Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2021

     Today is a vital day. An important day. A day of acknowledgement for the sacrifices made to make strides towards a better world. A more equal world, not based on skin color or privileges given at birth. 

    1968 was a long time ago. Some might not even think it is very relevant to today. I would argue that they are wrong. Yes, it seems a long time ago. There are still so many things that are the same though. Privileges granted through birth, based off of gender, race, and economic status are still very much the same. From the first breath that is taken, certain people have advantage over others. It is unfortunate, but it is true and undeniable. It has been proven and still has not changed. History is being held on to, and certain facts are not being incorporated efficiently or quickly enough. It was only a few years ago that a non-White President led our country. We have yet to see a female lead our country. Leadership seems to be for the few and for those who can gain advantage over others. There has been progress, and our country is a beautiful place. There is still so much to be done though. There is always so much more that can be done- within ourselves and within the world.  

    Sure, we have made strides. But strides are not enough. It is not enough until NO ONE is running for their life. It is not enough when there are people who walk out of their homes and have to wonder if they may ever return to them. People who step out of their safe zones and fear they may be beaten or killed for an indifference they will never have control over. For their heritage. For their culture. For their tone of voice, for their skin tone, for their ethnic background. For the sins of their forefathers, for the perceptions of "their kind". How could it possibly be that all people in one group, one created category, are the same? That has never been a part of American culture or society. Unless, perhaps, it pertains to people that we don't know, don't understand, don't care enough about to understand, or simply want to hold on to our "truths" that are so engrained into us that they are not scars, but more of a birthmark. There are things that are taught to us without our realization, these ideas sneak inside of us without notice. They take root and become near impossible to remove. Ideas about stereotypes, cultures, heritages, languages, groups of people, religion, appearance, good and bad. All of these little "truths" make up who and how we are. Sometimes they are taught responsibly and intentionally by our caregivers and guardians. Those are the most impactful and longest lasting ideals that are founded within us. The most dangerous ones, though, are those we are not even aware of. The ones that sneak out unexpectedly and make us think, "Oh my! How could I even think that? That is so horrible!" Or maybe they are so much a part of our "truth" that we do not even think twice about it. I will share some that were deeply engrained in me and I accepted without even realizing I had. 

• Black people like grape things. Similarly, black people like watermelon. (All black people, all the time).  
• All Asians are good at math and science and are at the top of their class. 
• People with nice cars are rich and privileged. People who are rich do not care about anyone but themselves. 
• College is where you go & what you do after you graduate high school. 
• Teachers are always right and know everything you need to know. 
• Devout Catholics are uptight, rigid, and strict. Most Catholics rarely go to church, are kind of wild (prone to drinking, partying, acting out in class, etc.), don't really believe in their religion, and do whatever they want. 
• Women must be proper and polite, respectful, intelligent, and not challenge authority or men. 
• It is not safe to go out at night- there are people with knives and guns, people that want to rape, harm, maim, and kill. Don't go out at night. 
• Gay people are unnatural and are sinners in God's sight. They are grotesque and should not be associated with. 
• It is up to women to uphold their modesty, contemplate their clothing choices, and ward off anything that might make men think bad thoughts or want to take advantage of their body. 
• It is the woman's responsibility to have birth control, safe sex, be in control of her emotions at all times, and always eat chocolate while on her period. 
• Women are more emotional than guys. No matter what. 
• All black males should be considered dangerous. They wear saggy pants and "wife beater" tank tops. They have a lot of kids, but don't want to care for them. They leave women to fend for themselves. 
• Black females want fancy things, always dress nicely and have their nails done, go shopping all the time, and are high maintenance. Also, not to be provoked as they have explosive tempers.
• All red heads are angry and have a lot of freckles.
• Goth people wear all black, are depressed all the time, write poems and listen to heavy metal. 
• Magic is bad. Even the idea of magic. Don't think about magic, don't watch movies or read books that talk about magic. Magic is against Christ and trying to lead you away from Him. 

Those were simply some examples (some slightly exaggerated, but most certainly based off a "truth" I once believed) that I could think of off hand. There are truly ugly things buried down in our conscious and subconscious. Things that upon reflection will be found, that can be carefully removed upon greater exposure to the world and open, honest, and difficult conversations with people and conscientiousness as much as we are humanely capable of. 

    I am not perfect. I never will be. I am still sorting out my bias, my engrained stereotypes, the things I don't like about myself, and the discomfort I feel in particular situations. It is not easy to dissect parts of yourself and take out the faults. Being honest with yourself and with others is a good first step. Enabling yourself to talk to other people, find the "why" behind certain things held as truths and modify them to reflect new truths and ideals. Small, consistent steps are what move people forward. I highly encourage people to put themselves in new situations, new places, and attempt to experience other people's realities as much as possible. I will never know what it is like to be black, Latinx, Asian, or anything other than the mixed heritage white female I am. But I can have sympathy, I can gain empathy, I can listen, I can help establish change. Start with yourself- start the changes within yourself- and then move to changing greater aspects of the world. Let go of bitterness, let go of a single past experience that caused judgement on a whole group of people, let go of the ancient "truths" that are no longer relevant. Change with the times as long as you stay true to core values that are not harmful to yourself or others. Changing must always be done carefully and slowly or it will be for nothing and the change will have to be made again and again, but still may not stick.   

    Here are some additional reflections related more specifically to Martin Luther King Jr. Day and some brief discussion and "professional development" I had within my school district. (Kentwood Public Schools). 

• Dr. King encouraged people to assert their rights by sitting. Not by inaction, but by being extremely conscious of every action and the impact of it. By not taking an eye for an eye, by not becoming violent or creating enemies. But by crafting- literally creating- change. He told his supporters to huddle and crouch, to cover their heads when attacked, not if attacked. He knew undoubtedly that was what would happen: attacks, killing, hurting, and arresting. Even as much as he sought to avoid all of that, he knew that was what would happen to the people he loved. The people he knew and cared for. Even people he did not know, but knew that change had to happen and knew that now was the time. He reminded people that the media was watching, and the media was a powerful tool in helping their cause. 
• Dr. King spoke of, and yearned for, genuine equality. Not just allowing blacks into public areas, gaining treatment that was closer to human, and increased employment and living opportunities. It was not enough to have access to housing, he wanted to have sanitary and safe housing. Jobs that were good and treatment above that of swine. 
• Unconscious bias is expressed automatically (with or without our consent or acknowledgement), and are negative associations that are unknowingly held. Unearthing these can be a first step in destroying them. 
• Phrases such as "well typically" and "science has proved" can be a great general guide, but individuals must always be valued as such. Their actions, education, and treatment cannot be based on prior experiences. 
• Stereotypes can be paraded as truths and we can look for ways to deny or confirm them. I did this for many years before realizing how wrong it was, and how engrained it was within me. 
• Something that should be considered within an educational system is the discrepancies between what an English Language Learner knows in their native language or in English, and their ability level. It is too easy to say that a student is at a certain level. What really needs to be discovered is what they know in either language, how they learn best, and the most effective way to support their learning and basic needs. There can be huge gaps between things that are considered basic knowledge to native English speakers, and things that ELL students may not explicitly be taught. Examples might be days of the week, how to tell time, what part of the envelope a stamp goes on, the names of numbers, the names of months, etc. 
• Something that I love that one of our teachers brought up was "acceptance with conditions". That is, saying or thinking things like, "Oh, I have no problem with gays or lesbians as long as they don't talk about it with me." or maybe "I can work with Black people as long as they pull their weight." or "I can work with her as long as she isn't emotional." These examples all tie acceptability of a situation to something linked to it. Gays and lesbians and whatever other new terms they have these days are fine as long as they stay well enough away from me. I can do this or that as long as it is the way I want. Forget all of that, and just learn to accept, accept without terms and conditions. Accept with love and a desire to improve the world. People who are "different" are often not so, but you will never know if you do not allow closeness to those people. 

    I am so honored, excited, and privileged that I can work at a school (and within a school district) that truly strives to accept everyone and allow them equal access to success. It is so incredible to see so many cultures represented within an elementary school. Someday soon, whites will be the minority within schools and I think I will be well equipped for that day. I hope to be a model of an educator that accepts, loves, and values her students as if they were her own children and wants only the best for them. I can confidently continue my journey in education knowing that I am doing it all for children who are so deserving. Children that I hope can grow up in a society that accepts them no matter what they look like, who/what they believe in, how they dress, or how they speak.