Representation Matters.

Hello Readers!

In the past couple of weeks, in addition to being amidst a pandemic, the world has also been amidst a revolution. Protests around the world have called for change after the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd at the hands of the police. I have only seen things like this in the movies; Thousands of people gathering to protest, blocking traffic, risking their freedom for the justice of others. They have encouraged lots of change, too-  Laws have been passed to ban no-knock warrants (you can read about this here, an article about banning no knock warrants) , confederate statues are being removed, Minnesota even has plans to reform their WHOLE police department (an article on that here, an article about Minnesota police reform ).  With all this being said, I want to connect the current civil rights movement (it is a movement- every continent has held protests for Black Lives Matter) to something I am passionate about, becoming a teacher, of course. I want to address representation. Representation has to deal with the presence of diverse people in the media and work force. This includes different people of color, sexes and genders. However, today I am going to be focusing on my experiences and the reasons that Black teachers are so important.

My Experience

One of the first black teachers I had was in Middle school, in the 8th Grade. She was an English teacher, and is a big reason why I want to be an English Teacher myself. She was kind, fair, and made learning fun. She introduced my class to Edgar Allen Poe and encouraged us to write each class. Now, This may not seem like that big of a deal, but it was to me, especially when it came to being bullied for my culture. One day, I came into class with my hair cornrowed*. I was already uneasy as this was one of my first times attending school with my hair in this way, and I didn't have many black friends- I didn't know how others would react or what they would say. Middle schoolers are mean! A class mate of mine exclaimed when I walked in the door in disgust: "What did you do to your hair?" and other remarks. Another classmate  proceeded to mock me by calling me out of my name- something offensive -and it hurt my feelings. It was my teacher that saved me. She saw what was going on from across the room and immediately let them know that that was not okay. Now, this isn't to say that any other teacher wouldn't have stood up for me, but there is also a great possibility that they may not have noticed why the things they were saying were offensive because of my race, and was a microaggression-  not just simple 'teasing". This was not an isolated incident, either, simply one of the moments that was caught in the classroom. A microaggression is defined by Oxford Dictionary as a statement, action, or incident regarded as an instance of indirect, subtle, or unintentional discrimination against members of a marginalized group such as a racial or ethnic minority.

Why so important?

 If  you think about how k-12 students spend most of their time at school, it is shocking to me that one can go such a long amount of time without having a teacher that looks like them. 

This article (https://hechingerreport.org/black-teachers-matter-for-students-and-communities/) describes the importance of having diverse teachers. Minority teachers are especially important when it comes to things like I mentioned before: insensitive remarks/ microaggressions, and even fighting the school-to-prison pipeline. This article mentions that the number of black teachers specifically across the country has been declining for the past 20 years. I find this very unfortunate because I think black role models are so important. In predominately black areas, It is not uncommon to hear that the schools are "rough" and parents don't want to send their students there. I know this because I've heard it myself.  It's important to have teachers who know the communities  these students are coming from, and know the feelings they are experiencing as incidents like those I mentioned before take place, and also can be empathetic when instances like those that are so prevalent now: Trayvon Martin, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor- happen and which may frighten some students and cause for anxiety or stress that may interfere with school.

The purpose. 

     I  want to become a teacher because I want to let my students know that they are capable at being whoever they want to be. I want to be there to stand up for them like my 8th grade teacher did for me, so they know they are not alone. I want to be able to inspire and instill hope in young black students who never see themselves represented as doctors, lawyers, government officials, and teachers. And I am going to do just that. 

I hope this provides some insight into my journey. Thank you for reading.

*Cornrow: a style of braiding and plaiting the hair in narrow strips to form geometric patterns on the scalp

From my Desktop,

Kanya 

🍎🍎🍎🍎🍎

References:

“No-Knock Warrants: How Common They Are And Why Police Are Using Them.” NPR, NPR, 12 June 2020, www.npr.org/2020/06/12/876293168/no-knock-warrants-how-common-they-are-and-why-police-are-using-them.

Almasy, Steve. “In Wake of George Floyd's Death, Minnesota Governor Calls for State Legislature to Pass Police Reform.” CNN, Cable News Network, 11 June 2020, www.cnn.com/2020/06/11/us/minnesota-police-reform-george-floyd/index.html.

Perry, Andre. “Black Teachers Matter, for Students and Communities.” The Hechinger Report, 30 Mar. 2020, hechingerreport.org/black-teachers-matter-for-students-and-communities/.