We have learned that the district has decided not to renew the contract of Mr. Brian Kwoba, a history teacher at CRLS. We are saddened and disturbed by this decision and feel that a profound mistake is being made. Mr. Kwoba is an energetic and inspiring teacher, not only smart, fluent and charismatic but also fair, kind, and caring; he is passionate about his subject matter and effectively communicates this passion to students. As one of his current students states, “Everybody likes him so much, we all want to do what he asks. The only problem is we get so excited debating the ideas that sometimes we don’t want to stop when he says.” He goes out of his way to support students, giving generously of his time and energy. Mr. Kwoba's classes provide multiple alternative perspectives that often change the way students look at history, and he works hard to create spaces where difficult global issues like the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan can be debated and discussed by the school community. He has also been a valuable contributor to the school community beyond the classroom, participating in CRLS trips to Washington, D.C. and to Tanzania and serving as faculty sponsor for the Justice and Peace club. Moreover, as the only male African-American history teacher at CRLS he serves as a vital and unique role model. A district struggling to remedy an achievement gap such as the one Cambridge is faced with can ill afford to lose such a teacher. We the undersigned -- many of us parents of CRLS students and all of us supporters of Cambridge education --strongly urge you to renew Mr. Kwoba's contract for teaching at CRLS, to the benefit of Cambridge students and of our community.

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