Jan 3, 2022 12:00:00 AM
As a new year begins, racism and hate are very much prevalent within our school communities and our society as a whole. Yet, we still find ourselves struggling to find answers to the same old questions that keep coming up every year. Here are a few of them:
I don’t know about you all but these are the type of questions that constantly float through my head. Although these questions are all rhetorical in my case, I’ve come to realize that there are some folx who are still innocently and completely oblivious to what’s happening around us while there are others who know exactly what’s going on but elect to live their lives in complete oblivion. Although the sources of their inaction may differ, the concluding outcome of their inaction is ultimately the same—and that specifically is the perpetuation of white supremacy culture.
The bottom line is this: the permanence of white supremacy culture necessitates the performance of anti bias, antiracist activism and solidarity. That still remains to be the case as we begin another calendar year. Too many of us are still content with dipping our toes in the pool but don’t want to dive in all the way. Too many of us are having Milli Vanilli moments where it appears as though we’re talking the talk but, in the end, aren’t saying a damn thing at all to liberate others and, most importantly, ourselves. [pullquote]We’re insistent on remaining in our post-racial fantasy worlds and reluctant to face the harsh truth about the world we live in.[/pullquote]
We want to change the frames of our glasses but maintain the lenses even though we are in dire need of a new prescription from our optometrists. Even if you change the frames of your glasses, your lenses will still prevent you from having a clear vision when traveling down the path towards radical self-love, liberation, and justice. You can’t manifest a world that you fail to envision and witness with your own eyes.
[pullquote]As a teacher, you are a LIABILITY to your students if you LIE about their ABILITY to succeed academically and thrive in a society that constantly hates them back.[/pullquote] Your students deserve honesty and transparency no matter how difficult the TRUTH is. How will they learn how to become effective problem solvers and critical thinkers if we’re always protecting them from the realities of how ugly and cruel our world can be?
Shielding your students from the harsh realities of society will only serve as a disservice to them. The best teachers ground their practices in TRUTH and walk in their TRUTH so that their students have the courage to do the same. That is the very definition of radical love and liberation in practice.
If you know that you may be falling short in that arena, please don’t beat yourself up about it. [pullquote]One of the greatest things about being a teacher is that we always have an opportunity to make amends, grow, unlearn, and learn the very next day.[/pullquote] Let’s keep that in mind as we enter the new year and deelply reflect on our practices. As you engage in your reflections, please consider the following questions:
Let your responses to these questions guide you in your journey—this year and every year— to become the educator that you want to be for your students, your colleagues, and most importantly, for yourself.
Kwame Sarfo-Mensah is the founder of Identity Talk Consulting, a global educational consulting firm that specializes in developing K-12 teachers into identity-affirming educators. Throughout his 17-year career as a classroom teacher, author, and consultant, Kwame has earned numerous accolades for this work, which include being honored as the 2019 National Member of the Year by Black Educators Rock, Inc. and being recognized as a Top Education Influencer by brightbeam, Inc. in 2021 and 2022. His newest book, "Learning to Relearn: Supporting Identity in a Culturally Affirming Classroom", is out now.
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