by Kelly Bare
This is an experimental end-of-week dot-connecting exercise. Let us know what you think!
Stories that point out how segregated we are as a society continue to be as important as they are painful to read. But I am grateful for the emerging crop of stories that highlight what happens when we DO come together, even when it’s ugly. (It’s usually pretty ugly, given the amount of reprogramming we ALL need to reinvent this sick, sick dominant culture we’ve created/endured.)
But that’s ok. We have to start somewhere. Here are two pieces that, when paired, are as good a starting point as any for looking closely at what happens when diverse energies intersect. They’re written from different vantage points, which of course is crucial to the exercise. One is not new, published in March (again, the white lady is late to the party) and very powerful: Ijeoma Olu’s “Welcome to the Anti-Racism Movement: Here’s What You’ve Missed.”
The other came out this week; Bliss Broyard, in Motto, takes one “simple” topic—school breaks—and examines it in the light of a diverse school environment. Her analysis brings up one set of issues; conversations I’ve had with other folks who have read it (about stuff like the relationship among the concepts of class, privilege, race, and happiness or well-being) have been as thought-provoking as the piece itself.
Taken together, they’re a powerful prescription: The integrated schools movement should sit down for a few stiff drinks with the anti-racist movement and see how things look in the morning.
And today, in Education Week, John Powell unpacks the lie in some seductive language flying around in this politically heated moment. (You have to register for free to read.) We need to keep talking about what “choice” really means, and the real impact (and potential) of our own choices.
0 Comments