Educating, Empowering, and Activating The ProTruthSC Coalition
In June 2021, our former State Superintendent of Education made a statement that, at the time, we thought would elicit some pushback from organizations and or individuals who were working in partnership or alongside communities of color regarding education. In this public statement, she spoke about how standards should not be “handed down” from Washington DC, New York, or Los Angeles and she also stated that “Critical Race Theory ideology has no place in South Carolina schools or classrooms.”
At the time, CRT was the “trigger” word that folks were using as a code word for their stance against diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our organization was new, still trying to figure out our key strategies, and did not have the intention of jumping straight into advocacy or policy work. Although we knew that these were key levers to systems change, we did not feel we had the expertise to do the work, let alone the internal capacity.
But when no one stepped up, we knew we had to do something. So we did. By word of mouth, we offered up a time for our key partners to come together to share their thoughts about the Superintendent’s statement since a public assault had been garnered against communities of color and public education. One Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. we organized a Zoom meeting, expecting only a few folks to show up. Imagine our surprise when over 50 people showed up in the Zoom room. That was the origin of ProTruthSC.
Now with two legislative sessions under our belt and several House and Senate bills either defeated or delayed, we are proud of the coalition we have formed and the work we have done together.
The founding members of ProTruthSC are the ACLU of South Carolina, Lowcountry Black Parents Association, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, and of course, E3 Foundation. Since our inception, however, we have added a host of individuals and organizations to the group including the Jewish Federation, Women’s Rights and Empowerment Network, Black Voters Matter, American Association of University Professors, SC Appleseed Legal Justice Center, and South Carolina Teachers Association, to name a few.
The purpose of ProTruthSC grew out of a shared and collective commitment to protect and expand the teaching of diverse and inclusive history in South Carolina. Through our evolution, the ProTruthSC mission is to continuously improve the SC public education system, institutions of higher education, public libraries, and other public educational entities and to ensure better public educational environments and outcomes for Black, Indigenous, Jewish, LGBTQ+, low-income and other traditionally marginalized communities.
It has taken a lot of trial and error and learning together to have succeeded in defeating and/or delaying the ongoing attacks on marginalized communities that have and are continuing to take place in South Carolina. However, one fundamental belief that we have as a coalition is that we believe in our collective power and the power of people when educated about an issue to activate or respond when inequities arise. However, ensuring that we not only educate on the issues but on navigating the system is also a requirement.
A few key strategies that, if asked, I would recommend to anyone diving into this work would be:
Create a Shared Vision and Find Commonalities in Your Values
This is hard work that will not be accomplished in one year, although we celebrate small milestones. Creating a shared vision and finding common ground creates a foundation and helps us to sustain our work together. We are not just working to defeat a bill, we are working together to end inequity. We are fighting against injustice. We are working together to change a system.
Trust the Folks You Work With — Build Those Relationships
We cannot do this work effectively if we do not trust one another; therefore, building relationships is key to this work. Yes, truly meaningful relationships take time; however, we have tried to intentionally build time for relationships, check-ins with one another, and celebrations, in person. Although we have transitioned to a time when most meetings take place virtually for convenience, we realize we cannot eliminate in-person contact and conversations.
Know Your Role
We have spent a tremendous amount of time planning this work as a group. We have an annual day-long planning session, bi-monthly coordinating committee meetings and lots of informal communication between and among us. In those meetings and conversations, we have gotten better at knowing the strengths and assets that each organization brings to the fight, and relying on and utilizing those resources when the time comes.
Building an Infrastructure for the Work
There is no way we would be able to do the work that we do together as a team without systems in place for when and how we work together and how we communicate to our stakeholders. The systems are constantly evolving and changing. We are constantly refining and redefining, but we have them. These systems provide some predictability to what is often very chaotic and unpredictable work.
We invite you to join us!
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This article was written by LaTisha Vaughn, founding partner/chief programs officer of E3 Foundation. E3 Foundation is one of the founders of the ProTruthSC. To learn more about E3 Foundation (www.thee3group.com) and ProTruthSC (www.Protruthsc.com), visit their websites, as well as on Facebook, X, and Instagram at ProTruthSC.