Seeking Equity in Education Realm By Bruce Deckert Editor-in-Chief • Today Magazine
SEEING CLEARLY is a key component of living well and making the best life decisions — and seeing clearly can be a challenge, given a world that is sometimes foggy, and in view of our limited individual perspectives that are impacted by the constraints of our common humanity. In order to arrive at the best decisions and solutions, we can agree that listening to, learning from and valuing one another’s viewpoints and life experiences are essential parts of the process. Education is closely connected to this essential skill of seeing clearly — and in light of this, a local nonprofit is seeking to make a constructive difference in the school realm. S.E.E. CT — aka Solidarity-EquityEducation Connecticut — aims to include the perspectives of all students and to see the value of all citizens of every race across American history. Based in Canton, S.E.E. “aims to address institutionalized racism, bias and other issues of social justice in Connecticut schools and beyond,” per the S.E.E. website. The nonprofit defines its purpose as follows: “Our mission is to bring together students, parents, educators and community members in solidarity to strive for equity in K-12 curriculum” — while advocating for students who “have been historically underserved and underrepresented.” Co-founders Felicia Jordan and Cailyn Carr established S.E.E. CT in June 2020. Felicia is a Canton resident, while Cailyn was raised in New Hartford and now resides in Somerville, Mass., a Boston suburb. Felicia grew up in Waterbury, Conn., and graduated in 1994 from Crosby High, one of Waterbury’s public high schools. She is a graduate of Central Connecticut State University, with a B.A. degree in sociology and social work. Since college, she has lived in California, Colorado and New Jersey. She is married to Michael T. Jordan, a vice president at Brighthouse 20
S.E.E. champions underrepresented students NOTEWORTHY NONPROFITS
Financial, and they have three schoolage daughters. Michael has written a book — “Mojo Momentum: Creating Motivation for Work, Life and Your Future in a World of Obstacles.” The Jordan family has lived in Connecticut for more than a decade, and in Canton since 2015. Felicia is the founder of Live Like A Lotus, a Canton-based yoga studio that also offers life coaching and mindfulness training. In addition, she has a real estate license and has worked for Canton-based Carol Cole Real Estate for the past five years. Felicia’s experience as the biracial daughter of a white mom and a black dad have defined her desire for equity and shaped her hopes for greater inclusion of marginalized voices in local schools. She has written about her growing-up experiences for the Elephant Journal website in a June 2020 article entitled “Being Biracial in a Mostly White Town.” She writes of her need to be careful
“ We hope to continue to serve our community and the surrounding area as we strive for equity within our education system and beyond ” — Felicia Jordan
AUGUST 2023 – www.TodayPublishing.net – TODAY MAGAZINE
about going into certain neighborhoods because of the color of her skin. She writes of homes being pulled off the market when her parents were house-hunting — because the sellers didn’t want to deal with a black man — and of her mom going alone to make an offer on a house so the bid would be accepted. And she writes of being “in my childhood home at night while cowards burned crosses on our lawn” — adding that these distressing vignettes are “just a glimpse because there is so much more.” It’s no wonder that Felicia is fond of this Brené Brown quote: “Brave leaders are never silent around hard things.” The cross-burnings that occurred in the early-20th-century Jim Crow South were horrific — yet a cross-burning in Connecticut in the latter 20th century somehow seems even more shellshocking, if that were possible. Returning to the themes of seeing clearly and listening and learning, in her article Felicia extends an invitation: “If you would like to start a dialogue, to ask questions, to gain an understanding, reach out. … We must begin to embrace change and have empathy because I truly think we have the ability to make this world a much better place — together.” • S.E.E. co-founder Felicia Jordan addresses a variety of topics and questions in the following exclusive interview with Today Magazine: What is your mission? Our mission is to bring together students, parents, educators and community members in solidarity to strive for equity in K-12 curriculum. S.E.E. (Solidarity-Equity-Education) believes that every student has the right to a culturally competent education that reflects and respects their identities, particularly those that have been historically underserved and