“We are talent that deserves investment. We’re worthy of investment,” says Stephanie Parra, founding Executive Director of All In Education.
All In Education is a new advocacy organization based in Phoenix.
“(We’re) committed to making sure that individuals who are most impacted by the inequities that exist in our education system truly have a voice and a seat in decision-making rooms,” says Parra.
All In Education aims to motivate the Latino community to take control of their education through multiple programs like parent educator training, leadership development, fellowship opportunities and more.
“We’re here to show what’s possible when we change hearts and minds about how we view the Latino community, how we view low-income communities, communities of color across the state,” says Parra. “It’s going to take us viewing our communities as the talent and potential we need to invest in. So that they can see themselves as the future leaders our state needs.”
Parra is a first-generation American. Her parents are naturalized, Mexican immigrants. Due to poverty and discrimination, Parra’s father was pushed to drop out of school in 10th grade. Instead, he worked as a farm laborer with his father.
“This is a long game,” says Parra. “We can either choose to just say ‘it’s too much, it’s too challenging, what role am I going to play in this?’”
“Or we can say, ‘you know what? The challenges are big but if we come together and work together to address the challenges, the impact we can have as an entire community, a community that rallies around a vision for a more vibrant, more inclusive Arizona. Where every single child has access to opportunity and justice in our education system — that’s when we can scale our impact. It’s going to take a collective effort and all of us coming together around a common cause.’”
Watch the full interview to hear more of Parra’s story, and how she motivates her team to keep fighting for social justice.
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