Our 2021 programming theme is The Work Left to Do, and within that theme, we’ll explore a different focus each month. In the first Tea of the month, we will look at a topic from a broader perspective to understand the universal and legal challenges. For the second Tea of the month, we will speak with someone who is doing the work to educate and/or advance change so we can understand the continuing challenges and how we contribute to change in our own communities. For the month of June, our programming will address equity gaps in education and education advocacy.
Raymond C. Pierce, President & CEO, Southern Education Law Center
Our June 24 Tea guest is Raymond C. Pierce, the President and CEO of Southern Education Foundation (SEF.) SEF "engages in a range of partnerships and coalitions designed to attack the root cause of educational inequities by strengthening the capacity of advocates and policymakers. By using research-based practices, SEF’s aim is to help shape local, state, and federal policies and legislation that lead to effective systems change for Black and low-income students in the South." Since joining SEF in January 2018, Pierce has focused the organization on policy research, education legislation and leadership development. SEF has also launched a workforce development initiative and is expanding its efforts for strengthening parental engagement in support of improving student learning. Prior to joining SEF, Mr. Pierce was Dean of the School of Law at North Carolina Central University. Pierce earlier served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights as a political appointee in the administration of President Bill Clinton. During that time, Pierce also served on the White House Domestic Policy Council working group in the development of the Empowerment Zone and related economic and workforce development policies.
This Tea will be pre-recorded. A staff member from SEF will be available during the Facebook Live to answer audience questions.
If you have a Facebook account, follow RHJC’s page and Kristan’s page to be notified when we go live. You can interact with us by commenting on the video during the live stream. Share the video link with your friends on Facebook and other social media accounts using the hashtag #TeawithRHJC.
If you don’t have a Facebook account, click here at 3 pm to view the Tea on the Center’s public Facebook page. You can catch up on previous Teas on our website or YouTube channel.