November 7, 2016
Dear SRI Community,
As an educator, I can’t help but think about the election through the eyes of students, families and communities. I’ve been angry, sad, and scared, not for myself, but for the millions of people who are targeted simply because of their religion or race. The level of hatred that has surfaced this election season has been emotionally draining, surfacing the worst in some people. As a nonprofit director, this election has reinforced my desire to fulfill our organizational mission, but also my own personal mission, and has me thinking about what it looks like to be ‘fiercely committed.’
Tomorrow the election comes to a head: some people will be happy, some will be upset. No matter what happens, our mission does not change – we are still called to support our students, families, communities, and each other. We are still asked to be fiercely committed to educational equity and excellence, and our work is even more important as a counter-narrative to the hate that has surfaced this season. Vu Le, author, nonprofit director, and all-around amazing person, wrote on his blog today and captured exactly what I’ve been thinking:
But, there are more of us on the side of compassion and community than there are those on the side of hatred and bigotry. Though it is a long and often grueling battle, the good in humanity always prevails over the bad. This is in part because of us and the work that we in this sector are committed to doing:
In the face of racism, we work to address systemic oppression—in housing, in education, in the economy. We have difficult conversations, we challenge and support each other, we reflect, and we change laws and practices.
In the face of xenophobia, we work to support immigrants and refugees, to defeat hatred and othering, to build a community where diversity is recognized not as a threat but as the strength that it is.
In the face of misogyny and sexism, we work to advance gender equity, to reverse a culture and a history of under-appreciation and mistreatment of half the population. We work for equal pay and economic success, for access to healthcare and education for women and girls around the world.
In the face of homophobia and transphobia, we work to further understanding and support, to change discriminatory and hateful policies, to end bullying.
In the face of ableism, we work to make spaces accessible, to educate each other, to bring awareness, to question assumptions, to create places welcoming to everyone.
In the face of environmental degradation, we work to contain human-made climate change, to preserve our natural resources, to clean polluted rivers, to protect indigenous rights.
In the face of hopelessness, we bring hope. In the face of loneliness, we build community. In the face of despair, we create art.
As we enter the final phase of this election, please be even more mindful in your classrooms. Work to make them safe spaces for students who are experiencing the same anxiety, or more, that you are feeling. For many students and families, this election has made them feel unsafe, unvalued and hated. Work to be a counter-narrative to hate, and continue to hold students, and each other, a little closer. Be aware of what is being said, both verbally and non-verbally. This is an anxious time, and election day may bring a new level of this anxiety. As educators, we know that anxiety plays out in lots of different ways.
Teaching Tolerance has some great resources for helping educators this election season. Even though the election is tomorrow, this conversation will not stop on Tuesday and it will remain important to continue to make your classroom a safe space for all students.
Thank you for your commitment to equity and excellence for all students. And, if you have not done so, please vote!
With gratitude,
Kari Thierer
Executive Director, School Reform Initiative
