Diane Ravitch says: "This is a powerful, deeply moving article by Kristina Riga about the loss of black teachers in the school districts that have embraced "reform." It appears in Mother Jones, where Rizga has been a staff writer for many years. Rizga focuses on the story of one teacher, Darlene Lomax. But the story she tells is about the widespread shedding of black teachers, women and men who were the backbones of their communities. In Philadelphia, almost 20% of black teachers are gone; in New Orleans, 62%; in Chicago, 40%; in Cleveland, 34%. School closings have been concentrated in historically black communities. Black teachers have been disproportionately displaced by "reform." Riga says : Teaching was an essential path into the middle class, especially for African American women."