To my friends family and strangers in other parts of the country- yes I still have classes and am still in school. Yes we have a long school year. But as much as normally that bothers me, and I know how much work I have left to do in these 2 weeks, I am grateful to have something I get up every day with a purpose for. I cannot imagine being in quarantine with no work, no focus for my efforts for the day. So as draining as I am sure these last few weeks will be given my growing to-do list. I am thankful for them because they support my need to have meaning.
as a way for people who want to to grow a little more each day in terms of being informed on issues related to and interesting with Race. You can pick the 10, 25 or 45 minute a day play. I have chosen 10 minute a day for myself. Remember on a road together but we may be in different lanes, how you choose to engage, interact, donate, support or learn about these issues is a personal choice, and not everyone has to do it the same, so long as we keep moving forward.
I am choosing 10 minutes for 2 reasons:
1) When I take up too much all at once, I usually get overwhelmed and balls get dropped. I don't want this to be a ball I drop
2) 10-20 minutes is a great length of time for activities in my classes, and I want to find/curate things we can do in my classes in the fall.
I am week off so I did a little over the weekend to get back on track so there are going to be 2 weeks worth of thoughts below. (If you know me and you want to have a civil conversation about our beliefs I am happy to do that- hate speech in my comments will not be tolerated)
Week 1:
Monday:Who Gets to be Afraid?
I have as a woman been afraid to be out at night alone. But I have never been in fear of being in my neighborhoods alone. I have never been in fear of walking on a city street during the day alone. I have never been afraid someone who confuse me for a criminal. The kind of lived trauma that this article address is a reality in need to keep at the forefront of my thoughts when working with BIPOC, how many experience of trauma has this person had, today? How may my actions create a safe space, and what am I doing that could make an experience negative?
Tuesday & Wednesday:Coronavirus and the Racial Contract
The level of damage Trump has done not just in the last 3.5 years, but especially in the last 3 months will take years to recover from. He has yet again made gains for those in the elite on the backs of those in the most vulnerable positions. No one should be in a place where they have to put their health at risk to put food on the table. No one should be in a place where they have to work while sick, because there is no sick leave. No one should have to choose between saving a loved-one or losing everything because of the cost of life saving medical care.
Thursday: Your Body is being used
There should only be 2 options on this and neither is happening.
1) People in prison cannot vote and therefore are not counted as residence in a district for voting numbers.
2) People in prison can vote and can be counted in a districts numbers.
Instead in nearly every state, people in prison don't have the right to vote but are counted. No one should be in situation where they have no ability to communicate with the people who represent them. They are being used to increase the value a district holds in terms of constituents but aren't allowed a say in the process. It's like having your cake and eating it too.
Friday: I am working through my thoughts as they relate to use of police, funding of the police, role of the police. I am processing my journey and thoughts openly. I am not perfect, and I'll be honest I'm still trying to understand what de-funding or abolishing the police looks like when we don't have the structures built yet to take over. My brain is getting clogged in the logistics.
I do believe that we have given every social issue in society over to the police and criminalized issues that shouldn't be. I believe that we can give back power and support both financial, policy based, and structural to social workers, treatment counselors, teachers and mental health practitioners.
I believe we would live in a better world if police were demilitarized.
I don't believe Police belong in schools.
I do believe that there should be oversight, accountability and systems in place to hold officers accountable.
I am struggling with how we take away something without any systems or without enough resources in those systems to fill the void.
I am worried about actual criminal situations where I personally feel an officer is warranted. Who will be tasked to handle these matter? What does this look like, sound like, what does accountability look like for that role?
I am not at a place where I feel comfortable sending off a letter that I haven't come to terms with yet in my own mind. I am sure I will be judged by some for this. I make the choice to make my thought process public and to be honest about it. I am happy to engage in civil conversation and to continue to work though these thoughts with people, regardless of where you stand on these thoughts. Civil discourse is important.
Weekend: TEDxTalk
I have listened twice. It resonates with me in ways I don't have words for. I like the idea of this invisible line of social justice.
WEEK2:
Monday-Wed: 1619 Project- New York Times
Reading is something that takes a lot of spoons for me- thank the processing issues and dyslexia. So I'll be sticking to an article a day.
Monday: The Idea of America
The older I get the more thankful I am of the way I was raised. My father, an avid historian ensured that my learning of history was not limited to what I learned at school. He ensured that I learned the sides of the coin and various points of view in the major military engagements of American's history. I grew up going to battle fields as vacations and took time to recognize units often passed over. He took time to teach me and explain different perspectives of American history. I am grateful for this, as I cannot imagine what it must be like for people that are discovering THIS American history, the real American history, for the first time as adults.
"No one cherishes freedom more than those who have not had it" For 400 years the people that have fought most for freedom are those whom our Nation hides Freedom from the most. We can and we must do better.
Tuesday: American Popular Music
" What you're hearing in black music is a miracle of sound, an experience that can really happen only once"
I love going to Piano bars and jazz joints, because no two nights are ever the same. I am jealous of the ability to make music without being tied to perfection. Not sure if that's my whiteness poking through, my autistic perfectionist or years or really strict piano teachers, but there was no time for improve in my lessons, no time to make things up or for mistakes. I envy musicians who can not think and just do, just feel.
I love going to Piano bars and jazz joints, because no two nights are ever the same. I am jealous of the ability to make music without being tied to perfection. Not sure if that's my whiteness poking through, my autistic perfectionist or years or really strict piano teachers, but there was no time for improve in my lessons, no time to make things up or for mistakes. I envy musicians who can not think and just do, just feel.
I know I'm not the only one. Our nations popular music industry is based on trying to have that confidence, that feeling, that soul. We need to give credit where credit is due. From gospel music on plantations, to blues, A Capella and jazz to more modern rap and hip hop. I could argue that there would be no good music in this country without the influence of black culture on music.
I knew my privilege as soon as I started to do genealogical work. I can trace my family back to the 1800s when they came from Ireland and Norway in a matter of hours. My In-laws have been in America since the early 1600's I can tell you their names, where the lived and what they did. That's privilege.
Wednesday Mass Incarceration
Things that shouldn't exist in a civil society in my opinion.
1) 3 Strikes laws- Laws that lock people up for life for NON-VIOLENT offenses.
2) The criminalization of daily activities- loitering for example.
3) Trying children as adults in non-violent offenses.
4) Giving Children life without parole for any offense.
5) Mandatory minimum sentences.
But all these things exist in America. All of these things were designed to marginalize, demoralize and strike down the black community in this country.
We have failed in our structuring of crime and imprisonment in America. It seems like we are at the point that we have criminalized life itself. We need to stop the profiting off of people's suffering in the private prison industrial complex of America. We have to provide supports and compassion for reform efforts rather than locking people up and throwing away the key.
I found this to be a very useful resource in diving deeper to understand the mass incarceration problem as a whole in this country. Prison Policy Initiative
Thursday: Code Switch- NPR
Civility:
Black people did not make the laws in this country. The laws were designed to contain communities of color. POC don't get to orchestrate the terms of civility. But they are limited by them.
So civility is by it's own accord is racist.
I was just left with questions and wonderings.
How do we re-define what civility means?
How do we bring more POC into the select community of individuals in this country that make laws to ensure that we are representing the needs of Americans within our law? AKA elect people of color.
Friday: Register to Vote
I am a registered voter, and where I live has mail in ballots for all. This should be the norm, not the exception. Not just because of co-vid, but for all elections to increase voter turn out and to live in a democratic society, we need to have the right to vote be accessible to ALL citizens.
My Week as an educator: This is the last week for Seniors. All of our normal good bye activities were taken from us. I miss them already.
Monday: My Monday started in a way I could not have predicted. A student asked to meet with me before class. He said he was troubled by a teacher's personal essay. He said "I think White Privilege is a lie". For the record this student is a non-black student of color. I asked him more questions about why he felt that way, I shared my experiences with privilege when he asked me. We had a good conversation. He asked me for resources where he could learn more. He wanted to hear the opinions of others. It was a brilliant and engaging way for me to start my week.
Tuesday: I enjoy the classes I teach this year. I enjoy the people that I work with and the students I support. I enjoy the families I interact with. I am lucky.
Wednesday: The is 1 rule in teaching- Things area always changing and nothing is a guarantee. I struggle with this every year- you'd think I'd learn. I don't I let things frazzle me. Right now is my frazzle season.
Thursday: How many times can a schedule of events be changed in a week? Don't know we isn't out yet, so far 7 reschedules. OMG I give up on changing my calendar, maybe I'll just cancel everything next week in the afternoons. I GIVE UP trying to "make it work"
Friday: Super lite and simple day. Today is the day of action across the state, but I had 2 student meetings that I needed to have. Not having them and supporting those students could have resulted in students not passing classes this year. I owe those students my time and effort. They've worked really hard this spring, and I didn't get to step away now because of information given to me on Thursday. These kids deserved my full attention.
I also finished my Senior Packets today- basically the special ed paperwork sent out to my graduating seniors. And I finished nearly all of my progress reports. So I go into next week strong.
Signing out for now
-C
No comments:
Post a Comment