Comment on ‘This day exists because they refused to give up’: Grand opening held for Foster School following decades of community advocacy by Kohl Forrest

The ribbon-cutting ceremony was preceded by speeches from community members who fought to bring a neighborhood school back to the historically Black Fifth Ward after the closure of the original Foster School in 1979. But instead of seeking taxpayer approval to build a new school via a referendum question, the board arranged for the construction of the school by a nominee bank, leasing the school from the nominee and funding the construction with lease certificates. Carlis Sutton, a Black alumnus of the original Foster School, also voiced his support for the school’s diversity.