In a few short weeks, kids across the country will begin heading back to school. Some will enter their classrooms and smile at their teachers from behind masks. Others will hop on bikes and feel the breeze rush across their cheeks instead of sticky school bus air. A high school senior will help his younger sister log on to her online class before opening his laptop to do the same. Another will sit at a desk six feet apart from her best friend, but only for three days a week. On remote-learning days, her grandmother will become her desk partner as they work together from the kitchen table. This is the portrait of Back to School 2020. It will be new. It will not be what we knew just a year ago or considered normal - and that’s okay.

Too many Black lives have been lost to police violence. As advocates for safe routes and safe public spaces, we must take a holistic view of safety, especially the safety of Black lives. Depending on police for community safety is not a sustainable or equitable solution.