Someone who I studied under (for only one semester but he had a profound impact on the way I now think) and respect as not only an educator but just as a human being in general posted on Facebook today, “I refuse to be afraid. I refuse to be bullied by this vote or its supporters. I will not walk in fear. I refuse to mollify the situation with false appeals to 'loving one another' or 'setting politics aside.' I will not let this vote sway me from the path: My classroom remains a space for transformative justice and I vigilantly and fiercely protect its mission and its safety.”
I, too, refuse to be afraid. I, too, refuse to be bullied by this vote or its supporters. I will not walk in fear either, for that is what undergirds my faith and entire belief system. I, too, refuse to mollify the inhospitabilty, hostility, and hatred that has driven and continues to drive this entire situation. However, the ideal of ‘loving one another’ is not a false appeal to the hurt, marginalized, and oppressed people of this country. Loving in the face of hate is the boldest, most courageous, most difficult choice we can make in a situation like this. Love does not mean that we agree with someone. Love does not mean that we think certain words and actions of others are acceptable. Love does not mean that I am not outraged, disappointed, or upset by how the past few days in in America have unfolded. Choosing to love is not an attempt to mollify, or temper the injustice that is running rampant in our beloved country; for love and justice are not mutually exclusive. You cannot work toward justice without love and you cannot love others well if you are operating through anything other than a lens of justice. I, too, will not be swayed from the path. My classroom is a space for transformative justice as well. Like my former professor, I have deliberately created it to be such a space. I work everyday to dismantle oppressive discourse but I would not be able to do that if I did not first build and continue to maintain an environment where each and every student feels loved for who they are, just as they are. They know; however, that even though that is true, sometimes what we think is clouded by the things we don’t know, do know, and the experiences we have had and not had. I’m trying to teach them from a young age to critically examine their perspective. I want them to hold firmly to the truth that they are allowed to believe whatever they want but if their beliefs cause them to treat someone the wrong way, than there’s something wrong with their beliefs. See, if I did not value and love them regardless of what they currently believe, verbalize, or act upon all work in transformative justice would be severely hindered. I may be successful with some and not so much with others; but that is just the reality of diverse human existence. Love means listening to others and firmly but patiently rebuking them when necessary. Love is the only way to make sure our voice is fully heard and our efforts toward justice are not in vain.
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Author4th grade teacher. Writer. Justice-seeker. Encourager. CrossFitter. John 11:40. Archives
July 2017
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