You may or may not know that prior to staying home full-time with my girls, I was a secondary English teacher. This might be shocking considering I frequently make spelling and grammar mistakes of all kinds, despite my best efforts! I taught both high school and middle school English. I also taught Public Speaking and Debate. In the latter subjects, studying and understanding the legal framework behind the 1st amendment was a cornerstone unit and boy have I been thinking about those lesson plans as I digest the news as of late. In all of my classes, every year, we had a substantially sized unit of study on the Civil Rights Movement, and included Dr. Martin Luther King. We poured over his texts and listened to his speeches. The student population where I taught was made up of Black and Hispanic learners. During those first years I remember looking at their faces expectantly as we watched Dr. King. I searched for their awe and admiration and at the very least, listening ears, but was often met with tepid participation.
I’m embarrassed to admit this. I’m embarrassed to admit that I placed unfair expectations on the shoulders of these young children. Embarrassed that I couldn’t see how out of touch and diluted the curriculum was. My white privilege blinded me from how applicable his words from a time that seems so long ago, are applicable to our times. I’d been benefiting from the comfortable perch of a much more palatable interpretation of Dr. King’s calls for equality, seeing it as one that had already been answered. A mission accomplished. How painful it must be to be a child listening to those words, wanting so badly to believe times had really changed, but knowing the sting of slurs, and experiences of systemic oppression they’d born the brunt of first hand, told a story so different from my own,
During my last years in the classroom this realization translated into a rehabilitation of the unit. We applied texts and concepts of the Civil Rights Era and the words of Dr. King, to modern and topical issues of racial injustice. My lessons became more interactive and students would select excerpts from his writings that they personally connected with. They could share as much or as little as to why they chose the words they did.
I’d say these lessons evolved for two reasons. The first being experience, just in general as a teacher I was able to refine my pedagogy. But the second, and most important, was the time I spent within a diverse community. My colleagues, our students, the neighborhood – it couldn’t have been more different than my own upbringing in predominantly white surroundings. And this may have been your background too. You may still be stumbling as you read or say things like “white privilege”. I know I did. It was a hard concept to grasp. It’s hard to explain water to a fish, a metaphor I’ve heard repeatedly to explain how difficult the awakening can be. I knew well my own father’s story. One of five children to my grandmother who was most often operating as a single mother. Money was tight, he worked his way through college and medical school. My parents’ early years included food stamps. I know for that little boy it would’ve been hard for him to believe that he had any privilege to speak of. That story became a framework for how I saw the world and I very much believed in the fallacy of the boot strap philosophy. That if you want something badly enough nothing can stop you, a sentiment largely accepted as the American Dream.
It took a long time for me to deepen my understanding of the great injustices that still exist. I am still learning. We all are, right? If you’ve read this far, I know you are. I think when we humble ourselves to admit that there is so much that we don’t know and understand, that transformation can take place. When I first started teaching I remember feeling so defensive when the topic would turn to white privilege. But what was I defending? What was I protecting? And what did I think I had to lose? For one, I was protecting my comfort. And I can tell you it has been in my moments of great discomfort that I learned the most.
Danielle Coke describes herself as “ an artist and illustrator using art and words to help good people become better neighbors”. She often shares on Instagram via @ohhappydani and she recently spoke out about the kind of love we’re called to live:
“… AGAPE: love unconditional. The love for God & neighbor, the love marked by action, the love that IS God. The love that is triggered by the incarnation of Christ and the redemption of man. It is the opposite of passivity or apathy. No greater love exists. This is the love MLK Jr. spoke when calling it “the greatest force in the universe… the heartbeat of the moral cosmos. He who loves is a participate in the being of God.” It is through the love we’ve been shown that we’re able to love others- the love that drives out hate. How do we exemplify this agape love? By seeking out TRUTH at the expense of our own comfort, joyfully resolving to lay down our lives for each other. By exchanging the fluffy, feel good stuff for a commitment to faithfully pursue all that is good – even when it is uncomfortable. This love is not tolerance. It is transformation. This love looks into the pit of darkness and hate and says, “I will not rest until the light of truth shines through.” It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. This love never fails. This love will see us through.”
Her words inspired me to revisit Letter From A Birmingham Jail, a text I’d read hundreds of times over the years in my classroom, but I saw it in a new light, which I shared more about on my Instagram. I’d encourage you to read Danielle’s words, and then read Dr. King’s letter.
At the bare minimum, Curtis and I routinely renew our vow to get uncomfortable. In our conversations within our home, our communities, and in our own reality checks.
I shared in June this post detailing a bit about Diversity and Inclusion efforts within our family. I never want to oversimplify the weight of the social justice issues in our country by talking about children’s books and crayon boxes. But I know from experience that each of my recommendations within that post have created opportunities in our home for conversations about racial injustice and black history- uncomfortable conversations even- that I’m not sure when or how they would’ve happened in our white family otherwise.
I also want to call attention to something that I know a lot of people aren’t aware, and I didn’t know about until recently, which is that Martin Luther King Day has been identified as a national day of service. A “Day On” instead of a “Day Off”. The AmeriCorps website answers the question “Why Serve On MLK Day?” with this:
Dr. King recognized the power of service. He famously said, “Everyone can be great because everybody can serve.” Observing the Martin Luther King, Jr. federal holiday through service is a way to begin each year with a commitment to making your community a better place. Your service honors Dr. King’s life and teachings and helps meet community challenges. Service also brings people together of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities. The MLK Day of Service encourages all types of service, particularly projects that have a lasting impact and connect participants to ongoing service. The most successful projects connect to the life and teaching of Dr. King, meet a pressing community need, and include time to reflect on his teachings.
What stood out to me the most was the notion that service brings people together of all ages, backgrounds and abilities. This is how my own transformation started in earnest, the opportunity to work alongside people very different from me, people who challenged my ideologies that were a product of my largely homogenous upbringing. I remain so thankful for all of the energy and effort it must’ve taken to push me in this way.
This might not be the day or month to jump into in-person service, though if that is where you feel immediately called there are plenty of opportunities and you can search by zip code here. But this need, and this opportunity, will exist beyond today I assure you. And in the meantime, organizations serving communities of color and those most affected by racial injustice can use our financial support. I don’t know that I’ll ever get super comfortable with broadcasting where we make our charitable donations, but I’ve come to learn the value in not just the monetary commitment, but the willingness to feature organizations that others may not be familiar with.
For your consideration, three organizations we contribute to financially, that impact the Black community are:
I share in this way, amidst collages of cute clothes, vacation recaps, and cocktail recipes, to normalize the discussion of topics that often are considered difficult or tense. I do it selfishly to work on my own fluency. The more I think on it and share it, the sharper my understanding becomes, I can better address the topics with my children. So that I can better love my neighbor, like Danielle speaks to. I am so thankful for these various platforms like Instagram and my blog that help create a sense of community. A sense that we’re in this together and can continue to make change if we challenge each other and hold each other accountable.
