Issue 36: Colored
Adjective. Having color. Older Use: Offensive. Belonging wholly or in part to any group of nonwhite people, especially to Black people.
Picture of the writer showing the color of joy by laughing and holding her hands in a clap. Photo by Montinique Monroe.
Check-In:
“I remember the day I became colored.”
This line comes from Zora Neale Hurston’s essay titled, “How it Feels to Be Colored Me.” I used this same line in my essay, “The Encounter” where I described the first time I was called a n***ger in the parking lot of Piggly Wiggly in the town of Ashippun, Wisconsin.
My parents and I integrated the town in 1986. My parents bought the land the year before I was born but it took 11 years to get approval to move in. The city claimed that it was not about race but a city official was heard saying, “We don’t want to turn into Milwaukee.” My experience in the parking lot cemented for me that it was about race.
My encounter like Zora’s so many decades earlier changed how I perceived myself and my relationship with others and institutions and also like Zora, I had to learn how this new me was going to proceed.
“But I am not tragically colored.”
Reclaiming language is the act of taking a previously offensive term/phrase against particular oppressed groups and taking it to regularly use themselves as a protest or resistance against discrimination that a group has faced. (ie Geek, Queer, Black is Beautiful, etc).
I admire Zora Neale Hurston as a Black woman in the early 20th century who consistently stayed true to her desires and interests despite white financial sponsors and her Black contemporaries critiquing her decisions (highly recommend reading Wrapped in Rainbows: The Life of Zora Neale Hurston by Valerie Boyd to learn more). As I daily aspire to reach Zora level, I am in a constant state of reclaiming language and at this moment, I’m colored with joy.
What are you reclaiming?
#mondaymotivation: “Sometimes, I feel discriminated against, but it does not make me angry. It merely astonishes me. How can any deny themselves the pleasure of my company? It's beyond me.” -Zora Neale Hurston
Interview with a Leader of the Global Majority:
You first read about Mariane Asad Doyle in Issue 16: Care where she talked about how she practices self-care. This is a new interview excerpt. Mariane was the director of equity services and human resources for over two years in a California school district. These comments are the personal reflections of Mariane and her experiences. They do not reflect the opinions of her former employer.
Mary: Tell me a little bit about what made you want to take this job. What made you want to come to do this role?
Mariane: Career-wise, I feel that I was always doing equity work. I started as an English as a second language teacher in adult education. And so, that was a really good introduction to the inequities of the system. And then I was a high school teacher, and I taught both English Language Learners as well as just general education. And in both instances, I saw the disproportionality that exists in what is provided to students depending on where they're at.
Mariane: I also had the opportunity to teach at a historically Black university in Baltimore and got to see what it looks like.
Mariane: I grew up in California, so I had this rose-colored glasses thing on where I thought, oh, everything, everybody's equal, this is what we preach. And I'm going to Baltimore and coming back was so incredibly eye-opening, because while racism it's kind of in your face, it's also, you know where you stand. Right?
Mariane: And here it's so insidious. It's institutionalized in such an incredible way that it's like you don't know it's there. And so, it definitely sensitized me. And I think that if nothing else, lit the fire even more to say- we got work to do, and let's see what we need to do to get things changed.
** **HELP! HELP! Please let me know if you would like to be interviewed and/or recommend someone to be profiled in this section. I need new interviews! ****
What I’m Reading, Watching, and Listening To:
READING: I was introduced to Zora Neale Hurston in high school. I loved her so much that I named my daughter after her. You Don't Know Us Negroes is a compilation of her essays that shows her take on many issues that during the time may have been seen as controversial (ie impact of Brown v Board of Education) but ended up being right on target. This is not a ‘sit and read in one setting’ type of book but one you come back to when you need wisdom, reassurance, motivation, or a lesson in writing. 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.
WATCHING: The critics may not like it but a family outing to see One Love the Bob Marley biopic was perfect. My husband’s family is from Kingston, Jamaica so it was the perfect mix of great music and nostalgia for a Sunday afternoon.
LISTENING: “Uncounted Millions: The Power of Reparations,” is a new podcast series that tells the story of Gabriel Coakley, perhaps one of the only Black men in America to receive something akin to reparations. The series looks at the mark it left on his family for generations and asks: if more Black families had been given a lump sum of money 150 years ago, how might the inequities facing Black America look different today?
Upcoming Events:
March 4th-7that SXSW EDU in Austin, TX:
Why Do Principals of Color Need Affinity Spaces? with Surge Institute’s TaraShaun Cain: March 4th from 1pm– 2pm
Book signing of Leading Within Systems of Inequity in Education: A Liberation Guide for Leaders of Color, on March 4 from 2:30pm-3pm
Supporting the Equity Officer in K-12 Education with Chicago Beyond’s Maurice Swinney: March 6th from 4pm – 5pm
March 23rd at ASCD Conference in Washington, DC:
Liberating and Empowering Leadership to Support Every Student with Dr. Tanji Reed-Marshall
March 26th-28th at Deeper Learning Conference in San Diego, CA
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!