Among my many other traits and hobbies, my main profession is as a 4th Grade Teacher at a unique school in Denver. We have a sliding scale tuition which allows us to provide a quality education in a small classroom setting to a racially, culturally, and socio-economically diverse group of students.
In light of the recent events in Ferguson, and fueled by my recent reading of The Warmth of Other Suns I decided to do an activity with my students today about equality. Without passing judgement on the verdict in the case of Darren Wilson, we discussed what happened in Ferguson, Missouri and why people around the country are so unhappy with the decision that the jury came to.
I first asked my students what equality looks like to them. To this question one of my students brilliantly responded, "Life is like a math problem: Both sides should be equal. But if one side is less that's bad." We then went on to discuss the unfairness of people being treated differently based on their background or the color of their skin. I was so proud and amazed by the insight my nine-year old students had on the subject. Here are just a few of the momentous ideas that they shared:
"It makes me feel like people think less of me because of the color of my skin."
"You should be looking at who people are on the inside not on the outside."
"It seems like were wasting what all those people like Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks worked so hard for."
After this we talked about the violent protests that have erupted because of the verdict in Ferguson. Again, I was amazed by how my students responded:
"I think we should not be solving this problem with violence, that is what Martin Luther King said."
"We shouldn't be angry or violent, but we should honor Michael Brown and his family."
"It's our job to talk to people about it so that it doesn't happen again."
I live and work in a community where I am fortunate enough to be able talk openly about our country's history and racial injustice. Though I know everyone is not so fortunate, I encourage everyone to think about how they could have a conversation with a friend or family member or how they could be an agent for positive change today. For, as this man's sign accurately states, "Knowledge is power." After my enlightening conversation today, I know fourteen little future agents of change in this country, and quite a few future leaders as well.
