I look back at where I grew up and what I learned in school, and it is abundantly clear that I was taught to view the more prominent “divisive” Black leaders as “scary” and “extremists”.
Relearning Truth
Now I understand that if the truth is not packaged in whiteness, it is labeled as threatening. The reality is, I should’ve been taught about the necessity of speaking out against injustice in a similar way that these leaders spoke out. I should’ve been taught why there was a necessity for some of these leaders to speak out in such a way that was labeled as “inciting” and “offensive”. I should’ve been taught about the power that our collective voices carry when speaking against injustice. I should’ve been taught how to think critically and take a strong, unwavering stance when confronted with the blatant oppression that individuals experienced within my community.
I should’ve been taught how to weaponize my white privilege so that I could’ve joined in the fight against racism at a much younger age.
In current times, I find myself being drawn to these leaders and understand, even more so, the dangers of white fragility. White folks will do anything, including murder and assassination, to keep truth palatable for white America. Half-truths are the backbone of presenting white history as a full expression of pure truth. To address injustice, educators and school leaders must not adopt silence as a first response when presented with difficult discussions.
“Washing one’s hands of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless means to side with the powerful, not to be neutral.” — Paulo Freire
Raising Revolutionaries
Blatant demonstrations of white supremacy aren’t strictly allocated to groups like the KKK. It has made shelter, and it has grown comfortable deep within our educational systems. It is pervasive in standardized testing, classrooms, lesson plans, discussions, and amongst teachers and administrators.
Teachers, please teach students about “radical” Black leaders that were prominent throughout history. Students need to understand why the proportionate responses to violence, the demands for segregation to allow the Black community to build their communities that were separate from white communities, the denouncement and stark criticism of white society, and the vitriol aimed at white supremacy was so significant and appropriate. Reframe those entire lessons and discussions, and then teach the truth about what happened in this country.
“The educator has the duty of not being neutral.” — Paulo Freire
Paradigm Shift
White folks see intense responses to centuries of oppression as “radical”, but we will refuse to see how the systems of oppression created by our ancestors continue a cycle of devastation every day. We demand that education be focused on the positive impact our white ancestors had on the world. We refuse to admit complicity while maintaining a cancerous version of history.
Pure, unadulterated truth is seen as “divisive”, yet maintaining the status quo of minimization, deflection, and outright lying is considered acceptable. Maintaining that status quo continues to perpetuate violence and death against the Black community. Education is an element that can help shift the paradigm. It can be used as a weapon in the fight against systems that continue to produce significant inequities in this country.
“Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.” — Malcolm X
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Previously published on “Equality Includes You”, a Medium publication.
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Photo credit: Author