Note: My apologies for my delay in getting this post out to you all. I am quite the perfectionist when it comes to my writing, and I would not want to share something that I would not want to read. Also, the US-funded assault on Palestine has made me emotional. It is really devastating to know that in 2023 people are still resorting to senseless violence and terror. I hope this time really shows the importance of having competent and critically thinking leadership. I hope activists young and old do not give up the calls for ceasefire and an end to American/Western imperialism because it is very possible to live in a Free and non-violent world. It is not asking for too much to have leadership that can act rationally under pressure. Any person who does not have the creativity or courage to implement a better world does not deserve to be in a position of leadership. Period point blank. Figure it out, Joe.
School is back in session, and it is time to get real about the state of education in America.
Education is not a privilege. Let me say it again: Education is not a privilege.
Education in America is hot a** mess right now. The amount of hoops you have to jump through to access a quality education is unacceptable. It starts when, right? In a profoundly anti-intellectual culture where stupidity is prized and valued. So-called leaders, domineering media and social values constantly push individualism, capitalism, and white supremacy, ideas that are stupid in nature. Our everyday lives are shaped by this deeply ignorant society and it can be very frustrating and dangerous.
Then you must choose between public, private, independent, or charter schools for K-12 which all have their pros and cons. My main issue with the K-12 and even higher education system is that the majority (not all) of schools lack a foundational understanding of Black history which is such a ~taboo~ topic right now. Trying to segregate Black history from the history of the world is like trying to mop the ocean. It's like trying to ignore the elephant in the room. It’s too vast, too important, and it’s everywhere. Heck, every time we stop at a streetlight that’s Black history, but people think it’s somehow optional. If you don’t know where you’ve come from you don’t know where you’re going, and civilization started in Africa. I believe this lack of a foundation is the root cause of much of the poor educational outcomes here in this country.
And don’t even get me started on the outrageous prices to attend college. When I attended Spelman, the total cost of my degree was about $160,000 - $200,000. For just me. And both of my brothers were in college at the same time. Even typing that seems like I’m lying, but I’m not. Higher education prices are OUT OF CONTROL. It is wrong that people’s futures and the future of this nation is held hostage because a small population of people believe that having an uneducated population is a sustainable economic model. If you do the math, the price of educated citizens is a much better investment in the long run than having ignorant people tearing up the place. But somehow there’s a blank check for wars in random places. Make it make sense.
Education is a human right and everyone deserves access to it freely. When people aren’t taught to think it creates a very unstable and disgruntled population. It is not in the nature of humanity to be oppressed. So many of today’s problems can be solved by learning new ways to exist, new ways to think, and holding space for difference. Only ignorant people think violence is the only way to solve a problem. I am holding fast to the power and promise of non-violent liberatory education to see us through this dark time because it has before. I wish everyone the courage to demand more, expect more, and never back down never give up in the fight for what is right and rightfully ours.