Andre Maurice Hill was putzing around in the garage working on a vehicle late night/early morning on a Sunday. He was shot as he held his hands up and walked toward Ohio police officers called about the rumbling happening in the garage. He lay on that cold garage floor dying for approximately 5 minutes without being administered any potential lifesaving aid by the officers who instead told him, "Don't move, dude."
Casey Christopher Goodson was shot by police as he attempted to enter his home with a Subway sandwich. His body spilling into the doorway and his keys dangling in the door of his grandmother's home for her and two toddlers to witness. Breonna Taylor was awoken after midnight when the police began ramming her door in. They shot Breonna five times and shot ten times blindly into the apartment she and her boyfriend shared. They were not in the correct apartment. On November 22, 2014, Tamir Elijah Rice, 12 years old, was killed within TWO seconds of Ohio police arriving at a park that Tamir was playing in. Yesterday, the Justice Department decided not to prosecute the officers who killed Tamir within TWO seconds of their arrival at that community park. Mass murderer, Dylann Roof, gunned down and killed nine people who were worshipping in their church. The police chief described the mass murderer as "polite" and "quiet" when the mass murderer was apprehended unharmed--no shots fired. Police officers went to Burger King to get the mass murderer a burger when the mass murderer claimed hunger. The police walked right by teen killer, Kyle Rittenhouse, who was brandishing a gun the killer had used on two victims. Christian groups raised $500,000 for the teen killer. The killer's family has raised $60,000 selling merchandise toward bail. The killer has donations totaling almost a million dollars according to some news outlets. Terrorist, Anthony Warner, drove an RV and exploded it on the streets of Nashville on Christmas day. His girlfriend had alerted the police of the terrorist bomb making a year prior. Her lawyer confirmed with police at the time that the terrorist "frequently talks about the military and bomb-making." The attorney went on to state he believed the terrorist knew how and was capable of making a bomb. As a follow-up, police knocked on the terrorist's door got no answer and left. That's the epitome of privilege! As 2020 winds down, I have been thinking more of Andre, Casey, Tamir, Breonna, George, Roxanne, Ahmaud and the so many more. I have been thinking of the resistance to simply saying "Black Lives Matter" and the anger and resistance to the mention of white privilege. I have been thinking of the books purchased this summer some of which remain unread or discussed. I have been thinking of those who remain ghostly silent to matters of injustice. I have been thinking of the Proud Boys, standing back and standing by. I have been thinking of the former church friend who said people should be shot in the streets if they are found committing voter fraud. I have been thinking how systems continue to function as if Black folk are unworthy, evil villains who are up to know good and not deserving of humanity or empathy. It's an old, tired trope used to justify slavery and yet it remains and all of the above contribute to its societal permanence. It is what allows us to lay dead unjustifiably at hands that offer no medical attention. Allows us to be slaughtered in our place of worship without a fundraising campaign or even a burger. It's a privilege to be viewed as you are. I hope you see that. I hope you talk about that. I hope you work to do your part to eradicate racism in 2021. *Check out the video that clearly and effectively defines white privilege.
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Accepting reality has been a struggle for some as of late. As the reality of Dr. Jill Biden's expertise and achievement has been recently called into question, I walk in her shadow having been accepted into an educational doctoral program. I have wanted to do this for so long (see my post a couple of years ago when I was rejected) and today seems unreal. However, the reality is ... THIS IS HAPPENING! The reality is as I am entering a new phase; one where I could be attacked like Dr. Biden for being a woman seeking higher knowledge, one in which the system, its institutions and the educators who tirelessly work to make them run are too often devalued. When I decided I no longer wanted to pursue my Oprah dream of television journalism, my gift found me--teaching. I shifted from the lure of gifts under seats to public service. I was told quite often that education was a form of philanthropy. The reality is you give and give generously and expect little in return (compensation, especially but respect generally). I recall being told repeatedly by veteran educators that, "We're certainly not here for the money." This refrain emboldened principals to use educator's passion to extract as much as they could using "do it for the kids" and "lucky to just have a job" to tease out the fumes we worked on. In reality, it is not the work of "pass me a scalpel" but it's surely life saving. I believe that about education because I've seen that. It's the reason I persist in a field where the riches aren't coming and most times neither is the gratitude. I persist because I believe education can be transformative and liberatory. It is the reality the person who called Dr. Biden ‘kiddo’ most needs in order to learn, to grow and change for the better. I'm ecstatic to begin an educational journey paved by many, women especially, before me. It's no small feat to serve young people daily without asking for much in return, as an aside we need to have discourse about why that's okay, and still move forward and further into that work. It's not to be called Dr., although you should be, it's to serve more, to give more. Thanks, Dr. Biden for your service to education as I follow in your footsteps. Dr. Rembert is a reality soon to come. |
AuthorDocumenting my evolution by filling in space and matter one word at a time. Archives
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