The Scoop with Tanya Flanagan

Unknown Speaker 0:00
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Unknown Speaker 0:26
Good morning, and thank you for joining me for the scoop with Tanya Flanagan. I'm so happy you decided to wake up and start your day with me. Here on the scoop, where we talk about life, joy, funny moments, trending topics, and so much more. We promise to keep you in the know and find out what you know. So let's get started.

Unknown Speaker 0:54
Good morning, Las Vegas and welcome to another edition of the scoop. I'm your host Tanya Flanagan. I'm delighted to be here this morning. I have two fantastic guests with me this week. I like to welcome to the show Camila bywaters. And Tracy Lewis. Welcome ladies, how were you this morning.

Unknown Speaker 1:12
Thank you so much for having an

Unknown Speaker 1:15
awesome, awesome, awesome trace wealth. Today, we're gonna talk a little bit about what they do in the community centered around on one hand education, and in an overarching space, their efforts to impact equality. These are two very delightful women that I've had the pleasure of meeting. I've known Tracy for a long time, actually, we go back so far that our mothers grew up in the same town in the south, small place called Quitman, Mississippi. So I have had ties to Tracy that I didn't even know I had before I met her. And then I had the pleasure of reading, meeting Camila recently in her efforts and work with Tracy. So you guys are part of the organization I'm most familiar with. And I know you wear a number of hats. But for me, it is the what we affectionately call love apps B, which stands for the Las Vegas alliance of black school educators. So as I mentioned, we're going to be talking a little bit this morning about education, equality, things that along those lines and just where their passion comes from. So Camila, you are the president of the Las Vegas alliance of black school educators. And Tracy, you're the vice president. Can one of you talk about what the organization is what you do when? What pulled you into to education?

Unknown Speaker 2:44
Sure, Tracy, do you want to start you want me to roll in?

Unknown Speaker 2:48
I'll let you start since you're President Go for

Unknown Speaker 2:52
eight years. Well, the last thing is alliance of black school educators, better known as love XP, was started in 1989 in Las Vegas, and Tracy and I have reorganized the organization a couple of times one time in 2010. And then again in 2020. The purpose of the organization is to really support our students, and teachers and community and educational space. But we are specifically concerned and have a deep passion for students of African and students of African descent, and black students who are typically underrepresented and marginalized in educational spaces.

Unknown Speaker 3:35
Wow, okay. Well, that is I love that focus. And I know you know, there was a conversation out there that all kids needed all kids do need but I do. understand and respect campaigns and platforms that target specific groups because of the underrepresentation. And because it's your area of passion. Tracy, as I mentioned me when I was first talking about you, our mothers go back. And when I first moved here, I was actually a reporter for the review journal. And one of the people that I met was your mom, Mars that Lewis. And what was really cool, what is really cool is that she was the true champion for equality and education. And you clearly have been touched by the bug. But anyone who isn't familiar with marmoset with your mom, there is a special collection, or a special set of papers I should say, called the Mars that Louis papers and the universities here right here at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, in Special Collections and Archives. You can take a look at the Mars at Lewis papers, which Chronicle and capture her work from her span here when she moved here from 1970 to roughly 2011 and it is just a huge thing. So growing up I around an activist is that what brought you into this education space with Camila?

Unknown Speaker 5:12
So let me just kind of back up for a minute with my mother well with my family, because there are two sisters that were activist that started out with Ruby Duncan, and a number of other women with the welfare rights. So my mother's history goes way back to the 50s, when they started moving here from Mississippi, when they started migrating from down south, to Las Vegas, Nevada to help build the city that that we now know, or historic West Las Vegas, but one of my mother's sayings and mottos was, I won't let up, I won't give up. And I won't shut up until we all wake up. And we're basically still at that point in 2023. And she was saying that, you know, over 30 plus years ago, that as a community and as a group of people, that we needed to pay attention to what was happening with all of our children. My mother was a foster parent. She worked with children with disability, with the foster care system with all ethnicities. So by no means was she a racist, because I know that statement has been put out there. So I didn't want to clarify the record. And before I go any further, I want to say that I will always honor the ancestors and the great late Mark Lewis who's passed away last year, and March, and also Senator Joe Neal, who helped my mother and my aunt Mary Wesley, who people did not know where sisters to get their start here in Las Vegas. My mother was one of the first black cocktail waitresses. She was one of the first blacks that started down at child Haven. She met Mr. Moffat, who we all know is assembler monitor. She has a long line, a history with a number of people. I'm here in the community with all of our electronics and things of that nature. So my my activism comes from that I will have always been behind the scenes whether in Deborah Jackson and the actress Turner, Anthony Snowden, Lucille Bryant, Mother toll and Helen Tolan, for those who does don't know. Linda Howe work who should be given more credit than what she has been given. But to tie all of that in with wake up and with the NAACP of the past. They've got a lot of things accomplished and done in historic West Las Vegas, they got the first elementary school bill went live FC, which was HP Fitzgerald.

Unknown Speaker 8:04
And that was that question for you was that the magnet school because I know there was some conversation about and then I want to bring, I love the history of how things have evolved. And I want to hear more. And I want listeners to hear more about what you guys are doing today and how they can engage around education, families, children, and the things you guys are working on now. But was at was Fitzgerald I read that your mom was instrumental in the first magnet school being established? Was that that school? Are we talking about two different things?

Unknown Speaker 8:45
We're talking about two different things. Okay. So the two first magnet schools or the three first magnet schools that came out of that fight, were Mabel hogar, which is a math and science. CVT Gilbert and Joe Mackay. Those three elementary schools were at first three magnet schools that came out of that fight. High Park was the middle school and Kayo Knutson was the two middle schools that came out at f5 debt converted to two magnets. So though there were five magnet schools that were converted at that time, HP Fistral came on as a neighborhood school. And then Dr. Charles out west came on as a middle school because there had not been a Middle School in West Las Vegas and then there was the fight for a traditional vocational high school that has yet to take place in our community. For the listeners, there has been like a lot of talk of how things happen, you know, where schools had been slated and then things took place and they weren't built. But we have a number of vocational schools and high schools and traditional trades. and vocational that came out of the advocacy of those folks from back in the day.

Unknown Speaker 10:05
So we have some broad shoulders that that were definitely standing on. Looking at how rich the history is for the community, and with regard to the educational front, what are you guys? How can who can engage with you? Is your organization working for educators? So therefore open to educators? Only? Do you engage across just Joe Smith's citizen? To participate in the process? A mom who has kids in the school district, that kind of thing like who can? Who can get involved with your organization?

Unknown Speaker 10:43
That's a great question. The Love Actually is open to students isn't can become members, their families, parents can come and become members of Guardians, teachers, administrators, and anyone who is a stakeholder in education or who loves to support education is welcome to be involved with our organization, organization as a member. And we also serve each of these unique individuals, if they need help or support within the school system, we do come and support parents in their in their students. In for example, we have parents that call who have issues with their with their child's being expelled. So we attend schools on their behalf, we attend meetings on their behalf with with the families to try to get some type of solutions for the problems that students are having. We also get calls from administrators within the school system, specifically the Clark County School District. So anyone who is having an issue with educational or is having educational challenges can reach out to live xe, and we support whether or not you're a member or not, that does not matter. We will come out and support whatever your issues are. We also do help. I know, we talked a lot about the Clark County School District, but we do help throughout private schools, if your child is happening, they're even within the charter school. Oh,

Unknown Speaker 12:10
that's good to know. I don't think I realized that. But I also want to make sure people really know who you are. So the work you do speaks volumes for itself. And it's obviously centered on education. And it's very important and impactful. But you are yourself, are you and you're an educator. Tell us a little bit about your personal resume. Camilo, you know, what's your story? Sure.

Unknown Speaker 12:35
I am a licensed educator, I'm a licensed special education teacher. And I followed in my dad's footsteps, who recently passed away about three years ago, he was an educator, and he was a special education teacher. And he was an advocate for not only his students, but also for my family as we went through our educational journey. I'm currently working on my PhD at UNLV in education. So education has always been a part of who I am. And it really is an honor to be able to give back in this space. And I got started with xabsi because of the challenges that myself and other teachers were having at Canyon Springs High School when I had first started teaching, and I saw firsthand just the discrimination, the ageism, that was happening within the school system, the retaliation that happened within the school system. So that's when Tracy introduced me to live XE. And also I do want to give honor to Jennifer, Jennifer Lee at the time, who also was an influential and organizing organization before she passed away. But I was introduced to lapsi. From these two wonderful ladies who have inspired me to do this work and to continue because of the injustice is that we face during our time working at Canada's free High School.

Unknown Speaker 13:59
Wow, that's quite the journey to be in the space that you're in now. I know when I came here, I mentioned I met Tracy's mom. So her her role model your husband, your dad, I think it's it is beautiful that both of your parents have created the legacy that they have through you to continue the work in the community to help families because it's a very selfless space. And we those of us who do community service who are diehard community servants, understand the need to continue to try and to strive. So I want to say thank you for what you do. We were in a meeting at Charles R West and I remember sitting there and one of them was at Charles I was another one was that the Pearson center night gone to this community meeting. And one of the elected representatives for the the neighborhood was kind of hosting a Community Forum on Education. If if you will. And as I listened to people go over the things that concern them, I was really shocked and saddened because things people were upset about were the same things. People were upset about 20 years before, when I was in my reporting space, and I actually was on occasion covering wake up the group that Merced had started. As a reporter, I was covering the issues that they were bringing to the forefront. And a lot of those issues were the same. They were talking about supplies and classrooms, student to teacher ratios, equity and pay equity and promotion, all of those things. So Camila, although we might get into this at another time. I know you and Tracy have often had many conversations from the strategic standpoint of representation. And I was looking at your social space and I saw that you are looking at going for the district EC for the school board.

Unknown Speaker 15:59
Yes, I am. I'm putting my name in the hat I am running for the board of school trustees district II, that area is Summerlin, summer spring fleet, some of the area around Charleston because Bonanza High School is one of the schools that I would represent if I'm elected, and that some of the Blue Diamond area. Okay,

Unknown Speaker 16:18
I want to say congratulations to you, because it's a huge thing to step into the political arena. And you know, just to up the ante, if you will, on what your service, it looks like that level of commitment takes quite quite the person. You guys also Tracy to you, before we do move on from talking about the political space there anything that you might have ever thought about doing or thinking about doing in that space to or something along those lines are working on a campaign or something?

Unknown Speaker 16:52
So yes, I have not made an official announcement, I have just put it, you know, been sanded to different ones that I am looking at district see running for that particular seat. And I've ran in the past for school board. So this time is going to be different. There are a few of us looking at district CC right now currently. But I will be coming out with a warm up announcement here in the near future.

Unknown Speaker 17:28
Well, you heard it first on the scope, couple of people looking at school board and thinking about where they're going to make some some changes and some some inroads, and so we'll keep our eyes open. And our ears peeled to see what comes. You two ladies also are in another space, the National Association of equal justice in America of equality, justice in America. And I wanted to talk a little bit about that as well what it is how it works and what you do because you represent the state chapter you work with the state chapter. So you're juggling a lot in the advocacy space. How do you do it all? Like what does a day look like are a week or a month in the life?

Unknown Speaker 18:13
Super busy. Tracy Have you want to talk about how we were involved in nature.

Unknown Speaker 18:24
So we got involved with nasia. Through Dr. Wherever and get in Raymond Guinea Didion's who asked us to spearhead it here with him in Las Vegas, and the National chapters out of California. And it's basically just like any other social justice organization, but their tie in is more with the EEOC. So when individuals are having issues on their jobs with employment, we have direct contact and resources with them. But they're out on the battlefield, such as the NAACP, Nan, and all of the other social justice organizations that are out there. And they are a national organization as well, but they do come in from the space, the EEOC.

Unknown Speaker 19:21
Okay, so how long have they been here? How long have you been working with them? And how long have they been present either here in Nevada, just a national level.

Unknown Speaker 19:34
I've we've been involved with them for about two years now. At the level that we've been in, been involved with it, but they've been here for a while through Reverend Gideons and some of the ministers in the historic West Las Vegas community. But I know we've been with them for at least two years. Okay,

Unknown Speaker 19:54
so you guys are doing some amazing things. I mean, you are so busy and spread all over. Um, When you're not doing this work, I'd love to know. When you have this type of responsibility, what do you do when you're unwinding? And you're not? You know, how do you take a break? What does that what does that like? Do you do ever take a break? coming with me?

Unknown Speaker 20:21
For me, I you know, I have two small children. So I don't know if I really get a break. And I'm also working on my dissertation at the same

Unknown Speaker 20:30
time you are busy. So you were getting a doctorate in education. So now we have added to the mix two kids. Yeah, a doctorate in education president of an alliance that represents black educators, and also work with equal justice organization you are doing, you are busy. Do you sleep do you do you sleep,

Unknown Speaker 20:52
I try to, I do get some sleep and like my calendar is filled. And I'm old school. So I have just I have a calendar that I could actually write in. Because if I put it online or on the virtual calendar, I will miss everything. And my calendar is literally school, all month. And that's okay, well, because it keeps me busy. And I really enjoy working in the community and being part of the community and supporting the families that we support. And one thing that I think is important that our community understands is that we we work hard to build relationships. We've built relationships with our elected officials locally, from including our Congress, representatives and our state representatives. We've also built relationships with the US Department of Education and the Nevada Department of Education, and also our EEOC. So it is important that we build relationships where we can support our community in the best way that we can. Once you

Unknown Speaker 21:53
talked about that one of the things I think I might correct you, did you do emerge?

Unknown Speaker 22:00
Yes. Okay. I, part of the 2022, cohort

Unknown Speaker 22:05
2022 cohort emerged. So eMERGE is for those who are not familiar, because I don't want to just throw things out into the universe, and people have no idea where they are. So emerge for those who are not it's a political training. It's really it's billed as a I guess, if you will, a political training workshop that spans about eight weeks or six months, thinks about six months. Yeah, it goes from like January to June usually. And it's for women, women who are supporters of the Democratic Party or Democratic platform, but it's not so much even that it's about the political training, as much as it's about the relationships. And I think it's about self discovery. And I can say that, because I'm an alumni of the 2019 cohort emerge, and I remember you call me and you said, Tanya, do you think I should do emerge? And I said, you absolutely. I thought both of you should do it. For personal development reasons, which is why part of why I did it, I wanted to do something. For myself, a lot of times as women, we are mothers, we are wives, we're sisters, we're daughters, all these different roles we play. And because we have so many titles, we stretch ourselves very thin. And we don't have that much time for our for ourselves as individuals. And so when I decided to do emerge, part of it was understanding more about the political landscape, but also just understanding more about myself and pouring into me. And I think organizations and opportunities like that, for women are invaluable. They're almost priceless. And when you said relationships, it made me think about it, because it was one of the relationships that we have together. what's your takeaway on on that personal development piece? Because you have the organizations? How do you pour into people to get them to pour back into you?

Unknown Speaker 23:57
Oh, goodness, you know, I do want to say that I have a list of top tins and the my list of top tins are things or people or experiences in my life that have really shaped me, and influenced or helped me to become a better person and emerge. My emerge experience was one of those experiences that have really truly changed me. And I recommend for anyone who's interested to really immerse themselves in some type of training but definitely look into emerge. pouring into myself, you know, Tracy and I, we talk literally every day. So if I can't find the energy to speak empowerment for myself, I know that Tracy is always there. My family is always here to provide me support and to pour into me, but I've always had I have grown up to be and my dad really instilled this into me that I have to always be there for myself. If no one else in the world is the Be there for me, I have to learn to pour into myself as well. So I do, you know, speak affirmations to myself and, you know, try to stay positive and encouraged despite the challenges that may go on around me.

Unknown Speaker 25:14
As you sit there looking at, you know, whatever's left in that cup of coffee that you have sitting there in front of you. What's one thing you would share with someone to help other women have balance, because you guys are a juggling act, it's like you're tossing the ball back and forth and hoping that it doesn't drop on the ground. Because you guys have so much on your plate. So you're just trying to keep everything in the air? What what's the one thing that you would say to someone to maintain balance?

Unknown Speaker 25:46
To have balance? And I'd definitely be interested to hear Tracy's point of view as well. But to have it, you have to, for me, I think it's really important to have a few people who are in your circle, who can hold you accountable, and who you can get to when you need to vent. And to always keep your family close. I think that that would be my recommendations for balance.

Unknown Speaker 26:13
I like that circle of accountability, a comfortable place to vent, and keeping family close, Tracy, well, what's your balance?

Unknown Speaker 26:25
At this point in my life is self care. Because you do pour into so many people. And there are some people, you know, that we keep around us. And I don't want to be redundant. But basically, most of what Kamila said is true, we keep a small circle of people who are going to hold us accountable. And then we are amongst each other all the time at the hips, for the most part, but at the end of the day is self care. Because if you're not healthy, or will, you're not going to be healthy or willing to help others.

Unknown Speaker 27:02
I 100% support that as well. We are coming to the close of our time together this morning. So I want to thank you for spending the morning with me and I hope you enjoy to tea and coffee and the conversation. I know you're out there on social I want to make sure that when people hear things on the scoop, they can tap into it after So, ladies, take your turns and let's just let us know how we can get social with you Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, wherever you might be. What are those handles?

Unknown Speaker 27:32
Okay, awesome. So for me, Camila bywaters. All of my social media handles are Camila bywaters. And that's ke MILH bywaters b y w a t e r s. And then our Lavanchy page is the Las Vegas alliance of black school educators. And also if you just Google Camila bywaters, and Tracy Lewis will also come up on the internet. And you can find you can reach out to us and find us that way as well.

Unknown Speaker 28:00
Thank you, Tracy, anything you want to add to that?

Unknown Speaker 28:05
So I don't have as many social media handles as Camilla. I'm just my little Facebook person now just go on there and do my little thing. So it's under Tracy SONET or Tracy Lewis, and then get folks want to reach out to me, they can give me a call at 702-812-8971 and they can reach me via by text. Thank

Unknown Speaker 28:28
you. Ladies, I hope you have enjoyed the time I've known you both for a while. And I feel privileged to have your friendship and your this relationship with you to tap into and stay informed about education and what's happening to families and children in the school district and just in the city and why it's so important to engage with our kids around education and build them up for the future. So I want to say thank you for the work that you do. Thank you for joining me this morning. I hope you have a wonderful rest of your week. And I hope everyone who tuned in found some valuable nugget to take away with you today as we in the show. Have a wonderful week

Unknown Speaker 29:15
I want to thank you for tuning into the scoop with me Tony Flanagan and I want to invite you to get social with me I'm on Facebook and Twitter. My name is my handle TA and YAFLA na GA N You can also find me on Instagram at Tanya almond eyes Flanagan and if you have a thought and opinion or a suggestion, don't hesitate to shoot me an email to tonya.flanagan@unlv.edu Thanks again for joining in. Stay safe and have a great week.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai