Meet Lisa Johnson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Johnson.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Lisa. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
In many respects, I was born to create the Private School Village—education and advocacy are in my lineage. When it was illegal to educate Black students past eighth grade, my great, great grand uncle, Benjamin Tonsler had his older students stay after school to study more advanced texts with the understanding that the books were to be hidden whenever the White superintendent appeared for an inspection. He was a graduate of Hampton Institute and principal of Jefferson School in Charlottesville, VA for nearly 30 years and he prepared hundreds of students for college despite the law. From there, I come from a long line of educators so the fact that I’m now focusing on one side of education, isn’t a complete surprise. What’s surprising is that while everyone knows and agrees that a solid education is not complete without a social and cultural education, we still focus primarily on the academic education and that’s where we’re hoping to fill a void.

While attending a private school is a privilege, the environment is unique and often challenging for minorities, particularly Blacks because of low representation. Many students feel as if they don’t belong in the community and some deal with covert and overt racism. The experience can inhibit one’s sense of belonging and a sense of self, jeopardizing a successful future.

In August 2018, I asked a small group of moms to join me in trying to get Black families in private schools together. I wanted to create an opportunity for my two elementary-school-aged children to “see” themselves more and to get to know other children in the same, daily, unique school experience. I wanted them to start benefiting more from racial socialization at its most fundamental level. What started out with a simple email sent to less than 75 people inviting them to socialize immediately turned into over 500 RSVPs. This was the beginning of the Private School Village (PSV) which was formed as a nonprofit organization in September 2018.

PSV builds community by organizing social events, sharing resources, and providing programs for Black families in Los Angeles independent and private schools (K-12). By working alongside parents and independent schools, PSV works to ensure that students have equitable opportunities to reach full potential and that families feel better supported during the school experience.

Has it been a smooth road?
Establishing PSV has been one of the biggest personal and professional blessings of my life. It’s been hugely gratifying and fun to actually be at the center of an organization that makes an immediate difference in the lives of our own children. But it’s not been without some challenges. It’s been tough trying to catch up to the need. Most people assume we’ve been around for a long time, which is a great compliment, but we’re just over a year old and have so much unrealized potential. We have to be careful not to take on more than we can manage and we have to take our time to ensure we’re creating something lasting.

The other challenge is that most people think we’re a financially privileged group because we’re families in private and independent school. The reality is, we are fortunate in many respects but we are a mixed socio-economic community. Yet, this assumption impacts our ability to raise money from grantmaking organizations and individuals. When it comes to preparing our children for the world when it comes to making sure they have equitable opportunity to thrive in school even though they are in the minority when it comes time to make sure they feel validated and a sense of belonging, financial background, often doesn’t matter. What we’re doing has life-long implications–self-esteem is formed in adolescence which impacts everything.

These are minor challenges, however. PSV is enjoying tremendous support in all forms thanks to a group of dedicated parents and partnering schools and organizations. PSV is a great example of the power of community and what can be accomplished when we come together for a good cause. And I get to be in the middle of that and witness that power. It’s amazing.

We’d love to hear more about your company.
PSV focuses on ways to better connect and support Black students that share the common daily experience of private school and its many associated nuances. We create a sense of belonging for students and provide support to families by working within a parent, family, school community partnership of support.

Our inaugural program, PSV Socials, allows for regular bonding, cultural education, celebration of traditions, and more. We coordinate activities and events so that children in local private schools have a chance to regularly connect and build supportive relationships. This regular convening also serves as a vehicle to educate our children about Black history, cultural traditions, and address a range of relevant topics from how to engage with policy and deal with racially sensitive situations, to knowing how to “double dutch” and celebrating Juneteenth.

To my knowledge, there is not currently any organization working to provide cultural education, racial socialization and support to current Black families alongside the private schools we attend. PSV has a new approach to a long-standing issue—instead of a piecemeal or siloed approach in individual schools and among families, PSV is able to harness the power of our community — our voice, our experiences — to empower and better ensure our children thrive through the private school experience.

We are using the existing notion — the power of building community — to forever alter the experience of Black families in private school via programming and racial socialization.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
The great thing about Los Angeles is that it supports the notion of freelancing, or creating a business — there are so many people doing multiple, entrepreneurial things that people don’t think twice about it. It’s more conducive to taking risks in that way. But like any business opportunity, you have to know the market, the need, the potential partners or competitors.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.privateschoolvillage.org
• Instagram: PrivateSchoolVillage
• Facebook: Private School Village

 

Image Credit:
Tyree Vance, Michael Mayson

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