美国国家公共电台 NPR Philando Castile's Mother Wipes Out School Lunch Debt, Continuing Son's Legacy（在线收听）

Philando Castile's Mother Wipes Out School Lunch Debt, Continuing Son's Legacy

作者：未知 来源：美国国家公共电台 2019-05-09

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AILSA CHANG, HOST:

In 2016, Philando Castile was fatally shot by a police officer during a traffic stop in Minnesota. Castile was the beloved cafeteria supervisor at J.J. Hill Montessori Magnet School. He was known as the lunch man or Mr. Phil. If a child didn't have enough to eat, he would add some graham crackers to her tray or even use his own money to pay for her lunch.

Castile's legacy of generosity lives on through his mother. Last month, Valerie Castile donated $8,000 to a high school outside Minneapolis to pay off lunch debts for hundreds of students. The money came from the Philando Castile Relief Foundation. It's a nonprofit she founded in her son's name after his death.

Valerie Castile joins me now from her home in Minnesota. Welcome.

VALERIE CASTILE: Hello. How are you today?

CHANG: I'm very good. Thank you so much for joining us today.

I just want to start with your son. You know, Philando was remembered so much for his kindness and his rapport with the students at his school. Can you share a story about just how beloved he was at J.J. Hill Montessori Magnet School?

CASTILE: One story that resonates with me is a young boy was new to the school. And when he would come in to the cafeteria, he would sit by himself because he didn't know anyone. And my son would come over and talk with him. And he just grabbed his tray and took him to another table with other little boys. And you know, the kids introduced themselves, and he sat with them to have lunch from that day forward.

CHANG: Philando helped to make his first friends.

CASTILE: Yes, he did.

CHANG: So can you talk a little bit about this foundation you started? I mean, how big of a problem is this - young students racking up debt for school lunch?

CASTILE: You know, I don't have children that are school-aged.

CHANG: Yeah.

CASTILE: So I really had no idea of the lunch shaming and kids going without eating. And then to have a debt at the end of the year, I had no knowledge about that. But now that we've been doing things - you know, helping students pay off these debts - it has really come to the surface. A lot of problems in our school districts have really opened up our eyes about the problems that we have in our schools.

CHANG: Do you think this is something that you believe in so much that you would like to push for change at the political level now?

CASTILE: Oh, my God, yes. That's the next step. I mean, our kids have one job, one job only, and that's to go to school, become educated to become the future leaders of this country. And I myself personally - and I think a lot of parents will agree that they should eat lunch free.

CHANG: You know, the story of your son's life - it has moved people so profoundly that your foundation actually isn't the only one doing this kind of work in Philando's memory. What has that been like for you as his mother to watch the impact he has had even after his death?

CASTILE: It's been a journey. Everyone who has came forward in doing anything in honor of Philando - it's just a beautiful thing to watch, you know, even though they tried to make him seem like he was something that he wasn't. You know, he wasn't a thug. You know, he wasn't a gangbanger. And just to see people open up their hearts and their wallets and be so supportive and generous is just absolutely amazing.

CHANG: Valerie Castile is the CEO and president of the Philando Castile Relief Foundation. Thank you so much, Valerie, for joining us today.

CASTILE: Oh, thank you for having me.

(SOUNDBITE OF MANANA'S "FAST DAYS")