This summer, PIIN linked arms with teachers, parents, students and community organizations in support of the Pittsburgh Public School Board and their decision to hire Dr. Anthony Hamlet as our next Superintendent.

Dr. Anthony Hamlet has the experience and qualities needed to help Pittsburgh Public Schools increase academic achievement and attainment, specifically with African American and low-income students.

Dr. Hamlet has experience with alternative disciplinary practices to keep students in school and close the school-to-prison pipeline. We believe that Dr. Hamlet will expand the restorative justice programs being piloted in the school district, and we believe that significant improvements in underachieving students’ academic performance will be made under his leadership.

In June, PIIN joined numerous community organizations and allies to support our democratically elected school board in a rally in front of the Board of Education. Together, we demanded an end to the petty distractions that have kept us from focusing fully on creating the schools our children need and deserve.

As an organization committed to dismantling structural racism, PIIN sees the attacks on Dr. Hamlet as intentional distractions designed to activate the implicit biases that some people have concerning African American men. We decry these distractions and attempts at divisiveness, and remain committed to creating the best public schools possible for our children and our communities.

We look forward to our continued work with Dr. Anthony Hamlet and the School Board as we work to achieve the collective vision of prosperity, achievement, and success that we all share for our children.