Albuquerque Public Schools
A Town Hall to Talk – and Listen
Discussion on topics involving race with Dr. Blakey energizes Black students throughout the district.
When a racist video surfaced within the Highland High community last fall, APS Superintendent Gabriella Blakey attended a meeting at the school to discuss the incident and hear from Black students about their concerns about race and climate.
She said that visit was illuminating – but not sufficient. And it prompted the superintendent to hold a frank town hall on race with Black high school students Wednesday night at City Center. More than 60 students, parents and community members from throughout Albuquerque attended the event, with many offering ideas on how to create a better environment for Black children and adults in APS.
Students were encouraged to lead the conversation. No subject was off the table, and topics like the use of the N-word, student discipline and a desire for a more comprehensive teaching – and understanding – of Black history were among the topics.
The town hall was hosted by the district’s Equity and Engagement Department, and attended by several top APS officials, who drifted from table to table in a conference room at City Center to monitor the dialogue.
Dr. Blakey said the concerns expressed by attendees, particularly students who were asked to report out the contents of the discussions at their conference tables, offered several ideas the district can use to make Black students feel more welcome, more empowered and more central to the daily heartbeat of a school.
“It’s interesting when we bring students together from different schools; you can hear more of the systemic issues rather than just an individual school issue,” she said. “That’s what I did like: being able to hear connections and similarities.”
Students expressed similar thoughts, noting that while APS may be far-flung geographically, the issues faced by young Black students have familiar themes. Many expressed a deep worry over the “normalization” of racial epithets in schools.
One student, Tamara Myles of Highland, said she was gratified that Dr. Blakey heard the concerns expressed a few months ago and followed up with a larger discussion that involved students from most of the district’s comprehensive high schools.
“(It was) very valuable,” she said. “It makes me feel good because it makes me feel like people care what students have to say specifically. Originally the conversation started with the superintendent just at my school, so it made me feel proud and feel like she heard what we wanted and what we said, because she expanded it to other schools to get other thoughts from students to see if they were experiencing the same things.
“It feels like a step forward in the right direction,” Myles added. “Because it makes me feel more heard about what I had to say.”
Blakey said the conversation won’t end with this week’s town hall. She told attendees she wants to do more events in the future because creating a better culture for all students is the foundation for academic success.\
“Without a sense of belonging,” she said, “you can’t thrive.”