This remembrance first appeared at CityWatchLA.com on 12/5/13
One of the most admirable, staunch old grandma-supporters of public school children I have witnessed, died last night. Marguerite Poindexter LaMotte died while out of town conducting official LAUSD school board business. The only thing sadder than her loss for all of Los Angeles’ school children, will be the loss to her own family and many friends — my heart goes out to one and all.
I will hold always in memory her performance last month at one of Mónica Ratliff’s CCTP meetings. There were so many unanswered and unanswerable questions, so much wasted opportunity surrounding piloting a program without gathering information. Ms LaMotte was brilliant in simply distilling the bare reality of disingenuousness before her, and highlighting it using ultra-simple rhetorical questions, with a smile.
A veteran educator and administrator, Education Equity was no abstraction to Ms. LaMotte. She was the only school board member to vote against extending superintendent Deasy’s contract, because she did not shy from expressing tough political truths.
We’ve lost an African-American Athena, fighting on behalf of us all. We must honor her by working hard to find a successor worthy of her wisdom.
