Category: Commentary

A Commentary: “As Omicron Surges, Schools Battle Pressure to Stay Open”

Leave a comment

A fundamental flaw of journalism is the illusion of objectivity. When I was a journalism major at the University of Maryland, we were taught to get all sides of the story in search for “truth.” But journalism is as wrought with privilege and bias as any other field. So when I saw Ilima Long’s tweet a few days ago and then read the article, “As Omicron Surges, Schools Battle Pressure to Stay Open” by Catherine Gewertz, I was especially sensitive to the sources named.

As a teacher, the conversations me and my colleagues have about going virtual are full of diverse opinions. However, this article reflects the cruel reality that that little to none of the people making decisions on our work are listening to our voices. We teachers are the ones exchanging stories of profound trauma both of our students and of each other. But it is district, state, and national leaders who are supposedly speaking for us, as if they have ever actually spoken to us.

Continue reading →

Show Me Your Work

Leave a comment

This week marks the beginning of Black History / Futures Month. As a Black educator I am both excited and hesitant.

For the past few years, this time of Black celebration has been first marked by building up walls around cheap narratives for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. day in January. Black people remind the world to not use Dr. King as a prop for their aims. We remind the world that he was radical and he is not around today because he was too radical for whiteness.

This is why being Black in education makes me tense during Black History / Futures month. I have learned to not have faith in these institutions when the focus is forced on marginalized groups. Hispanic Heritage Month and Native American Month have already passed. I know the effort (or lack thereof) that is going to be put into celebrating my people, and discussing the reality of our history.

Continue reading →

About Writing About Blackness

Leave a comment

Black culture ≠ pain.

Recognizing our marginalization is vital but we are not defined by the pain inflicted by white supremacy. Recognize our holidays. Our cuisine. Our dances. Our music. Our languages. How we raise our children. How we treat our elders. Our spiritualities.

I read an Atlantic article recently that alluded to a culture clash between Black students and educators in schools. Title: “What’s Lost When Black Children Are Socialized Into a White World“. I was excited to read about Black child-rearing. I was sorely disappointed. The article didn’t focus on how Black parents raise Black children, or specific cultural clashes with whiteness. Instead, I got the much-covered topic of disproportionate discipline of Black students.

The topic deserves attention. As an educator it’s very real and something I think about and see daily. My problem is with the framing of the article. As if it would be about culture when it was in fact about marginalization. That misdirection plays into the narrative that Black culture is complementary to Whiteness. That our culture is what whiteness does and does not do to us. It misses how Black families raise children as cultural and in ways unique to our culture. Continue reading →