Even with the Best of Intentions

Nice White Parents by Chana Jaffe-Walt, Host
Serial & The New York Times, July 17, 2020

This summer, the podcast Serial and the New York Times teamed up to create "Nice White Parents." This five-part series, hosted by Chana Joffe-Walt, is an in-depth look at one public school in Brooklyn. Using incredible research and journalistic skill, Ms. Joffe-Walt creates a case study for what happens when a school, a district, and a system cater to white families in both intentional and unintentional ways. It is a fascinating history that explores how white families, even with the best of intentions, can have a detrimental impact on the schools they mean to support. In one of the most powerful examples of good intentions with a pointed lack of follow through, Ms. Jaffe-Walt interviews white parents who advocated for the construction of a school closer to a predominantly white neighborhood rather than in the heart of a public housing project because they believed it would lead to more integration. As it turned out, these same white parents chose not to enroll their children in the new school. "Nice White Parents" is a must listen for educators, parents, and policymakers who want a thoughtful, reflective, and well-researched perspective on the impact of white people in the spaces we occupy.