We are at a crossroads. As a people, we are fractured. Even though we live together, black people and other minorities face prejudice so deeply ingrained in our society that we are in danger of becoming what we abhor, a violent, dangerous country.
Some of us don't want it to be this way. Some of us want the peace and prosperity that comes with education, opportunity, and equality for everyone. Some of us want to set things right.
We stand together, and we stand with you...whoever you are. You deserve better. We all deserve better.
Today on Facebook, my wise and funny friend Will Jones posted:
"The master's tools will never dismantle the master's house."
-Audre LordeBlack children are being left out, kicked out, and shut out of the educational system. It's not new. It may have happened to you. It maybe happening to your children right now. And the system WILL NOT change itself. It doesn't want to change. Someone will have to MAKE it change.
...AND SOMEONE IS ABOUT TO.
You've been asking yourself, "How can I make a difference? What can I do to help my community? How do I make things better for our children???"
THIS!!! THIS RIGHT HERE!!! THIS IS HOW!!!
Will you be part of the solution?
Do you care enough?
Don't talk about it; BE ABOUT IT!
PLEASE!!!
How You Can Help
Will's infectious passion is for Being Black at School, a grassroots movement started by parents, educators, and activists to make schools a better and safer place for black children. They seek to fix a broken system, change a false narrative, and deliver on the promise of equality; to guarantee the rightful place of black children in our society as equal, valuable people.
White parents have a reason to care about this issue as well. Your children go to school with kids who are marginalized, criminalized, and treated with contempt by authorities. They see and internalize this behavior, and it seeps into their everyday interactions. Even subtle racism can have a profound effect on your child's life, safety, and even income potential - whether they are the racist or the victim.
Equality benefits all of us. We desperately need to make it happen, and it starts early, with the children and with the world they inhabit.