Day 8- Opening The Door
I’m tired of looking at the world with rose colored glasses. The world is going through a metamorphosis of change and it’s SO important to talk about it.
I have recently gained a following of students from my community which I think is awesome! I love maintaining those relationships and my students are the future of our nation. However, because of this, I often find myself thinking about what I’m posting and what my intentions are for what I post. I censor myself because I don’t want to offend anyone. And sometimes I don’t always speak up and say what should be said- and I’m sorry for that. I’m sorry for that passive thinking. But today I’m making the decision to post what I feel in my gut, needs to be said. I don’t know why I didn’t think like this before, but I know that people watch and see what I say and do. And I take that as an honor. I take that seriously. I want to make sure I’m influencing the important causes and using my platform well.
The year 2020 has been absolutely insane, the emotional upheaval that has come upon our nation is overbearing but essential. In someways, I feel the pandemic was a blessing in disguise. I feel like everyone was stripped down to their emotional cores. We were raw and then George Floyd happened. The proverbial bottle had been shaken and the damn thing exploded! How could it not? 400 years. Let that sink in FOUR HUNDRED years of oppression, abuse and god knows what else. Protesting and what some are saying a rebellion has begun. This will be written in history. We will talk about this for many years to come and we SHOULD! Today is day 8 and we continue to preach: Black lives DO matter. I think it’s important that we have the conversation, we join the organizations, we march when we can, and we stand up for what we we believe in. We shift our thinking. As a teacher I have a platform and I need to use it. Some will say I’m pushing an agenda. The answer is yes- I AM. If that’s a problem, let’s talk about it. I’m here to listen too.
I see my students posting black squares but no actions- they may not even know what their options for action are. I see them using the wrong hashtags, and I see the confusion and misunderstanding is across Instagram. I want to help, but I don’t want to overstep. I also don’t and REFUSE to sit back, but I want to HELP educate. And the best way for me to do that is to educate myself. I’ve started that process already-
As far as helping others, this is what I can offer right now. A place to discuss, advocate, call to action, etc. mi casa es su casa-So this is me opening the door. My classroom has an open door policy and so does my blog. If someone wants to talk, then please drop me a comment or email. If you have a resource or idea, share it with me. Let’s not forget how we feel right now. Let’s use this as fuel. And as a white person, we need to use our voices to speak for those who are not heard. We need to vote. We need to email. We need to do more then sit behind the screen. We can do this. I can do this.
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