And Peace Shall Return
Our capacity for denial is stronger than our capacity for belief. We find it easier to not face the truth. We go on living our ordinary lives while refusing to believe the overwhelming evidence that our way of life is self-destructive. A prisoner of the past, we go on doing things which we know are killing us. Worse, we believe that the inevitable conclusion of all our deeds will not come to pass. We think that somehow, at the last minute, there will be a miracle, a magical solution. We possibly even hope that factors in nature we hadn’t considered will somehow wipe clean the slate of our cultural and environmental crimes.
Ben Okri
(Thanks to fellow blogger who shared the above quote. She gives this as a link to the larger work.)
The following are from dioramas in the museum on Mesa Verde, Colorado. It's an area covered by ruins of a civilization which no longer exists. I share it because there are educated guesses as to it's demise. Some of them might have included a pandemic.
Remember, this United States of America has been around for it's Democratic Republic experiment for just 240 some years, depending upon whether you count from the Declaration of Independence in 1776 or the Constitution with Bills of Rights ratification in May 1789.
So we're trying to advance in the face of global climate crisis, strained race relations, and a pandemic. And when these problems are solved...then and only then, will we have a new normal.
103 things white people can do for racial justice
Here's a great link in case you're wondering what you can do about racism. Remember racism is a problem of white people, not a problem of people of color.
I had read this site's list of 60 things white people can do for racial justice, and saved it. When I went back it had increased to 103 things!
I edit a church newsletter/journal and am encouraging people to consider what they can personally make an intention toward in the next year. Not a resolution, but an intention. And for myself, I've been working slowly in this direction personally to publish things for public or friends to see what I have to share. I'm just one person, but I will not do nothing, so I do what I am capable of doing.
Here's a sample...numbers 10 and 11...
10. If you or a friend or family member is an educator, watch or share this video of Neil deGrasse Tyson speaking about his experience as a Black student telling people he wanted to be a scientist and astrophysicist. Tyson’s experience reminds me of a Black friend whose high school teachers tried to dissuade her from taking AP classes, because, with the best of intentions, they thought the AP classes would be “too much” for her. Be an educator who supports and encourages, not one who dissuades. Talk to educators you know about being educators who support and encourage, not educators who dissuade.
11. Work on ensuring that Black educators are hired where Black children are being taught. If you want to know more about why and how this makes a difference for Black children, check out this episode of Malcolm Gladwell’s podcast. There are some really good nuggets in there about how schools can support the achievement of Black students — from ensuring Black students aren’t closed out of gifted programs by using test results instead of white teachers’ recommendations to the influence that having a Black teacher has on a Black student’s education to the importance to fostering a school ethos wherein Black students think, “This school is here for me.”
My youngest son actually works with high school students, to encourage those who usually would drop out, many of whom are Native American, to not only graduate but to start college. It's a Federal program called Gear-Up...starting mentoring students as freshmen, working with the families to help these students succeed. And those who graduate and go to college get a stipend to help pay for college.
I was privileged to see a few of those native dwellings, some cliff dwellings, when we visited Arizona. I appreciated that.
ReplyDeleteYour goal to advocate in your way is commendable.
I also visited Mesa Verde last year, but decided their museum diorama told their stories and I wanted to give a taste of the lives of these indigenous peoples. I don't know much about the indigenous natives in Canada.
ReplyDelete...think of the work that went into this diorama, it's wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI am always appreciative of craftsperson's work.
DeleteI've been to the pueblo in Taos, NM which is still inhabited. As an educator, it's difficult to know exactly what the right thing is. You want students to succeed, but not be in completely over their heads. I steered my own younger daughter away from AP US history because it was the hardest AP class at my school. She was a competitive gymnast, doing 20 hours of practice a week. Plus, she already had AP English, Pre-Calculus, Chemistry, etc. --a tough schedule.
ReplyDeleteI drove around Taos, but didn't go to the pueblo. Glad your daughter is doing AP work...one of my granddaughters graduated a year early because of her AP work. Now college is dragging on for her. Gymnastics does take a lot of devotion. Another one of my granddaughters switched to cheerleading when she began high school. Now she is in first year of college, and coaches the cheerleaders for a middle school.
DeleteThe diorama details are fascinating!
ReplyDeleteGood craftsmanship gives a three dimensional artist/sculptor an opportunity to practice!
DeleteThere's a lot to think about. I can't help imagining that Mother Nature is angry with us and cutting us down to size! But more realistically, nature has balance, and pushing it to the limit is going to have consequences.
ReplyDeleteThe forces of nature are definitely trying to re-establish some kind of balance, taking into account all the damages people have given the earth. I hope we all survive to enjoy whatever it's going to be like in say, 5 years. Of course at my age, I don't plan for that far in the future anyway!~
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