Chris Stewart

An award-winning writer, speaker, and blogger, Chris Stewart is a relentless advocate for children and families. Based in outstate Minnesota, Chris is CEO of brightbeam, a nonprofit media group that runs campaigns to highlight policies and practices that support thriving kids. He was the founding Director of the African American Leadership Forum, was an elected member of the Minneapolis Board of Education, and founded and served as the CEO of Wayfinder Foundation. Above all, Chris is a serial parent, a Minecraft enthusiast, and an epic firestarter on Twitter where he has antagonized the best of them on the political left and right. You’ll often see Chris blogging at citizenstewart.com and “tweeting” under the name “Citizen Stewart.”

Posts By Chris Stewart

Teaching

If We Care for Kids, We Can’t Shut Down Teachers Who Truly Want to Do Better by Them

This teacher said a thing and I thought all hell would break loose. It happened last week when my 8 Black Hands crew recorded a live podcast at a gathering of educators who came together for the...

New York

No, But Seriously, How Are the Children?

Last week I made what I thought was a simple request: for all of us to prioritize the question “how are the children?” as if our nation depends on it. This week I want to offer an example of why that...

California

In Everything We Do, We Must Ask, 'How Are the Children?'

With so many pressing issues that threaten our planet, our elections, and our major institutions, why do I live and breathe education activism? For me the answer is simple. The education of America’s...

School Choice

It’s Time to Charge the Hill, Plant the Flag and Stand Up for Kids. Again.

Several years ago I went to Chicago to meet the founder of a newly formed education nonprofit that was still housed in a nondescript, temporary location. Our meeting was supposed to be about my...

Charter Schools

The NAACP’s Demands of Charter Schools Aren’t About Educational Quality

If you want to kill a good idea just set impossible conditions for its success and it will die trying to meet them. That’s the apparent strategy behind the resolution adopted by the National...

School Choice

Black People Have Tried the 'Trust Me' Relationship With Public Education for 150 Years, It’s Time For Something New

Let’s suppose there are two sides of the education debate that use similar tactics to discredit their opponents, and to acquire Black voices that give credibility to their agendas. On one side there...