4/17/2023

My Dear Friend & POTUS, JRB,

            It’s Monday & the news has me confused.

            The story of Ralph Yarl’s (RY) shooting in KC makes me sad! I’m sure you heard that he was shot twice when he went to the wrong house to pick up his brother. The shooter is not in jail, but his house is surrounded by protestors. According to the KCS RY plays the bass clarinet & is an excellent student. Please call his family to express your outrage. Then call Rep Emanuel Cleaver to get his ideas on what can be done in his district to make it a safer place for Black boys.

When I see the photos of Ralph Yarl with his shy smile, I think of the 5th graders I do math with each week, especially Zy, CJ & King. They have what A. Wade Boykin calls, “verve.” He coined the term to capture the high energy & vibrancy of African-American kids who come from high stimulation homes & do better when academic tasks suit their style.

Boykin has spent his career exploring how we might do a better job of creating learning environments for Black kids, & he could be a great resource in thinking about how to improve our education system.

I don’t know what we should do about the guy in the 4200 square foot house on 115th Street who is afraid of a Black kid at his door. Shooting an unarmed stranger should be against the law, don’t you think?

I also don’t know what to think about the junta’s announcement that it plans to release 3,113 prisoners, including 98 foreigners, to mark the Buddhist New Year. According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, at least 17,460 people remain in detention for opposing the coup. So, the annual prisoner release is just a drop in the bucket.

I hope to muster up some enthusiasm for the King’s Game today. Fingers crossed that De’Aron Fox will have another great night, & we can “Light the Beam” again.

BYBS,