By Natasha Kamrani, DFER Tennessee State Director
DFER-TN is dedicating a good deal of its first year of operation to educating communities on the leadership role Democrats are playing in education reform around our nation.
As part of our efforts, we launched the DFER-TN Speaker Series this spring. The series will bring together thought leaders from around the country to provide their experiences working in ed reform and ideas for how to improve education in Tennessee.
Dr. Howard Fuller, founder and former chair of BAEO (Black Alliance for Educational Options), led our first session in April.
While on stage, Dr. Fuller expressed the importance of focusing our attention toward helping kids. He emphasized that we must love our children more than we love the system that so desperately needs reforming.
Nashville’s Mayor Karl Dean, TN State Representative Harold Love, and DFER Chief Joe Williams joined Dr. Fuller on stage. Audience members included representatives from the Nashville chapters of the NAACP and 100 Black Men, a group of local pastors, leaders from Nashville’s Kurdish and Islamic community, and other community members seeking to learn more about education reform.
Colorado State Senator Michael Johnston will be speaking at our next installment of the DFER-TN Speaker Series on the evening of May 23rd. He’ll discuss the topic of “The 21st Century School System.”
Folks interested in attending should contact Natasha Kamrani at Natasha@dfer.org.
Natasha has been engaged in the pursuit of excellence in public education her entire professional career. Upon graduation from Miami University of Ohio, Natasha went on to work for Teach For America (TFA). She later became the executive director of Teach For America’s Houston office. In 2000, she received a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from the University of Houston Law Center and was later elected to the Houston Independent School District Board of Education. Read Natasha’s full bio here.