Equal Access to Opportunity for All

Chaka Hajji, Director of Schools

Equal access to opportunity for all. I don’t think I fully thought about or understood the gravity and depth of this phrase until I left high school. It was when I began my undergraduate career and attended a Summer Bridge program, which was specifically built for underrepresented, low-income incoming freshmen to ensure they were prepared to thrive and succeed at the university. I remember walking onto UC San Diego’s campus with my bag full of clothes and feeling nervous. I walked further into the building and saw Black and Brown faces, and I thought “Bet!” It felt like home! Later that day, I sat in one of my first classes, Dimensions of Culture, and Cecilia Ubilla, a 4 foot 7 Colombian Latina, who had to be at least 80 years old, called me out during a lecture when it was clear I had something to say and was not saying it. She looked me straight in the face and said “Don’t hesitate. You are powerful. You are brilliant and you deserve to be here.” I’ll never forget that moment because she was one of the first who made me believe that I belonged. She was one of the first who helped me know that access mattered. But equal access mattered even more. I didn’t realize until the Fall classes began that Black students made up almost 1% of the 24,000 undergraduates on campus – that is 240 Black students… out of 24,000… how meaningful and impactful her words would be.

Fast forward 13 years, I became a Rocketeer and taught Kinder Humanities to a classroom of beautiful 5-year-old babies. One student helped me refine my teaching because he, alongside his mother, made sure my instruction was rigorous, thoughtful and consistently fun. Marcos was the most curious, the sweetest and the most thoughtful Kinder baby.  When Marcos was in 3rd grade, I was serving as Principal, and Lily, his mother called me. I answered the phone “Hey, Lily, how are you? She responded and said “I hope you can help me.… “ You see, Marcos had developed a severe stutter and no longer wanted to come to school. Whenever he felt anxious, stressed or even excited, he struggled to get his words out and would repeat single words over and over again. The day before, he was called on to answer a question and he stuttered to the point where he could no longer articulate his thoughts. It was devastating for him. Marcos no longer wanted to come to school, and Lily was looking for support. What do I do? How do I help my team of educators support this family? How do I make sure this is the moment when Marcos and his mom are reassured that we stay true to what we promised?

Marcos completed a speech assessment and quickly started to receive services. I’ll never forget when I saw him walking outside of the service provider room, beaming. I said “Hey Marcos, what are you smiling about?” He turned to me and said “I just learned that so many famous people have a stutter, and that’s really cool!” I watched him walk down the hallway with a bit more confidence and belief in himself. I didn’t think about it until recently, but in that moment I made a choice. Lily came to me seeking help and I didn’t know EXACTLY what to do, but what I did know was that I was going to figure it out. In that moment. I made the choice to commit. Made the choice to commit to Marcos, to his mom, Lily, and to figure out how to get him the support he needed, so that he accessed the services he needed and deserved.

So… there have been many moments. But the most profound moment in my life happened in 2019 when I had my first child, Zayne. This experience was made even more special by the fact that I was pregnant alongside my twin sister, China. Our children, Zayne and Catalina, were born just six weeks apart, and have been our greatest sources of joy and inspiration (and exhaustion). Their first years on this planet occurred during a global pandemic, during the height of the Black Lives Matter movement and when so much of our world paid close attention to systemic racism and the lack of equity in our country. My sister and I have worked hard to ensure Zayne and Cat see their skin color as power, they know their voices carry conviction and strength, and we work each day to ensure whether it’s going to college or university, working at tech and Fortune 500 companies, traveling the world, or whatever they want to do… they can do. Because that is what access is. My son, a Black boy in America, is not poised to secure a Black job. He will be ready to speak truth to power, bring love and critique into the world and make it a better place. I know that each and every choice I make, I think about the world that I am preparing Zayne for. A world where he doesn’t have to work twice as hard to get half as much. So when I envision my baby’s future, I know that the work we do today, matters.

Zayne, Catalina, Marcos and all of our children don’t deserve but are due the right to equal access to the opportunities, the experiences, the moments that will ensure their minds, their hearts and souls are fulfilled.

When I think about fresh from high school Chaka or when I think about Marcos, or even Zayne and Catalina, I think about the moments that helped me speak up and advocate for myself, but I also think about the adults who allowed me to flourish and cultivate my own mind. I am really looking forward to the incredible work our educators are prepared to do this year. Please know, the knowledge and skills to educate all children already exist. There are no pedagogical barriers to teaching and learning when willing people are prepared and made available to children.

Published on July 9, 2024