Caring for Your Community in a Time of Crisis: On the Ground in Minneapolis

When crisis comes for one of us, it comes for all of us.

In this powerful and deeply moving episode, Dr. Val and Andrew sit down with two parent leaders in Minneapolis—Carina (a White mom and longtime bridge-builder in dual language spaces) and Cisne (a Spanish-speaking immigrant mom and vice president of their dual language parent organization)—to talk about what it means to care for our community when ICE arrives at your doorstep.

What unfolds is a story about more than fear. It’s a story about relationships built long before crisis hit. About language justice. About sharing power. About mutual aid that moves in both directions. About what happens when Latino leadership is centered—not as an afterthought, but as the foundation.

We also hear from the professional interpreter who made this conversation possible in real time—offering a powerful reflection on interpretation as social justice work.

This conversation is heavy. And it is also filled with hope.

Because what we’re reminded of again and again is this: systems may fail us. Relationships keep us safe.

This episode reminds us that integration work is not theoretical. It is not performative. It is not about optics.

• It is about who gets to make decisions.
• Whose language is spoken first.
• Whose safety is prioritized.
• Whose children are protected.

It asks those of us—especially those of us who are White, documented, resourced—to reflect on how we are using proximity to power. Are we holding it tightly? Or are we sharing it?

It reminds us that bilingual education is not enrichment for some and marginalization for others—it is an opportunity to build bridges, leadership, and collective strength.

And it underscores something we’ve said for years: public schools are one of the few remaining places where we canbuild the kind of cross-racial, cross-class relationships that sustain us in crisis.

If we choose to.

The children missing from classrooms in Minneapolis are our children.

The parents afraid to leave their homes are part of our communities.

The mental health impacts will ripple far beyond one city.

Integration is not just about where our children sit in class.

It is about whether we are willing to stand together when it matters most.

Thank you for being part of this work. Thank you for staying in it—even when it’s heavy.

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The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits.

This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Val Brown. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits.

Music by Kevin Casey.

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