Miguel Rodriguez is the Assistant Principal at KIPP Chicago – Bloom College Prep.
“Now, more than ever, being part of a movement like Surge is critical to realizing a more equitable society. In my thirteen years of education, I’ve come to realize that for Black, Indigenous, and Latinx people to address systemic oppression is not enough to be seen as qualified. We are often given the titles but never the authority to make decisions. I’ve also realized that there are some people who will only invite us to sit at the decision-making table when we have our masks on – a complacent version of ourselves that checks the box for them. The Surge Fellowship is an opportunity to build coalitions that empowers us to live and operate in our authentic voices, to operate with our values when given the authority to lead and to be unapologetic in taking up space when using our social capital to impact systemic change.”