North Carolina organization promotes racial equity in the classroom

HIGH POINT, N.C. (WGHP) — Working toward a day when race no longer makes a difference in educational outcomes is the mission of the Charlotte-based organization, CREED.

CREED stands for Center for Racial Equity in Education.

CREED is the brainchild of executive director Dr. James Ford. The idea started when Ford was awarded North Carolina Teacher of the Year in 2014. That appointment gave him the opportunity to spend time with policymakers at the state level. He noticed that race was excluded from many of the conversations about educational outcomes.

Statistics from the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights show students of color have less access to college readiness resources, gifted and talented education programs and highly qualified instructors. More data shows that racial disparities in education impact the performance of students of color.

Ford took the experiences and knowledge he gained through opportunities as teacher of the year and started CREED in 2019. Since then, the organization has been working to support students and educators of color through research, programming and coalition building. They also hold yearly conferences and summits to connect teachers of color across the state.

The CREED staff is made up of a diverse team, making sure to have varying voices to help advocate for all students of color. Dr. Jerry Wilson is the director of policy and advocacy for the organization. He says this work is personal for him.

“I’m from North Carolina. I grew up in Charlotte. Went to Charlotte Mecklenburg public schools throughout my childhood, and I had some difficult experiences. There were times where I did not feel welcomed in the classroom. There were times where I did not feel that my teachers believed in me. That ultimately drove me into the classroom. I wanted to become a teacher so that I could prevent those sorts of experiences from happening to students like myself,” Wilson said.

CREED’s work is only just beginning. Leaders of the organization say the goal is to work themselves out of existence.

“In some ways, it’s a tragedy that there’s a need for a center for racial equity in education,” Wilson said. “We hope one day there won’t be a need for a CREED … Until then, we have to continue to do the work that we do.”

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