One person can make a difference

Last summer, James and I had the opportunity to attend a town hall organized by the Southeast Pennsylvania First Suburbs Project. We saw a screening and community discussion of a movie called "The New Metropolis," a documentary in two parts that tells the story of the problems confronting America's older suburbs, those first-ring communities that emerged after World War II during the rise of suburbia.

One part of the documentary is called "The New Neighbors," and it focuses on a woman named Lynn Cummings who saw white flight destroying Pennsauken, N.J., where she lived. As people of color began moving into town, Lynn noticed one day that a number of older white residents had put their houses up for sale.
 
"Racism was happening in my neighborhood," she says in the movie. "I looked at myself in the mirror that night, and I said, 'Well, if you want somebody to do something, you've got to do it yourself.'"
 
I can remember sitting in the dark, watching that movie and thinking: "This woman is my new hero."
 
When the movie was over, the emcee of the evening introduced Lynn, and the petite blonde who had quietly sat down next to me after the movie started stood up and walked to the front of the room. And she was just as impressive in person as she was in the movie: smart, passionate and willing to share her wisdom.
 
And I thought that night if we ever had the chance to get her in York, she would get people energized about working for change. Well, we have her as the keynote speaker for our summit, and we're thrilled. If you want to see one person who truly did make a difference in her community, come hear Lynn Cummings.

Update 3/10: Bullfrog Films, the producers of "The New Metropolis," posted the introduction for "The New Neighbors" on YouTube. Click here to watch.
 
- Dan Fink

Charter school passes latest test

The final votes are in, and the York Academy Regional Charter School passed. York City School District's 9-0 vote this week means the charter school application was accepted by all three districts that heard the application. As we've said before, school districts typically don't support charter schools, because there is some cost to the district. So to be approved by three districts by a total vote of 24-3, with two unanimous approvals and the support of the city district, is really groundbreaking for charter schools in Pennsylvania.

The votes represent the green light needed for the effort to move forward. That means the YorkCounts committee working on the charter school can proceed to the next phase, which will include marketing and funding issues.

On the topic of marketing, the school now has a bare-bones Web site, http://www.yorkarcs.org/, which recaps the background on the effort to establish a regional charter school in York. Two key points to note:

1. The social problems that weigh on a school district with high poverty rates - York City's is 85 percent - reduce student achievement, which in turn drives away families looking for a quality education for their children.
2. Given that only one county school district is ranked in among the top 100 in the state, there is room for innovation and improvement.

We've been hearing regularly from parents who are curious about the new school. With these school board votes behind us, more information for the broader community will be available soon. Keep checking back to the York Academy Web site or our site, http://www.yorkcounts.org/.

And don't forget to mark your calendar: Our annual summit is 9 a.m. to noon Friday, March 26, at Penn State York's Pullo Center. The agenda includes an update on the charter school and the United Way's Stay in School Initiative. The keynote speaker is Lynn Cummings, a community organizer and co-founder of Neighbors Empowering Pennsauken. Her work was featured in a documentary called "The New Neighbors," which has aired on public television stations around the country.

- Dan Fink