to the table & make them feel loved & appreciated & inspire them to do whatever they want to be.”-2019 Teacher Of The Year
@RodRobinsonRVA
via
@NPR
#NTOY19
When we first started dating, I was a middle school principal and “dates” meant chaperoning field trips together. Now date night means an
@IAmReginaBelle
concert at the MD Legislative Black Caucus gala!
Today marks 67 years since Brown v. Board of Education and our public schools are more segregated than ever. We still have urgent work to do to live up to Brown’s promise to close opportunity gaps for students of color and those most underserved by systemic inequality.
Though today’s verdict will not bring George Floyd back, I am relieved that Derek Chauvin has been held accountable. As a Black man in America, I know firsthand that we fail to get justice far too often. (1/3)
#1619Project
“is helping schools..reframe how slavery is taught in a way that captures its brutality, complexity & influence in shaping America, while also affirming the experience as integral to black Americans’ identity &..contributions to the country.”
"What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?" by Frederick Douglass - one of most compelling speeches ever given, a crucial reminder at this moment of gap between our nation’s democratic promise & reality of racial inequity & injustice, and a call to action
“In my 15 years of teaching, I have been flooded with implicit biases; after all, that is not something we can control. We can, however, control how we deal with & respond to our biases.”-TX teacher Melissa Garcia in
@EdWeekTeacher
”We need more black men leading our classrooms. But, we also need schools & districts to simultaneously provide ongoing & robust professional development for these black men’s colleagues..& to make these spaces conducive for black children”-
@selmekki
Encouraging progress: “The Common Application announced Tuesday that it is dropping the question it has been asking since 2006 about applicants' criminal histories.”
#BeyondTheBox
#CollegeNotPrison
It's a big week for my daughters. My youngest starts back at
@MCPS
today and we dropped my oldest off at college this weekend! I'm thankful for all the educators working so hard this year to keep our kids safe. Happy back to school!
The King-Siri administration will stand up for the right to health care by making Maryland a safe state for folks fleeing other states in search of the abortion or gender-affirming care they need.
“Caring for Students in the Wake of a Traumatic News Event”-helpful insights for teachers & parents in this challenging moment via
@EvieBlad
of
@educationweek
Maryland’s prison population has the worst racial disparities in the country by a wide margin — over 70% of incarcerated Marylanders are Black. That’s unacceptable. We need to take bold steps to correct this injustice.
Apparently
@ratemyskyperoom
is a tougher grader than I am (my
@UofMaryland
students might agree). Need to work on my framing for next time to get 10/10!
Hearing that Baltimore City has shut down schools without AC. This happens every year and hurts students, especially those most underserved in our state.
We must do better. We need to update our infrastructure and give kids a safe place to learn.
“[T]he status quo needs fixing...it doesn’t matter how much money you make if everyone around you is hungry & sick...our society & democracy only works when we think not just about ourselves, but about each other.”-
@BarackObama
Both my parents passed away when I was a kid, leaving me angry & lost. I even got kicked out of high school. But public education, specifically public school teachers & a school counselor, saved my life. Because of them, I became a teacher, principal, & served with
@BarackObama