Race, politics and power loom large in dispute over reopening schools
Marta W. Aldrich
Marta W. Aldrich is the senior statehouse correspondent at Chalkbeat Tennessee. A newswoman for The Associated Press for most of her career, Marta has covered state government, politics, business, education and other Tennessee news. She has served as news editor of United Methodist News Service and features editor of American Profile magazine. Marta is a graduate of Memphis City Schools and the University of Missouri School of Journalism.
Laura Faith Kebede
Laura Faith Kebede is a distinguished journalist in residence at the Institute for Public Service Reporting at the University of Memphis. She leads the Institute’s Civil Wrongs project to write about historical cases of racial terror as a corps member for Report for America. You can follow her on Twitter @kebedefaith.
Shelby County Schools Superintendent Joris Ray has stood firm with all-remote learning, and accuses state leaders of being out of touch with the needs of Memphis students, who are mostly Black and disproportionately affected by the deadly virus.
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