Winner of the 2019 Wainwright Social Justice Award

Ronald F. Ferguson
 

Ron Ferguson, PhD, is the Director of the Achievement Gap Initiative at Harvard University and prominent leader of The Basics, working to expand its’ practice to other cities outside Boston as part of The Basics Network.

The Basics Campaign is a citywide coalition in Boston, and now nation-wide, of organizations and individuals working to make sure that every child gets a great start in life. The founding partners are the Black Philanthropy Fund, the Achievement Gap Initiative at Harvard University, the Department of Pediatrics at Boston Medical Center, the Boston Mayor’s Education Cabinet, WGBH Public Broadcasting, and Boston Children’s Museum. Eastern Bank is an Institutional Founder.

The Basics Campaign is inspired by the fact that 80% of brain growth happens in the first three years of life. During this period, skill gaps between socio-economic, racial, and ethnic groups become clearly apparent. Everyday interactions between children, their parents, and other caregivers provide abundant opportunities to give children from every background a more equal start in life.

For more information, click here to visit The Basics.

Past Recipients of Social Justice Award