PWColors: Local Matters

This episode is the continuation of our conversation about the rural area. Chloe and JB speak with Elena Schlossberg, Executive Director of Coalition to Protect Prince William County, and ask her about the groups that are opposed to development in the rural area and if they are truly reflective of the diversity of our community.

This episode is the first segment of the two-part conversation about the “rural crescent.” In this episode, co-hosts JB, Iqra, and Chloe e-sit with a Prince William Times Journalist Daniel Berti and discuss the rural area of PWC, its make-up, and some of the controversy around this topic. Join us as we consider some of the factors involved in equitable and responsible development in our community. 

This episode is the continuum of our conversation on the Prince William County juvenile justice system. Here, we speak with a PWC Mutual Aid Youth Activist Salima Driss about the proposed Juvenile Detention Center and weigh the alternatives and costs of the JDC. Be a part of our discussion to decide for yourself whether Prince William County should construct a new JDC and the validity of the word JUSTICE in our system.

This episode is the first segment of a two-part series in which we focus on the Prince William County juvenile justice system through the lens of the current and proposed Juvenile Detention Center (JDC). Join us in our conversation with a Prince William Times Journalist Daniel Berti as we discuss the state of our current JDC and the history behind the proposed JDC, among many other things. Tune in to get an overview of our juvenile justice system and join us for our next episode to hear a much-needed perspective in our conversation of juveniles - that of our youth! 

In this episode, Iqra and Chloe continue the conversation with PWCS alumni of color about their lived experiences in our school system. In this second part, graduates share with us the effect of our county's educational shortcomings on their mental health and explore the complexities of racial representation. Join us in this conversation to hear students instruct our educational leaders of the urgent changes necessary to our school system's motives, vision, and objectives. 

In this episode, Iqra and Chloe converse with PWCS alumni of color from Woodbridge, Hylton, Forest Park, Unity Reed, and Freedom about how race and ethnicity intertwined with the quality of education they obtained in the county school system. Tune in to hear the first part of this conversation as graduates share the impact of staff and student diversity (or lack thereof) on their educational experiences, and decide for yourself if the county fulfilled its promise of providing each of them a "world-class education."

In this episode, we delve into the demographics of Prince William County Public Schools to determine if this education system is serving the very people it parades around as evidence of its “diversity” – our Black and Brown kids. We speak with School Board Chair Dr. Babur Lateef, Vice-Chair and Woodbridge Rep. Loree Williams, and PWEA President Maggie Hansford to try and address the very real inequities facing many of the students across this county, especially on the Eastern side. Tune in to decide for yourself if Prince William County Schools are still segregated today and, if so, what that means for the “world-class education” it purports to offer?   

Intro Music: Stomps and Claps by Scott Holmes

In our debut episode, co-hosts JB, Iqra, and Chloe talk about the structure of our local government, minority representation, and everyone's favorite topic - "gerrymandering." We have our guests, Chair Ann Wheeler, Delegate Hala Ayala, and Senator Scott Surovell explain why your local and state governments impact your daily life more than the federal government. And if local actually does matter, why do so many of us know more about national issues than the ones affecting us most?