What’s the coalition?
The Black and Brown Coalition for Educational Equity and Excellence envisions that Black and Brown students who attend Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) will have equitable access to the resources, opportunities and supports they need to be successful in college, career and life.
Our vision was born out of a 2019 resource study commissioned by MCPS that revealed glaring gaps exist in the allocation of resources to Black, Latino and low-income students. Following the release of this study, in the summer of 2019, Byron Johns (chair of the Education Committee and Parents Council for the NAACP—Montgomery County, Maryland chapter) and Diego Uriburu (executive director and co-founder of Identity, Inc.) joined forces to found the Coalition. Today, our Coalition stands more than 30 organizations strong, all advocating for quality education for MCPS’s’ Black and Brown students. We are committed to increasing educational equity for the 90,000 Black and Brown students who attend MCPS schools.
Meet the Founders
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CO-FOUNDER
Byron has been an advocate for educational equity for a decade and currently serves as Education Committee chair for the Montgomery County branch of the NAACP. At the state level, he worked to form the Maryland Coalition to Reform School Discipline with the American Civil Liberties Union, Open Society Institute, Advocates for Children and Youth, Maryland Disability Law Center and the Office of the Public Defender, resulting in passage of several bills improving the welfare of Maryland’s children, and banning the suspension of young learners and reducing the disparity in discipline for students of color. In 2019, he was honored by the Board of Education with the Distinguished Service to Public Education in Montgomery County award.
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CO-FOUNDER
Diego co-founded Identity, Inc. in 1998 to create opportunities for Latino youth to realize their highest potential following mass immigration of refugees fleeing violence in Central America and the migration of Latinos from Washington, D.C., to Montgomery County. Today, Identity, Inc annually serves more than 3,000 vulnerable youth and their families living in high poverty areas at school, in the community and on playing fields to improve social-emotional learning, achieve academic success and prepare for work. In 2014, Diego was selected by the White House as a César E. Chávez Champion of Change.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
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Nora is a longtime education and equity leader who serves as a board member of the Black and Brown Coalition. She brings 28 years of experience as an educator, nonprofit executive, curriculum developer, and equity specialist, with a deep commitment to expanding access to high‑quality education for historically marginalized students, including students living in poverty, experiencing homelessness, receiving special education services, and English language learners. Nora currently serves as Director of Programs for Identity, Inc. and is a founding board member of the Montgomery County Children’s Opportunity Alliance, established by the County Council to oversee early childhood education and childcare initiatives. She is also a proud parent of two MCPS and college graduates.
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Dr. Joftus is a nationally recognized education leader and the co‑founder and president of FourPoint Education Partners, where he works with education leaders across sectors to improve student outcomes. He has led major state and national initiatives, including The Learning Network and the U.S. Department of Education–funded Race to the Top Technical Assistance Network. Dr. Joftus has also served on the Montgomery County (MD) Board of Education, teaches education leadership and policy at George Washington University, and is a senior visiting fellow. He is honored to join the Montgomery County Black and Brown Coalition and brings deep experience in equity‑focused education policy, governance, and systems improvement.
Our Asks
We believe that Black and Brown students deserve to attend schools with effective and diverse teachers and principals, advanced courses, rigorous coursework and accelerated learning opportunities to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Their families deserve culturally and linguistically appropriate opportunities to engage with the school district.
