The Fight for Equity in the Bronx: Changing Lives and Transforming Communities One Scholar At a Time

by Elaine Ruiz Lopez

Overview

A Bronx Educator Battles Injustice to Uplift Her Community

Born in the embattled South Bronx, Dr. Elaine Ruiz Lopez overcame teen pregnancy and adversity to earn advanced degrees, driven to serve children from backgrounds like hers. This inspirational memoir chronicles her vision to provide rigorous, empowering education in her hometown despite a system stacked against minorities.

The Fight for Equity in the Bronx tells the inspiring tale of a Bronx educator who battles injustice to uplift her community, and

• Traces Dr. Ruiz Lopez's journey from high school "push-out" to Ivy League graduate
• Recounts constant interference faced while establishing a pioneering charter high school
• Shares stories of students now thriving in colleges nationwide
• Spotlights importance of parent activism in education reform
• Encourages readers to persevere against obstacles through self-belief

Forging her own path, Dr. Ruiz Lopez opens New York's first Bronx charter high school in 2006, offering immigrant and diverse students a nurturing environment for achieving their potential. With deep community ties yet fighting administrators alone, she overcomes numerous attempts to dismantle the school. During a chaotic first year, Dr. Lopez risks her reputation to protect both students and her vision. Despite ongoing barriers, her academy stands tall today with a 96% graduation rate.

More than one woman’s uplifting odyssey, this is a chronicle of hope—proving equity in education possible through collective struggle.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781642257311
Publisher:	Advantage Media Group, Inc.
Publication date:	06/18/2024
Pages:	258
Sales rank:	615,230
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.63(d)

About the Author

Dr. ELAINE RUIZ-LÓPEZ was born to working-class parents in the South Bronx, where she persevered as a teen mom high school "pushout" to earn advanced degrees, including a doctorate from Columbia University's Teachers College. A passionate advocate for immigrant and diverse communities, she founded New York's International Leadership Charter High School in 2006 to provide rigorous, college-prep education for underserved youth.

Over the years, Bronx officials have presented Dr. Ruiz López and the International Leadership Charter High School with proclamations. In 2022 she was recognized as one of the Power Women of the Bronx. In June 2023 she was recognized by the Black Latinx Asian Charter Coalition (BLACC) and presented with the Educator of Excellence Award at the Mosaic Gala. She currently resides in her beloved neighborhood, the Bronx, with her husband, Tony López.

Table of Contents

Foreword
Introduction

Chapter 1: Young, Gifted, and Puerto Rican: My Childhood in the South Bronx
Chapter 2: From Shining Star to Dimming Light
Chapter 3: City College of New York: A World of Purpose
Chapter 4: The Bronx Is Burning: Rising from the Ashes
Chapter 5: Next Stop, Graduate School
Chapter 6: Standing on Principle in a Racially Hostile Environment
Chapter 7: Dr. Evelina Lopez Antonetty—The Mother of the South Bronx
Chapter 8: The Ivy League Student and Social Activism
Chapter 9: Earning the Doctorate—Walking through the Gauntlet
Chapter 10: Education as a Civil Right: A Vision for Equity in the Bronx
Chapter 11: Developing an Educational Philosophy
Chapter 12: The Politics of Education Reform
Chapter 13: The Politics of Starting a Charter School in New York City
Chapter 14: The Charter School Start-Up: Eight Months to Opening
Chapter 15: Losing the Battle to Win the War
Chapter 16: Expanding Our Impact
Chapter 17: The Growth of a Vision: One Decade Later
Chapter 19: The Alumni and Legacy

Epilogue

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"The Fight for Equity in the Bronx by Dr. Elaine Ruiz Lopez is an eye-opener on various social issues. [...] Readers will appreciate the author's resilience and commitment to her community."
Readers' Favorite

"Dr. Elaine Ruiz Lopez speaks in an authentic voice supporting students struggling to keep up, encouraging advocates working in hard-pressed neighborhoods, as well as parents seeking inspiration for their children. Dr. Lopez’s lived experience will take you to her childhood Bronx block where you will feel the pulse of a struggling community in transition. Discover how the author could drop out of high school, get a GED, and then press on to get her Ph.D. Along the way, Dr. Lopez earned national recognition from US News and World Report Bronze Award Recipient for Best High Schools for a school she developed. The Fight for Equity In The Bronx: Changing Lives Transforming Communities one Scholar at a Time is a must read for social change agents, educators, academics, researchers, as well as individuals seeking examples of effective leadership."
Reverend Dr. Alfonso Wyatt
Founder, Strategic Destiny: Designing Futures Through Faith and Facts

"What an impactful book Dr. Elaine Ruiz Lopez has written. I urge everyone who is involved in educating Black and Latinx children in places as rich as the South Bronx and similar communities throughout the country, to read this book. The Fight for Equity in the Bronx is an inspirational account of the extraordinary challenges that this visionary and leader and woman of color confronted in order to provide a quality college prep high school education, for black and brown children."
Miriam Raccah
Chief Executive Officer, Black Latinx Asian Charter Coalition (BLACC)

"Dr. Elaine Ruiz Lopez recounts her very storied life from humble beginnings as a child in the South Bronx through an astounding history of self-discovery. She describes how the school system failed her, the racism she experienced in her early years of teaching. We also get a glimpse of her community activism with National Congress of Puerto Rican Rights (NCPRR) led by former members of the Young Lords Party (YLP), which provided a platform for fighting for civil and human rights, education reform, and ultimately starting a school of choice in the Bronx. This compelling story is truly an inspiration for all aspiring Latinx leaders who are in the front lines for social justice and leading schools of choice, in black and brown communities."
Dr. John Paul Gonzalez Gutierrez
Adjunct Assistant Professor of Puerto Rican and Latino Studies, CUNY

"Dr. Elaine chronicles her journey as a young, disempowered student to becoming a champion for high quality education for all disenfranchised students. That journey has resulted in empowering hundreds of children's lives. This book is the story of the making of a champion."
Dr. Vashti Acosta
Chief Executive Officer Emeritus, Amber Charter Schools