Many of you may have heard about the Dublin educators who wore shirts in support of immigrants, love is love, black lives and many others. You may have seen some of the fall out. If you haven't, I'm sure you can google it. This event put me in a situation that created a moral and ethical dilemma. On Tuesday, I was part of a meeting in which we were discussing whether or not it was appropriate to wear shirts or other attire that makes a statement related to a movement. (Maybe you received an email about wearing a certain shirt on Thursday. I was proud that I saw at least one staff member doing just that!) As I sat there I was happy to learn that HCSD has a Board Resolution against racism, but I was feeling like our actions were not matching our resolution. I knew I had to do something, but I wasn't sure what.
As I sat in the meeting I thought back about the books I'd read about social justice this summer in the wake of George Floyd's murder. I did my homework about social justice and while I'm by no means an expert, I have learned a few things. I have read books such as White Fragility, How to be an Antiracist, The Other Wes Moore, and We Want to do More than Survive. Currently, I am reading Me and White Supremacy. Needless to say, in the moment on Tuesday when I felt that I was becoming part of racism, I had to speak up. I'm not telling you this to pat myself on the back. I'm telling you this because I felt very, very uncomfortable. In a brief moment, I had to make a choice to stay silent or speak up for what was right. So, I spoke up to our own superintendent and was joined by some of our other administrators. We shared that if we are truly serious that Hilliard City Schools is no place for hate that we could not and should never tell staff that they cannot wear a shirt supporting a movement. The discussion lasted an hour and at the end minds were changed! While this was just one small baby step towards an antiracism, it was still a movement in the right direction. In a diverse building like ours we must make sure our students know that was value them, respect differences and stand up for what is right. We are not going to be perfect because most of us have benefited from white privilege our entire lives. Many of our students, on the other hand, have not. Our students have endured racism throughout their lives. We have a kindergarten student here who recently spent 6 months separated from his parents at the border. We must be the voice for our students! When I think about our One Word, LIFT, I think about how we will LIFT our students who live racism daily. There is no such thing as "not racist". There is only "racist" or "antiracist". Click here to read our Board Resolution against racism.
1 Comment
Marsha C Bradley
9/27/2020 06:27:27 pm
It takes honesty, humility and bravery to examine your heart and determine whether you are a racist or an antiracist. If you find you have been living your life as a racist, then it takes honesty, humility and bravery to change. I applaud the district for being brave enough to talk about the issues that divide us. I have started reading books to educate myself as well because I want to be able to have an informed and intelligent conversation on issue(s) of racism in America.
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