In the 1960s when lunch counter sit-ins and the March in Washington took place, Patricia Payne was just getting started in the Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) system as an elementary teacher.
After just a few years teaching predominantly Black students, Payne realized there was a gross lack of representation in her school’s textbooks and other curriculum materials. In the midst of a prolific civil rights movement, students at IPS were barely learning about it. So, Payne got to work.
In the late 1960s Payne began lobbying for a more diverse curriculum. She spoke to anyone who would listen, especially superintendents. She also began bringing her own curriculum into the classroom. “Teaching is preparing children to be productive in society,” she says. “You cannot prepare children to be productive in society when they don’t learn about the great accomplishments of African-Americans and don’t see themselves reflected in what they’re learning.”
Finally, in 1987, Superintendent James Adams heard Payne’s voice. He asked her to start the Office of Multicultural Education, which still exists today and is known as IPS Office of Racial Equity. The office is housed at Crispus Attucks High School.
Thirty-seven years later, the office has gained traction and started programs to benefit both students and teachers in the district. Payne says, “If teachers don’t have the tools and the mindset to have high expectations of Black children and understand their learning styles, then they will not succeed.” In 2014, the district started the Racial Equity Initiative, directed by Payne. Today, the Racial Equity Initiative consists of 19 equity schools in the school district. Every month, teachers from these schools and members from the community receive racial equity training for two full workdays. During this training, teachers go through studies, workbooks, videos and other materials that teach them how different races are affected in public education. “No matter how you look at the data, Black children are at the bottom of everything because racism has kept them at the bottom,” Payne says. “Teachers must learn to move against this and stop thinking that Black students being behind is normal. Children will bend to meet your low expectations, but they will also try and reach the high expectations you set for them.”
Payne isn’t the only one fighting for equity in Indianapolis, organizations like DONT SLEEP and Indy10 are filled with young people determined to leave this world better than they entered it. Twenty-five-year-old RaeVen Ridgell serves as the National Action Chair for DONT SLEEP. The organization’s name means Deconstruct Oppression Now Through Solidarity, Liberation, Empowerment and Equity and was founded in 2015.
Much like popular activists in the ‘60s, DONT SLEEP holds marches and events across the city calling for equity for all marginalized people. Ridgell says the organization recognizes that if they’re not fighting on behalf of everyone, then they’re no better than the oppressive people and systems that exist today.
While both Ridgell and Payne agree that many of the conversations society is having about social justice today are similar to what was discussed and fought for 50 years ago, technology has changed the game for how activists and advocates go about achieving equity. “One of the things we’re doing well is using social media to our benefit,” Ridgell says. “But we can also become too reliant on it. A hashtag is just a start.”
Brandon Randall (left) of the Bloom Project and Dominic Dorsey (second from right) of Don’t Sleep pose with young leaders before the Tru Dialogue youth-led forum. The forum put youth in charge of conversations regarding issues that matter to them. (Photo/Keshia McEntire)
DONT SLEEP is making sure their activism doesn’t start and end with a hashtag by creating events where marginalized voices are centered. Last year they started a Tru Dialogue series where Indy’s youth were invited to come and say whatever was on their mind to some of the most prominent leaders in the city. The organization also will host a Black Business Bazaar in April to help the community be more intentional with where they spend their dollars.
Despite our country’s current political climate, Ridgell believes we’ve come a long way, Payne agrees. Still, both recognize more needs to be done. “People in the ‘60s were willing to die if it meant a better life for future generations and we aren’t,” she admits. “Not everyone is willing to sacrifice their comfort, especially in a time where I can order groceries to my house from my phone. People expect the fight for equity to be just as easy.”
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. locks arms with his aides as he leads a march of several thousands to the court house in Montgomery, Ala., March 17, 1965. From left: Rev. Ralph Abernathy, James Foreman, King, Jesse Douglas, Sr., and John Lewis (partially out of frame). (AP Photo)
