Lived Experience

Good Morning Everyone,

Today I'd like to continue addressing social justice and antiracism from my blog.

What is antiracism you ask? Well, let me explain what I have come to understand.  Antiracism is when we actively take a stance against racial injustice.  It is fighting for equality.  It is going beyond just thoughts and feelings and taking action.  That action can come in many forms.  It can be in the form of educating your self or others, peaceful protest, monetary support for organizations like Black Lives Matter or the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), or it can be about simply lending your voice to someone in need.  

Some people would argue that topics such as these are wading into the water of politics and taking sides and that we shouldn't be talking about them in school or with young kids.  My response is that I don't care what political side people are on.  This is a human rights issue!  It's about how we treat each other as human beings regardless of the color of our skin. (or our religion, sexual orientation, gender expression, nationality, etc.)  And if not kids, then who else?  We can't keep standing by and not helping the next generation to do better than we are currently doing today.  One look towards our cities and our streets and it's obvious that we have real problems we need to grapple with.   

Above I said that we should treat each other equally regardless of the color of our skin, but I want to clarify that I don't think that we should be, "colorblind."   Sometimes, people will say things like, "I don't pay attention to the color of one's skin, we are all equal."  I know that I personally have said this before.  However, as I've educated myself on this issue, I have come to agree with social justice leaders that this idea misses the mark.  I think we need to see all those beautiful colors and work to honor each person's lived experience.  When we can honor each person's lived experience, we will be able to learn from those experiences and work collectively towards that more perfect union we discussed yesterday.

I hope that as you've reflected on my posts over that past couple of days, you've continued to grapple with what it means to be you...black, white, brown, or somewhere in between.  What is your role?  How can you help? And what experiences do you have to share?  Lets us teach each other and learn from one another as we move forward from here.  

One way to do this, as I mentioned on Monday, is to learn from our social justice leaders.  Mrs. Hill shared with me an excellent podcast this morning that I wanted to reshare with all of you.  This podcast aired on June 1st on the Kojo Nnamadi Show.  It is entitled:  Kojo for Kids: Jason Reynolds Talks About Racism And The Protests.    I would strongly encourage you to listen.  In the podcast, you can learn from Reynolds' experiences as well as hear him answer questions from kids around the country regarding our current social justice climate.  We touched on Jason Reynolds back during Black History Month and I linked his twitter page and website in Monday's blog as well.  He is a best-selling YA author and was recently appointed as the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature.  Among other books, he has recently co-authored a book for young people on fighting racism.  It is called, Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You.  I have not read the book yet but plan to do so over the summer.  I hope that you will do so as well. 

If you are sticking with me and have continued to tune into my blog these past few days - really just the tippy top of the iceberg - thank you for learning with me!  There is so much out there to read and digest!  I am by no means an expert, nor do I have all the answers, so please continue to seek out information, and inform yourself so that you can put Antiracism into action.  

Be Well Everyone,

Mrs. Hempey