This is obviously a very emotional time tied to a long history of racial injustice in our country. Like any other social issue in our community we are either part of the solution, or part of the problem. As a parent and an educator I have been too quiet and too passive in relation to racial injustice in our country. I need to be more vocal and more out front. We all need to be more vocal and more aware. Our students are depending on it. And if anyone doesn't think we have an obligation to learn more and be more engaged then they are out of touch with what's happening.
Here are my thoughts that I want to share:
"I’m a white male. I’m a parent & an educator with the incredible privilege & power to influence young minds. I don’t know what it’s like to experience racism. But I do know injustice when I see it. I know discrimination when I see it. I can’t watch the video of George Floyd being killed and not think about what is going through the minds of every black student, and every other person in the world who sees themself or their son, father, brother or friend lying on the ground with a knee on their neck. How can you not feel outrage?
Right now I’m at a loss because I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to help. I don’t know what to say. I don’t know how to make things better. There is nothing worse than feeling helpless. I do know that I have an obligation to my own children and my community to be a part of positive change. I do know that we need to be having open & honest conversations with our students, staff and school community about racism, about bias, and about discrimination. We don’t do that enough. Often, we don’t do it at all. That’s part of the problem.
I know that this incident and the others that have received national attention over the last few months have been traumatic for many people and for many of our students. They are confused. They are worried. They are scared. They are reaching out to us. We need to support them. To listen to them. To hear them.
It’s not enough to just send sympathy. It’s not enough to just see the injustice. It’s not enough to just feel outraged. It’s not enough to say or think, “I’m not racist” or “that’s not my community.” It’s all of our communities. When racism and injustice happens to anyone it happens to everyone. Our society is diminished as a result. It’s time for us to be loud with our actions and words to call racism out when we see it & hear it. Inaction at this point is support for a system that allows racism to perpetuate. Backing leaders that promote and legislate intolerance is support for a system that allows racism to perpetuate.
It’s time for us as educators to do our part. We need to clearly define the action steps needed for schools across the country to take in order to elicit positive change. Hatred and racism are learned behaviors fueled by ignorance. We need to fight that ignorance. We need to do more to explicitly and overtly teach acceptance and educate children that differences do not make you right or wrong. Our differences make us stronger together.
We talk a lot about ‘The Power of WE.’
WE means all of us.
WE have a lot of work to do."
Steve Dunham
