Photo of red and orange flames ablaze from a bed of wood chips. Photo by raquel raclette on Unsplash
Check-In:
If you were in a meeting with me in July and August of this year and we were doing introductions, you heard me say, “I live in Texas, where it feels like hell, literally and figuratively.”
Austin has recorded 78 days of 100 degrees or above in 2023 thus far claiming the second-hottest summer on record. As we were burning outside, the Texas legislature was burning down human rights including the passing of some landmark bills:
HB900 : Requiring a book rating system in school systems (this bill was recently blocked by a federal judge)
It’s now October. It’s Banned Books Week. Starbucks is rolling out their pumpkin-flavored (yuck!) everything but I’m still sweating away in 90+ degrees every day, and school systems are faced with implementing these new laws.
My feeling remains the same…I. Am. In. Hell.
Now, I’ve experienced racism, sexism, classism, etc. but the formal legal restrictions placed on my intersectional identities coming from my state’s representatives have been quite unsettling. Knowing my daughter has fewer rights than I did at her age does not make me question her decision to only apply to colleges in the Northeast.
As I shepherd one child through her final year of high school and out of this place, I still have another one who has many more years to go. And although I would love to run back to NYC, Texas will be home for a little while longer.
So how do you find comfort in hell?!? You don’t. Well, I guess I could. I could close my front door, shrink myself, go undercover, and change my language to make others comfortable but then what? Doesn’t that just add fuel to the fire?
Instead, I closely watch and listen to how my children are doing in school. I take all the surveys, send all the emails, and keep a watchful eye on school board meetings. Although I may not be physically present at every school activity or more actively involved in organizations like the Round Rock Black Parents Association, I stay informed and vocal. Living outside my comfort zone on a regular. If I’m not able to leave hell, I might as well cool it down a few degrees.
What do you do when you find yourself in an extremely unpleasant and often inescapable situation?
#mondaymotivation:
“won't you celebrate with me
what i have shaped into
a kind of life? i had no model.
born in babylon
both nonwhite and woman
what did i see to be except myself?
i made it up
here on this bridge between
starshine and clay,
my one hand holding tight
my other hand; come celebrate
with me that everyday
something has tried to kill me
and has failed.”
― Lucille Clifton, “won't you celebrate with me” from Book of Light. Copyright © 1993
Interview with a Leader of the Global Majority:
Laurice is the District Equity Coordinator for a small-sized district in Wisconsin. The comments below are Laurice’s and do not reflect the opinions of her school system.
Mary: I'm curious about some of the challenges that you feel like you've faced for the past two and a half years?
Laurice: I think a big challenge is reminding folks that this work is not Laurice's work and I'm not passionate about this work because it's Laurice's work. This is the work of our district, and my expectation is everyone does this work.
Laurice: With that challenge is knowing that while people are learning to lead the work our students, our families, and our community are getting hurt every day.
Laurice: So, it's taking that and letting people figure out their way in the work. I can't be the one who's going to come in and solve someone's problem because they can't figure it out. And I know that in their learning and putting it back on them to do it, there is that potential for harm to be done. So, I think that's a huge challenge because that does weigh on me.
Laurice: But the system wasn't built in a day, we're not going to be able to dismantle it in a day. But that certainly comes with challenges.
Laurice: I also think another challenge of really moving people requires trust and trust takes time. Engaging with people, just getting to know people, and having conversations sometimes isn't seen as valued, and knowing that you can't move people without having those conversations.
Laurice: People need to find their own sense of urgency in a way that makes sense for them, and I recognize that. So, my goal is always to try to find what's the in? What's the connection for them? And that takes time.
You can read more from Laurice in “Leading Within Systems of Inequity in Education: A Liberation Guide for Leaders of Color”. Let me know if you would like to be interviewed and/or recommend someone to be profiled in this section.
What I’m Reading, Watching, and Listening To:
I’ve combined the “What I’m Reading” section with the “Resources” section and created the “What I’m Reading, Watching, and Listening to” section:
READING: Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo is her first novel for adults and I’m just in love with this book as her young adult books. An interwoven story of women within one Dominican-American family. I’m listening to the audio book which I like to do with all of Acevedo’s books. A good read to celebrate Latinx Heritage Month.
MORE READING: These fast facts shared by the Department of Education for Latinx Heritage Month give us more reasons why we need to celebrate Latinx Heritage 365 days of year.
WATCHING: I just finished watching Succession on HBO and I’m now looking for the thought pieces on Kendall and his treatment of Black women and his adopted daughter of color. Any recommendations?
LISTENING TO: If you listened to the podcast series Southlake, you will want to listen to the team’s new series, Grapevine. This series, with the first 2 episodes dropping this week, tells the story of one family broken apart in the midst of a new anti-LGBTQ culture war, and the high school English teacher caught in the middle.
You can find a full list of my book recommendations here. Please note that I am an affiliate with Bookshop.org and receive a small compensation for your purchase when you use the book links provided.
If this is your first time reading, please go back and read my Introductions post.
Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think. If you like it, please share it with your network!