Welcome to the website! I’ll be using this blog to share news about my upcoming book on the history of school segregation in Rochester, to be published by Cornell University Press in early 2022. I’ll also share and explain some of the sources I used, in case you’d like to explore some of it further on your own. And I’ll have updates on any public speaking events.
First, though, I’ll introduce myself in brief. I grew up in Penfield and have been writing for the Democrat and Chronicle since 2012. For most of that time I’ve focused on the Rochester City School District. I’ve heard every explanation out there for why RCSD is “failing” – the school board, the superintendent, the teachers union, the state, charter schools. My belief is that no one of those factors, or even all of them combined, get at the true root cause. Rather, racial segregation drove the interwoven series of crises and disparities we see today in cities across America.
I’ll explain my thinking on this blog as we go along – and, of course, in the book. In the meantime, one last request. Please sign up for the email list if you’d like to be kept up to date on this sort of thing. Also let me know if you’d like to help in the book process. That could mean a number of things: event organizing, marketing, graphic design, web design, proofreading, making connections, etc. I don’t know what help I’ll need yet, but I know I’ll need it. If you’ve got any particular skills to offer, let me know!