Live: NYC’s Segregated Schools with Nikole Hannah-Jones and Others
The Bell hosted a live event at the Center for Brooklyn History to mark the 72nd anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education and reflect on school segregation in New York City. Photos by Esther Alatishe
More than 70 years after Brown v. Board of Education, New York City schools remain deeply segregated. What has changed since then, and what has not?
In this special episode, we share a live recording from “Separate: NYC Public Schools 72 Years After Brown v. Board, An Intergenerational Discussion,” an event co-hosted by The Bell and the Center for Brooklyn History on May 18, 2026. The event brought together students, educators, journalists, policymakers and advocates to examine segregation, equity and the future of New York City public schools.
Hear remarks from New York City Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels on his administration’s goals for integration, as well as a conversation between Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones and Aponi Kafele, a student reporter for The Bell. Their discussion marks the 10th anniversary of Hannah-Jones’ celebrated New York Times Magazine article, “Choosing a School for My Daughter in a Segregated City.”
The program also explores integration through the lens of sports in a panel moderated by The Bell’s Sabrina DuQuesnay and featuring former Park Slope Collegiate High School principal Jill Bloomberg, Small Schools Athletic League founder David Garcia-Rosen and New York City public school graduate and former Miseducation student reporter Renika Jack.
Together, these conversations challenge listeners to consider how far New York City schools have come, how much remains unchanged and what it will take to build a truly integrated future.
This episode features a live recorded event. You can watch it now on YouTube.
Miseducation is The Bell’s flagship podcast, which gives New York City public high school students the tools to report on inequities in the nation’s largest school system.
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