Issue 51: Partisan

Noun. a strong supporter of a party, cause, or person.

A series of 3 photos. On the left is a yard sign for Harris/Walz. On the right is a yard sign for Trump. In the middle is the author standing in front of the White House in Washington, DC

Check-In:

“My grandmother paid a poll tax to vote.”

My mother tells this story every election to make sure that we never forget what a privilege it is to vote and to ensure we exercise our right to vote. I haven’t missed voting since I turned 18.

My parents never told me WHO I had to vote for nor which party I needed to register for but their actions were the most impactful in developing my political persona. As the members of our conservative Baptist church seemed to only be concerned with which candidate was “pro-life, ” my parents were concerned with which candidate was going to support all of their constituents and break down barriers that they had fought for so long as a young Black family migrating from the South to the North. My parents’ socio-economic status swung back and forth during the 50+ years they were married but they always lived their lives through the spirit of servitude and always helped those who had less than them even if it was minimal. Their actions are what shape how I vote.

A few months ago I was in a conversation where someone asked me if my political leanings had changed since we last spoke. Last year I described myself as “progressive.” My response was a hard ‘no’ but that doesn’t mean that I can’t engage in active conversation with others who think differently than me. Except for that 22-year stint in NYC (lol!), I’ve always been surrounded by conservatives. My current neighborhood is a checkboard square of yard signs and the signs do not indicate the race or ethnicity of the family living in the house.

My upbringing helped me develop the skills and a level of curiosity to want to better understand why someone holds a certain set of beliefs and what drives them to vote a certain way. Their responses don’t necessarily change my mind but broaden my worldview and help me better understand the motivations and foundation behind their political persona.

Now, this does not mean I don’t voice my opposition. As James Baldwin said, “We live in an age in which silence is not only criminal but suicidal..for if they take you in the morning, they will be coming for us that night.”

Polls indicate that education is not a top issue for voters in the 2024 presidential election. When asked which issue is ”most important” to them, only 3% of voters selected education. But let us not be fooled. The election will indeed impact education. Trump’s education platform is vastly different from Harris’ platform. (a quick side-by-side can be read here). A new Bellwether report breaks down 4 reasons why education matters in the election.

As educators, our role is not to tell students who to vote for but instead, it is to give students the critical thinking skills necessary to discern the differences and to decide for themselves who is the best candidate for them. Our role is to support them in developing their own political personas.

No matter the election results, our students will be waiting for us to provide them with direction on what to do next, are you ready?

#mondaymotivation: “We can disagree and still love each other unless your disagreement is rooted in my oppression and denial of my humanity and right to exist.” ―James Baldwin

Interview with a Leader of the Global Majority:

Helen* is the Director of Strategic Partnerships for a small-sized district in Florida. She has been in the role for over four years. The comments below are Helen’s and do not reflect the opinions of her school system. Another excerpt of Helen’s Interview is available in Issue 29-Darkness

Mary: How have you maintained your mental and physical well-being amongst all that challenged you in the past few years?

Helen: I went to school here in the 1970s and I had a great support network around me, my parents, who were not educated people, but were extremely brilliant, and were entrepreneurs and then just the community in itself.

Helen: I still have people that come up to me, and they say, "I just would always look at you, and I admired you," and I'm like, "For what?" Because they felt like, to withstand what they knew I probably was dealing with on a daily basis, and just to hang in there, and stay in there, I think all of those things prepared me for now.

Helen: I have learned so much about the history of people, government, and politics, and what we have to deal with and go through, and I just try to keep my head down, stay focused, and lead with love.

Helen: I mean, there's always another side and so I just had to change from getting angry, and so overwhelmed with anger, and the inability to move, and I said, "We're smarter than that. So we know what we want to get to. So how do we live in the system that we're in, and get it where we want it to be?"

Helen: I'm out a lot. I'm at many places. I talk to lots of people. That doesn't mean that there aren't days when I go, "I don't know why I'm doing this. This is absolutely ridiculous." Then I step back, and I think about, "If not me, then who? If not now, then when? Because these kids are struggling right now. They don't have the support you have."

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: One of Our Kind by Nicola Yoon is a dystopian horror novel that left me horrified for days after reading it. It’s a story of a family that moves to an all-Black town that is characterized as a utopia- it goes downhill from there. There has been criticism about the book and how it screams anti-Blackness which I think is valid nevertheless the storyline is fascinating and has me asking people, “If you had a choice would you choose to continue being Black?” I may need to process this book a little more. 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.

• ALSO READING: I read anything written by Kiese Laymon. This short essay is about his health, the passing of his grandmother and so much more. His new book, City Summer, Country Summer, will be published in April 2025 and I’m ready for it.

• LISTENING TO: Actress Lupita Nyong’o has a new podcast called, “Mind Your Own”, that tells stories of navigating what it means to belong, all from the African perspective.

• WATCHING: Abbott Elementary is back! They are already on episode 4 so I’ve had some catching-up to do.

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!