I am Christin Crabtree, and I am running for Minneapolis School Board At-Large. I have been a MPS parent for 21 years. My son started kindergarten when I was just 23 years old. I was a single parent with a very limited income, navigated housing insecurity and working hard to give my son every opportunity I could. I remember my anxiety walking into my first PTO meeting, comparing myself to how I perceived the other caregivers, and more importantly I remember the way my feelings transformed into a sense of belonging and shared purpose amongst our school community. It was in a Minneapolis Public School where my young family was not only embraced, accepted, and cared for, but it was also where I was empowered to lead. I have served on PTOs and site councils. I spoke into a bullhorn for the first time at a rally alongside educators and caregivers - and my son. I have written grants for art programs and invested various ways as my two kids have gotten older.
Our public schools are the foundation of our democracy. Schools are the bedrock of community wellbeing and safety. They are the shared space where we gather together across divisions our society too often expects us to have. Minneapolis is a city that loves and cares about each other, and we show up time and time again to make that clear. Nothing has shown that as tangibly as our response to this winter’s ICE invasion. Minneapolis families and educators came together to raise money and provide mutual aid to ensure that families stayed housed and fed and safe as they sheltered in place. We organized transportation to school and doctor appointments. We built deep relationships and we learned from each other.
I want to continue building that sense of community and mutual flourishing as your school board member at large. Public Schools make it possible to imagine and work together towards the Minneapolis we deserve; a city where every resident can thrive. We are at our best when Minneapolis comes together in solidarity for a larger purpose; we have shown each other what it looks like to build collective action and networks rooted in care. We have proved to the world that we can win. Now is the time to bring that energy to our public schools.