I recently presented the work that I'm doing with kids to help them understand that their voice has power and that power can be used to change circumstances and perspectives. After presenting information and feeling the power of using my voice to share our work, I was inspired. The potential for the work that can be done is huge.
But then, I listened for a few minutes. I heard a parent come to speak about an incident that occurred at the middle school. I heard another local resident of the NAACP speak about injustice and the speed at which things are happening.
And.......I'm knocked right back down.
To each individual of color..... all of this feels like the all deliberate speed mandate of Brown v. Board of Education
I see how people with huge amounts of money are paying for kids to get into college so they can party.....
Something has to give!
If we keep on doing the same things that have always done, we all must be insane (or at least that's how the saying goes).
Dealing with race and race issues in education is no easy task, but as I sit and listen to the people who are in charge I hear and see power to make changes.
One voice speaks in my head.....and in that voice.....I hear everything.....
...a 5th-grade girl "It doesn't matter what I do, the teachers at this school only believe the WHITE kids!"
Most teachers would be offended, but for me, it was a call to action. We cannot get defensive when talking about the issue of race. We have to be able to recognize that people of color are representing not only their lifetime experiences, but the experiences of their parents, and their grandparents, and great grandparents. The story of a black child at school is not isolated to the 13 years they spend in school, but also includes the life and experiences of their families. It is our system that is failing. Talking about race does not make someone racist.
Some people call me a social justice warrior, but I'm not. I'm a teacher, a mom, and a woman of color and I just want to make things better. I want people who are in the way to move and let me through.
So many people around me are stuck
...they've decided not to move so as to avoid sinking in the quicksand
...they've decided to move so much to avoid the topic that they are sinking
...they've decided that enough has been done
...they've decided to fight the change
My question......
Is it getting better
Or do you feel the same
Will it make it easier on you now
You got someone to blame
You say
One love
One life
