"The teachers’ union goes on to say, “Since their inception a century ago, standardized tests have been instruments of racism and a biased system,” and that “students of color, particularly those from low-income families."

"I was one of those kids who wanted to be a doctor, a nurse, a teacher, a lawyer, and sometimes even a fireman."

"The common thread was, I wanted to help change the world."

"It was a book about sisters I come from a family of sisters who grew up in Pilsen, on Chicago’s West Side."

"I grew up on Chicago’s West Side. But these were Hispanic women and their lives and their joys."

"The foundation of everything was their love for one another."

"I play clarinet. Not concert level, but I’m entertaining."

"The most memorable meal I ever had was cooked by my son when he was about 12 years old."

"He made my dad’s spaghetti. The kitchen was a disaster. The food was wonderful."

"The world needs more understanding. Unless we’re willing to understand and accept the differences across the globe, across the community, across our families."

"We’re not going to achieve the answers that we need to ensure that we as a society, as a people, as humans will go forward and prosper."

"Financing is critical across the entire food system, from inside the farm gate all the way to wage production."

"We know we lack the financing to support the systems changes required to make the necessary impact."

"To quantify the problem, climate financing is less than 5 percent globally and outside the United States, likely less than 1 percent of that funding flows to food systems."

"Investors looking for unicorns often don’t see the value in placing bets on food and agriculture."

"When it comes to the kind of large-scale projects I mentioned earlier the ones that could attract significant institutional capital those require strong government engagement and policy support."

"Many investors have been hesitant to invest in developing regions because of perceived governance risks."

"Those who manage capital, these aren’t just excuses they see them as responsibilities."

"The Inflation Reduction Act is a great example of a shift in policy."

"It’s the kind of government action that can help unlock private capital by creating new pathways for investment that weren’t there before, like by driving more capital into farms not just for what they grow, but for how they grow."

"I’m not Pollyanna I recognize and acknowledge that capital will flow where there’s less risk and a greater opportunity for financial return."

"That’s the reality of how these systems work."

"If we want small farmers to succeed, we need to create structures that allow them to work collectively."

"That means more support for cooperatives and shared facilities models that can help farmers pool resources to scale their operations and attract capital."

"Here’s the reality the geopolitical situation is quite interesting today."

"The issues that began the global consensus around the necessity for food systems transformation have not changed."

"We shouldn’t always buy from them because the reality is that if WFP is the only purchaser then it’s only a program."

"It only becomes a sustainable and durable economic change for those farmers if we can substitute WFP with either a commercial market buyer or a government buyer."

"That’s what we’re seeing and that’s why we get really excited about ‘Purchase for Progress’, because it’s made a difference across the entire value chain in a durable way."

"I founded the New York City Parents Union in 2011."

"I was deeply concerned about the divisions between charter parents and district school parents that resulted from co-locations in public school buildings and the charter lobby’s strategy to pit parents against each other."

"I would not have been successful in changing the charter school laws without the support of district school parents and the teacher’s union."

"The teacher’s union has their issues with charter schools since most are not unionized. But, my stance is, “permanent interests, not permanent enemies."

"My interests have always been ensuring that every child has equal access to a high quality education and that every parent has the right to choose the school that best fits the needs of their child."

"I am proud of my work and legacy as founder and president of the New York Charter Parents Association."

"There are charter schools that respect parents and work collaboratively with them to ensure student success."

"There are also charter schools that disrespect parents’ right to be involved, push out low performing students, English Language Learners, and students with special needs."

"I’ve gone up against rich, powerful interests fighting for the rights of students and parents in charter schools and I have been successful."

"The laws I changed empowering parents and protecting students’s rights continue to help families today."

"The charters schools and charter lobby leaders that opposed me in 2010, tout the laws I passed when promoting charter schools."

"They embrace all of the reforms today. Some of them are still upset and dislike me for holding them accountable."

"I honestly don’t care, that’s their problem."

"I only care about the students and families."

"I am a South African, I don’t back down and I am not afraid of any man or woman."

"My track record fighting for the children and families in the school system is public knowledge and well documented."

"We brought charter and district parents together to fight for school funding, lifting of the cell phone ban in schools, against distributing Plan B birth control to students without parent permissions, and other issues."