Video of a quote outside of The Legacy Museum in Montgomery, AL. It says, “History despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again.” -Maya Angelou. Written in black letters on a tan-colored tiled background. Video taken by the author.
Check-In:
Last week I spent a few days in Montgomery, Alabama to attend and present at the National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME) Conference and had an opportunity to hear Bryan Stevenson, founder and Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative, stress the importance of “truth-telling.”
It was my first time in the historic city and it was soul-sturring. To walk down Dexter Avenue, to see where enslaved Black people were auctioned off, where Rosa Parks boarded the bus to launch the Montgomery bus boycotts, and to stand on the steps of the Dexter Avenue Church was incredible.
Then I visited the Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice. I felt sadness, anger, love, and countless other emotions walking through every room and connecting the dots of the impacts of enslavement to mass incarceration on African-Americans.
There was a silence and stillness wherever I walked in the city that allowed me to digest every moment in real-time while also thinking about how much the inability to truth-tell has influenced how we think about the United States history with Native Americans, African-Americans, Mexicans, Chinese, Japanese, Palestinians…
I recently was watching a webinar when one of the presenters talked about how it’s not that there is a fear against teaching the history of minoritized communities, there’s a fear about teaching the role of white people in that history. I think it’s both. To tell the truth would unveil the systemic nature of the United States’ actions and inactions and who has benefitted from all of it.
As we start the week that commemorates another holiday that needs more truth-telling, I consider what role I have as a leader and as a parent to ensure that our next generation learns all our history.
What truth-telling are you doing with families and friends this week?
#mondaymotivation: “I still wonder if the memories that remain with age are heavier than the ones we forget because they mean more to us, or if our bodies, like our nation, eventually purge memories we never wanted to be true.”-Kiese Laymon, Heavy
Interview with a Leader of the Global Majority:
Malcolm* is the Chief Equity Officer for a small-sized district in North Carolina. He has been in the role for over two years. The comments below are Malcolm’s and do not reflect the opinions of his school system.
Mary: Have you felt like you've had to change your language or your approach to how you do your work?
Malcolm: I'll say that watching the landscape from every other area, I can see where North Carolina is headed. The idea of making training optional for people, we're headed that way, which means then we must actually change the language and what we're saying and who's saying it.
Malcolm: I had a superintendent reach out to me and ask, "When are you going to change your title? Because as long as you have equity in your title, you're going to be attacked and you can do the work without it."
Malcolm: And so I start to think like, Dr. Christopher Emdin- it's not his title. Dr. Bettina Love- not in her title. You know what I mean? You start to wonder is there some science to that? And so, the landscape is vastly changing and we got to figure out what's the language we're going to say to still do the work for our historically resilient students, who I don't call marginalized.
Malcolm: Personally, it's tough. I'm a father of three beautiful, strong, Black children. You feel like you are watching a system devour you that's ultimately going to devour your kids. And you're trying your hardest to fight and keep it at bay while you have your family behind you. I got my wife in all her beautiful brilliance standing beside me fighting this at bay, but it is coming from every angle. So as a father and a member of our community, it's tough. Professionally, I do believe that we are smarter than the oppressive people who are continuing to provide oppression. We're smarter. We just have to continue to galvanize and support each other.
Malcolm: And that's where I then become frustrated at the intersections of father and this business because there's only so much I can say at work where I need to galvanize, talk to the community about here's really what's happening, pay attention. Versus as a father, I'm telling you, here's what I see... You know what I'm saying? It gets divided. And so you're part of organizations in your home community, in my own county to support and fight the work. And then you're looking like I need to divulge that same information over to our folks, but yet the district pays the bills. And so, it becomes damned if you do and almost damned if you don't. You can print that.
*name changed
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: In Shifting Self and System: How Educational Leaders Propel Excellence for Achieving Equity Dr. Ruby Ababio-Fernandez and Courtney Winkfield introduce their five-pillar framework for practical, outcome-oriented antiracist leadership: Self Mastery, Adaptive Leadership, Racial Literacy, Emergence, and Whole-Body Healing. Their model is based on their experiences leading the educational-equity agenda for the NYC Department of Education.
WATCHING: Activist Bayard Rustin faces racism and homophobia as he helps change the course of Civil Rights history by orchestrating the 1963 March on Washington.
LISTENING TO: Jasmyn Ward has a new book, Let Us Descend, and she discussed it and her writing process on my favorite book-focused podcast, The Stacks.
LEARNING FROM: InstructionalPowerEDU is a comprehensive 5-module instructional power toolkit designed to enhance your education expertise. Upon completion of this toolkit, you will gain a deep understanding of Instructional Power. With InstructionalEDU, you'll not only bridge the gap between knowledge and power but also inspire lasting positive change in your educational environment. Elevate your impact as an educator today! Link to sign up: https://creative-founder-5785.ck.page/327be1f281.
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.
Upcoming Events:
November 29th: Pre-conference workshop at National Association of Independent Schools’ Staff of Color Conference (St. Louis, MO)
November 30th-December 2nd: Presenting at National Association of Black School Educators Annual Conference (New Orleans, LA)
How to Continue to Support Leading-Within:
Go to Amazon and rate or review the book there! Reviews are a great way for others to see that this book is worth the time to read.
Post about the book on social media using the hashtag #leadingwithin. Even better if it includes a picture of you WITH the book!
Host a book club with your affinity/ERG group. Two study guides are also available on the ASCD website - one for leaders of color and one for white co-conspirators that are perfect for starting a group conversation. For book clubs with participants who have purchased and committed to reading the book, please reach out to me so I can support your journey!
Connect with me to speak to your organization or group about topics covered in the book, like ‘practicing love and rage’, ‘building a coalition’, and ‘taking a stand’.
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!
Looking forward to Ward’s new book!!!
“What truth-telling are you doing with families and friends this week?”
Love. Because in these times--in any family--that maybe the only thing one has in common.