WATCH: The Racial Divide: Inequity in Education

ABC11 presented on Thursday a 30-minute special, "The Racial Divide: Inequity in Education,."

The 30-minute special took an in-depth look at racial inequity in education; digital divide, which addresses the hardship in digital learning; food insecurities among economically disadvantaged students; and racial disparities surmounting in Latino communities. Historically, these issues have existed in communities of color, however, the special will examine how the pandemic has exacerbated these difficulties.

STORIES FEATURED IN THE SPECIAL:
Parents in the LatinX community worry kids are being left behind amid COVID-19 pandemic

COVID-19 pandemic magnifies digital divide affecting students at North Carolina schools

Pew Research says just 58 percent of Black households in the country own a computer, compared to 57 percent for Hispanic households and an overwhelming 86 percent for white households.

COVID-19 pandemic highlights the problem of food insecurity in North Carolina communities

Searching for solutions to North Carolina's digital divide

What is 'adultification' and how does it affect kids in the classroom?

At school, adultification can lead to teachers or administrators to project negative stereotypes onto young Black woman as angry or aggressive; showing less empathy for them than their white peers.

Immediately following the special, ABC11 anchor Joel Brown hosted a livestream, virtual town hall with local experts, who continued the conversation on inequity in education, and the financial and mental health impact on families in communities of color.

The panel included the following:

Dr. Nerissa Price, psychiatrist, joins the panel to discuss the impact on children's mental health.

Letha Muhammad is the director at Education Justice Alliance.

Turquoise Parker is a third-grade teacher at Durham Public Schools and is the current VP of Durham Association of Educators.

Tru Pettigrew is a diversity and inclusion expert speaker and author of "Millennials Revealed."