Misreading slavery due to modern morals.
Rikki Clark,
Milwaukee, WI.
I teach African-American literature and folklore at the university level. Often white students will say in class how they would have never owned slaves. But there is a fundamental problem when we view history through a twenty-first-century lens. Our modern morals and values are out of context. I would hope, if I had been in South, that I would have been brave enough to stand up for the freedom of all humans, but I don’t know if I would have been that enlightened or that strong. Would I have been brave enough to march with the Suffragists or with MLK, Jr. in Selma? Human rights are violated all the time; slavery still exists in the world. We need to acknowledge our collective wrongs, celebrate those who survived, and understand our history in order to learn compassion. Once we can do that, then we can look around us and try to right the injustice that is happening right now to ourselves, our neighbors, and to mankind.
Classrooms filled with diversity and opportunities
Kayla Levenson,
NY
As I am going to be an elementary school teacher in the future, it is important to me that everyone in my classroom no matter what they look like or if they have a disability is treated equally and given the same opportunities.
Empowering every student, embracing all backgrounds.
Darcie S Wallace,
West Islip, NY
As someone studying to be an elementary school teacher, it is essential that every student in my future classroom feels that they belong. I do not only want them to feel like they belong, but I want them to be confident and feel powerful. I want them to embrace where they are from and respect all the other students and their backgrounds. Empowering students and embracing all backgrounds is crucial as a future elementary school teacher.
Each student deserves an equal opportunity.
Olivia Esposito,
Wantagh, NY
My experiences and understanding that prompted me to choose my six words was the idea that when I become a classroom teacher to elementary school students, I want to instill in my students that each student is deserving of equal opportunities and will all be treated equally, despite their background, race, disabilities, and academic achievements. I aspire to have all student’s know that in my classroom there will be equal opportunities to succeed.
“Don’t act your color”? We’re radiant!
Avis Danette Matthews,
Glenarden, MD
“Don’t act your color.” I recall hearing that phrase a lot while growing up in the ’60s in Prince George’s County, Md., a Washington, D.C., suburb. On a 5th-grade field trip, as the school desegregation debate boiled on medium, one of my beloved black teachers gave us that instruction as we prepared to get off the bus to tour one of D.C.’s many monuments and museums. For the first time, the thought occurred to me, militantly: “How come? Why not act our color?!” In a flash, I envisioned our school, my classmates, our parents and siblings in our warm and loving homes within our nurturing community; our trusted teachers and perfect principal; our weekend Camp Fire and scout activities; our backyard kickball and football games; our annual go-kart race; our parents moving their cars so we could have the whole street for sledding in the best of snowstorms; our summer dashes to the ice cream truck — and I felt adamant that WE SHOULD ACT OUR COLOR. I didn’t say all this to my teachers on the bus, of course. Years later, seeing those same teachers at funerals and celebrations and such, standing adult to adult with them, I realized that they had known it, too — we WERE radiant.
I was the only white teacher…
Alena,
Des Moines, IA.
I was the only white teacher in the City of Little Rock Early Childhood Center, a school partnered with Little Rock School District that hired certified teachers and had a great full-day program for young, inner-city 3 1/2-5 year old students from “the projects.” Many of my young charges had no previous direct contact with people like me, but they soon got used to and welcomed the morning greeting hugs and departing hugs that were routine for my class. These kids brought joy and meaning to my life. Everything went smoothly until we began focusing on a new unit on the family. One day I received an irate, loud phone call from my director, who began yelling at me about how parents had complained that I had pictures of white people all over the classroom, and how inappropriate that was. She sent her assistant over to view the pictures I had, presumably to gain documentation of my inappropriateness. Yes, there were pictures of white people, but they were only of my own family. I never received an apology from her, but then I also did not get written up after all. It still shocked me that my supervisor made assumptions without first checking out the facts. The yelling phone call had shaken me to the core.
I taught there for three years. I held parent workshops that went well. The school district recruited me for a full time teaching position because I became a model teacher on how to get young preschoolers operating at higher levels of thinking, something that they had previously believed was not possible at a young age. I accepted their offer because it paid much more than I was earning, and I also wanted to stretch myself with the challenge of teaching inner city 6th graders. However, when I began to prepare to leave the Early Childhood Center, my director sent her security guard over to make sure that I didn’t take anything that was “theirs” with me. Oddly, no other teacher had that experience when they left. Even more strange, and heartbreaking to me, was that they deemed all of the hand-made displays that I had made, two closets full, as theirs because I had laminated them with their machine. I therefore was forced to leave without all my themed and seasonal displays.
Even though these (and other incidents) were negative experiences, they were so good, too. It was good to experience unfair treatment, as it gave me just a taste of how Black teachers can be treated in a predominantly White environment – how people can make assumptions based on race. It was a lesson worth learning. This took off at least some of my own culturally-induced blinders and hopefully made me a tad bit more understanding and more sensitive.
Mom taught me to love everyone
Robert McAlister,
Lexington, SC.
Grew up in segregated south in a single parent home. Always felt on the margins but later in life realized my mom was ahead of her time in accepting and seeing everyone as God’s children.
I learned I was Black in kindergarten.
Shakira,
Phoenix, AZ.
One day after our teacher snapped photos of our class she developed them in black and white and scattered them out on a table and told us to find ourselves. I got frustrated because I could not find my photo; that day my mother was volunteering as class mother and she pointed mine out saying “there’s my chocolate chip cookie”. All of my classmates wanted to see my photo, and when I went to take a look I was crestfallen and in tears because I didn’t know that I was Black not to mention the only Black child in my class. Needless to say my Mom had to take me home early because I would not be consoled and of course that day we had a long talk.
I will have an inclusive classroom.
Emily Jackman,
Durham, NH
As a future educator, I am constantly learning new things myself. I want to learn as much as I can to make sure everyone (regardless of their race, abilities, or ethnicity) feels safe and welcomed into my classroom. I have made it a life goal to do as much as I can to be an ally and recognize the privilege I have as a white person. I have just begun to do the work I plan to do by attending Black Lives Matter Seacoast events. However, saying I am going to do work to be an ally in life and in the classroom is completely different from actually doing it. I will constantly be listening, learning, and supporting those around me that are a difference race from mine.
I never think of you as Asian.
Virginia,
Cambridge, MA.
I’m half Filipina. And I’ve always thought of myself as half. But one day at a faculty meeting a colleague told me I “passed” as white. It’s bothered me ever since.
I’m white! Who am I now?
Dave Albertine,
Portland, OR
I spent my life teaching hundreds of children and working hard to lift these young people up, and celebrate their cultures, experiences and be honest about our history. Now I feel lost. I am exceedingly proud of my American heritage and my Italian lineage, but now I feel reticence to celebrate this, especially as an older white man in a changing culture. My family came through Ellis Island, struggled, worked hard, helped build Chicago, persisted in adversity, lived on very little, yet encouraged us all to contribute to America, become educated and live good and full lives. Now I don’t know if I should be ashamed of the opportunities and privileges that I have received and in many ways worked to achieve. My sons are successful, one serving as a critical care nurse, another a diplomat and one working hard to build his life. What do I tell them?
Why Can’t Anyone Pronounce My Name
Tayeece,
NH
Since I was born, nobody could pronounce my name. In school, appointments, meeting new people, etc. Everyday I would have to explain the pronunciation of my name and even give people a nickname for myself. I tell them, just call me “Tay” or “Tie.” It wasn’t until my 7th grade substitute teacher, who asked me how to properly say my name told me to never let anyone butcher my name. This conversation at 13 years old changed the way I feel about my name forever, I love my name and wouldn’t change it, even though little me wished I had a “simpler” name.
White but grew up as minority
Vicki Hohner,
Olympia, WA
While I am a white midwesterner by origin, I spent most of my formative years as a minority. First as part of the only white family in several Alaska Native villages, where my parents were elementary school teachers for many years; and in my high school years, as part of a small Texas-Mexico border town which was 3/4 Hispanic. I have been the target of bullying and racial stereotyping, and while I know what I experienced was not as extreme as many people of color experience it did give me some perspective on their lived experiences. In Alaska, even at a young age, I could see how the white Western influence was destroying native communities’ ability to continue to live off the land without providing adequate alternative livelihoods for the “educated”. In Texas, I saw how the white power dynamic enabled the smaller white population to dictate much of the social and economic interactions of the Hispanic residents. When I first moved to my present location I was uncomfortable because I found the town “too white”. When traveling in other countries, I try to fit into the local population and avoid “ugly Americans”, of which I, unfortunately, see many; entitled, demanding, loud, and disrespectful of the people and places they are visiting. I find it interesting as well as infuriating when white people who do not know me well make statements that assume I think like they do, seeing people of color as “the other” or less than/undesirable. My parents felt some guilt about subjecting us to such an unusual childhood, but I am extremely grateful for the perspective it provided, which allows me to relate more often to the challenges and negative experiences of people of color and be more outraged at the disparate treatment of similar activities and offenses.
Everybody else is potentially a friend.
Christina,
Camarillo, CA
I taught PE in the Los Angeles Unified School District for 12 yrs. During Homeroom, we taught our students the “Character Counts Program.” One of the 6 pillars is “Respect.” This pillar asks you to be accepting of all differences, like religions, race, age, sexual orientation, etc. After that I would say to my students……”so if you decide to get married, for example, they’ll be one person that is your spouse, but everybody else is potentially a friend” Another example, “so if you respect everyones differences, you never know who your next best friend is going to be.” I would tell them how exciting that would be, to be respectful to everyone, because you never know who your next best friend will be, maybe even a friend for life.
You shouldn’t have to teach me
Margaret Lisi,
Avondale Estates, GA
My friend gave me many resources from which to learn about the forces that drove Black Lives Matter, including ” The Making of a Slave.” He trusted me to educate others where he couldn’t..
Family love comes from open hearts.
June Wells,
Harrisonburg, VA
My new family saved my life. I was finally safe and just one of “the kids” with my foster parents, Sam and Lucille Ewell. This was in Virginia when integration was still a fairly new thing. My dad, a teacher, lost his job because of Prince Edward County, VA. Still, he opened his heart to me. What can I say?
Family love comes from open hearts.
June Wells,
Harrisonburg, VA
My new family saved my life. I was finally safe and just one of “the kids” with my foster parents, Sam and Lucille Ewell. This was in Virginia when integration was still a fairly new thing. My dad, a teacher, lost his job because of Prince Edward County, VA. Still, he opened his heart to me. What can I say?
