WEBVTT - Painting to Address Educational Inequity

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<v Speaker 1>This is Bloomberg Business Week with Carol Masser and Jason

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<v Speaker 1>Kelly on Bloomberg Radio. So getting us all on a

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<v Speaker 1>better and lasting path to equality injustice, well, it means

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<v Speaker 1>educating everyone and that Jason, as we know, needs to

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<v Speaker 1>happen at all ages. UM Public Color gets that. Here

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<v Speaker 1>to talk about their mission and efforts is Ruth Schuman.

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<v Speaker 1>She is president and founder of AM. I saying it right,

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<v Speaker 1>Public Color, Yes, okay, good, and she joins us on

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<v Speaker 1>the phone in New York City. I just want to

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<v Speaker 1>make sure, UM, we are so delighted to have you

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<v Speaker 1>with us. And I do want to point out that

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<v Speaker 1>Public Color is supported by Bloomberg Philanthropy, which is of

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<v Speaker 1>course the charitable arm of Bloomberg LP, owner of Bloomberg Radio. UM, Ruth,

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<v Speaker 1>so delighted to have you here with us. I've been

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<v Speaker 1>looking at your website, looking at some of your your efforts.

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<v Speaker 1>Tell us a little bit about your mission though, well,

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<v Speaker 1>from the very beginning, our mission has been to move

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<v Speaker 1>the needle on educational inequity and economic inequality. And UM

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<v Speaker 1>I was of twenty six years ago. I got to

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<v Speaker 1>see UM a lot of schools, middle schools in East Harlem,

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<v Speaker 1>and I was absolutely outraged by how prison like they

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<v Speaker 1>all looked, looked, and felt. And I thought, it's no

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<v Speaker 1>wonder kids are dropping out. It's no wonder teachers are

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<v Speaker 1>burning out. It's no wonder parents don't come for parent

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<v Speaker 1>teacher conferences. These were environments of extreme disrespect. And Um,

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<v Speaker 1>I had just finished my master's in industrial design with

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<v Speaker 1>his specialty in the psychological effect of color. And that's

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<v Speaker 1>when the light bulb went on. I thought, you know

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<v Speaker 1>what if I put a paint brush in the hands

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<v Speaker 1>of especially disaffected students, I will get them. First of all,

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<v Speaker 1>I'll teach them the marketable skill of commercial painting. I'll

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<v Speaker 1>teach them strong work habits. But I'll also just by

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<v Speaker 1>talking to them, let them know how important education is.

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<v Speaker 1>And together we will change the way their school looks

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<v Speaker 1>and seals. And and what happened was they developed a

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<v Speaker 1>very strong sense of pride and ownership in their school.

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<v Speaker 1>They started showing up much much more regularly. Anecdotally, I

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<v Speaker 1>heard from principles that even teachers started showing up more regularly.

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<v Speaker 1>And UM, let's see one to three schools later. My

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<v Speaker 1>third school that I did UM in bed stye Um,

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<v Speaker 1>which was the lowest performing school in the system that

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<v Speaker 1>I did as a pilot project in order to win

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<v Speaker 1>a contract with the Department of at the d OE

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<v Speaker 1>at that school, I really I couldn't leave. I couldn't

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<v Speaker 1>leave the kids. When we were we all I started,

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<v Speaker 1>uh the I had a celebration to at the end

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<v Speaker 1>of the painting the transformation, and I couldn't leave them.

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<v Speaker 1>They were holding on, they were crying, and I thought,

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<v Speaker 1>we've got to start another program. So back in nine seven,

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<v Speaker 1>I started color Club, which is an acronym for Community

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<v Speaker 1>of Leaders organizing revitalization. The whole point was to go

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<v Speaker 1>out into the neighborhood into under resource facilities like homeless shelters,

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<v Speaker 1>local health clinics, senior centers, community centers with these kids

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<v Speaker 1>so they were still with me. And and then that

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<v Speaker 1>developed more and more into weekly career and college prep

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<v Speaker 1>workshops and then tutoring. We offered tutoring three times a week,

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<v Speaker 1>and of course painting on Saturdays. And then the students

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<v Speaker 1>were getting older. So now what so I started Next Steps,

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<v Speaker 1>which is college and career prep. And I want you

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<v Speaker 1>to know that Bloomberg. Bloomberg volunteered with us at the

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<v Speaker 1>very first school that we painted as a result of

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<v Speaker 1>having gotten a contract with the do OE, which was

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<v Speaker 1>Thomas Jefferson in East New York. That was back in

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<v Speaker 1>like nineteen. That was maybe incredible. And Bloomberg employees have

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<v Speaker 1>painted with us every single year, multiple times, and I

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<v Speaker 1>mean they're incredible. I've always said that our volunteers are

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<v Speaker 1>the lifeblood of our organization, and um, I'm I'm just

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<v Speaker 1>thrilled that they're still with us this many years later. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>it is definitely, as you know, Ruth, and you know,

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<v Speaker 1>as a New York Bureau chief, you know, I'm very

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<v Speaker 1>proud of what we do here in New York. You know,

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<v Speaker 1>it is so baked into our culture, and it obviously

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<v Speaker 1>comes from our boss, Mike Bloomberg, as you know, who

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<v Speaker 1>I believe we should also point out I was believe,

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<v Speaker 1>I believe was involved in in an event earlier this week.

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<v Speaker 1>I do want to ask you before we before we

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<v Speaker 1>do some news. You know, given that you come at

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<v Speaker 1>this from from a very you know, scientific background. Is

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<v Speaker 1>that you studied this and you study design. As you say,

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<v Speaker 1>what is it, you know, just in in a minute

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<v Speaker 1>or so, what is it about color that has that effect?

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<v Speaker 1>I'm fascinated by that by that point that you made. Okay,

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<v Speaker 1>it's not just color. You really have to know something

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<v Speaker 1>about color, so you can't just put up any color.

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<v Speaker 1>So it's it's understands like music, you can't just play

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<v Speaker 1>any notes. You've got to know what you're doing. But

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<v Speaker 1>if you know what you're doing, color, color effects attitudes

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<v Speaker 1>and behavior totally period. Yes, and that is research documents

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<v Speaker 1>that right think about they've done that with waiting rooms

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<v Speaker 1>and hospitals or even in prisons, Like it's just they

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<v Speaker 1>talk about the impact of what this can can do

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<v Speaker 1>for people. It's huge, right, absolutely, And and so we

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<v Speaker 1>use we paint energy, joy, inspiration, visual beauty safety. Would

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<v Speaker 1>you believe in every study that we've done of our work,

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<v Speaker 1>students and teachers overwhelmingly reports feeling safer in a public

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<v Speaker 1>colored school, there's no gruciti. The kids become the painters

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<v Speaker 1>and become my anti Graufciti posse. Right, there must be

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<v Speaker 1>there must be like just a feeling of being proud

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<v Speaker 1>of the work, right and one and an of ownership

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<v Speaker 1>like this is our space. Listen, Ruth, hang on a second,

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<v Speaker 1>because we want to continue our conversation. We have to

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<v Speaker 1>do a little bit of news here, but we are

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<v Speaker 1>definitely going to come back and continue with Ruth Landy

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<v Speaker 1>um Shuman. She is the president and founder of Public Color,

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<v Speaker 1>and we're talking to her from New York City. I

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<v Speaker 1>I love these kinds of missions, Jason, I have, Yeah, totally,

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<v Speaker 1>and and what's so interesting is to hear the evolution

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<v Speaker 1>of it, you know, sort of what's underneath it, and

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<v Speaker 1>also to sort of as she clearly has sort of

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<v Speaker 1>followed the past and they have followed her, these students.

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<v Speaker 1>It's a it's a remarkable story to say the lad

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<v Speaker 1>and goes back to you know, I think about the

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<v Speaker 1>Posse Foundation, this idea of creating a group in a

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<v Speaker 1>community and you stay with them. It's just really wonderful.

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<v Speaker 1>Let's continue our conversation with Ruth Landy Schuman. She is

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<v Speaker 1>the founder of president of Public Color. Jonius on the

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<v Speaker 1>phone from New York City, And as we pointed out earlier,

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<v Speaker 1>Public Color has received grants for their work from Blueberg Philanthropies,

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<v Speaker 1>and as Ruth was very nice to point out earlier

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<v Speaker 1>in our conversation, it has been a frequent and popular

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<v Speaker 1>destination for our best of Blueberg are Bob volunteers Carol

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<v Speaker 1>so happy to be a part of the family in

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<v Speaker 1>many ways. So, you know, Ruth, I do wonder you

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<v Speaker 1>know what you're thinking about at this moment here in

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<v Speaker 1>You have been involved in in social justice for a

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<v Speaker 1>long time now, and you've seen it up close. You've

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<v Speaker 1>seen the education educational component of this. What are we

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<v Speaker 1>doing right? What do we need to do better? Oh,

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<v Speaker 1>my goodness, that we're not doing much right. I'm really

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<v Speaker 1>sorry to say that. Um, there are Okay, I'll phrase

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<v Speaker 1>it a little bit differently. There are some principles in

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<v Speaker 1>public schools who are truly unsung heroes. They are doing

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<v Speaker 1>something extraordinary and they're making sure that low income students

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<v Speaker 1>are getting a really high level education. But they're not

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<v Speaker 1>enough of them. There are so not enough of them.

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<v Speaker 1>And I'm I'm I'm actually glad that there are protests now, peaceful.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm glad that there are peaceful protests bringing people's attention

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<v Speaker 1>to the fact that we've been living with way too

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<v Speaker 1>much educational inequity for way too long, and and that,

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<v Speaker 1>by the way, leads to economic inequality and one of

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<v Speaker 1>the beautiful you know, So in the end, you're you're

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<v Speaker 1>perpetuating stereotype you're perpetuating poverty, you're not moving the needle.

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<v Speaker 1>And and I am so proud of the fact that,

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<v Speaker 1>from very early on, we've been teaching our students strong

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<v Speaker 1>and transferable work habits, work habits that they can use

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<v Speaker 1>in school and work habits that they can use in

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<v Speaker 1>the workplace. We're also teaching them, we're teaching them also values.

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<v Speaker 1>Many many of my students come from broken homes, live

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<v Speaker 1>in single parent households. I'd say, right now, easily, if

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<v Speaker 1>not more, report food insecurity. I mean, how do you

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<v Speaker 1>expect what do you how do you expect a youngster

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<v Speaker 1>to do well in school? When they go to bed hungry,

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<v Speaker 1>they can't sleep. You can't sleep when you're hungry, you

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<v Speaker 1>can't get a good night's sleep, and and and then

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<v Speaker 1>you then they go to go off to goal where

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<v Speaker 1>again I'm sorry to say, but I'm going to say

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<v Speaker 1>it anyway, where a lot of the meals are not

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<v Speaker 1>what the kids want to eat. And you know, the

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<v Speaker 1>school should be doing a better job. You. It's very

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<v Speaker 1>easy to serve healthy, nutritious, delicious meals. I do it

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<v Speaker 1>all the time. And we have a cookbook. We have

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<v Speaker 1>a cookbook of public color and every recipe is less

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<v Speaker 1>than ten dollars and you're feeding four to six people.

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<v Speaker 1>So I don't know, there's so we have a lot

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<v Speaker 1>of work to do. Well, that's it starts in the schools.

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<v Speaker 1>I really believe it starts in the school Well that's

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<v Speaker 1>interesting too, because you know, as a country, we spend

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<v Speaker 1>a lot on public education, and yet here we are.

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<v Speaker 1>So so what's the first step is it? I mean,

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<v Speaker 1>do we do we have the right people in education

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<v Speaker 1>at all institutions at this point? Or is it do

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<v Speaker 1>we not have the right people for the where's the

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<v Speaker 1>where's the disconnect from what you're seeing? I honestly, I

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<v Speaker 1>really don't know. I think I think that first of all,

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<v Speaker 1>it starts with environment. Putting teachers and students in schools

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<v Speaker 1>that look like prisons is so counterproductive. I do not

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<v Speaker 1>understand it. I mean, if we could public color every

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<v Speaker 1>single school, believe me, I would. I mean, paint dignity,

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<v Speaker 1>paint respect, paint underscores the joy of learning through environment.

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<v Speaker 1>Environments send so many subliminal messages. So it starts with that.

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<v Speaker 1>Then our teaching colleges are are I would love to

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<v Speaker 1>see our teaching colleges emphasized project based learning. It is

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<v Speaker 1>such a real way to engage students. My children went

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<v Speaker 1>to a private school and they learned through project based learning.

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<v Speaker 1>And I'm going to tell you something. I went to

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<v Speaker 1>a public school in Montreal. I if I had an

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<v Speaker 1>envious bone in my body, it would be of the

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<v Speaker 1>education they received. I was taught to memorize. Everything was

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<v Speaker 1>by rote. Yes, not my kids. They were taught to discover.

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<v Speaker 1>They were taught to challenge authority. It's changed a lot,

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<v Speaker 1>but you're right, it's not necessarily in order in all education.

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<v Speaker 1>We could talk for hours and hopefully we can have

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<v Speaker 1>you back uh in the future, but good luck, and

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<v Speaker 1>it was so wonderful to hear about all the work

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<v Speaker 1>that you guys are doing at Public Color. Ruth Landy

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<v Speaker 1>Human she is founder and president of Public Color, joining

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<v Speaker 1>us on the phone in New York City, and do

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<v Speaker 1>check out their website public color dot org and you

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<v Speaker 1>can find out more about the work that they're doing.

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<v Speaker 1>Very cool stuff. And of course, as we said, there's

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<v Speaker 1>accorded by Bloomberg Philanthropy, the charitable arm of Bloomberg Oup,

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<v Speaker 1>owner of Bloomberg Radio