The United States
has always been a nation of stark contrasts. We combine the lofty words and
ambitions of our founding documents and the national rhetoric that focus on
freedom, liberty, justice and opportunity with the reality that while "all
men are created equal" we certainly haven't created a society where all
people are treated equally. While this has been clearly evident throughout our
history, we are struggling to deal with the issues around equity and social
justice in present day America.
We are struggling to find ways to talk about significant issues, and certainly
are struggling to find ways to combat the growing divides between different
groups in our society.
Over the years we've
fought wars, rioted, protested, organized, marched and engaged in various other
types of civil disobedience, action and reaction to address the inequities that
exist in our, and in every, society. Often we look back on our efforts and put
them in a historical context that separates them from the present day reality
we live in. We look with disdain at those we identify as villains in our past,
and lift others up as heroes and examples of the best our society can produce.
We talk about how misguided our societal ancestors were, and how we are more
enlightened. We celebrate our successes and then suddenly are faced with events
or circumstances that force us to rethink where we are as a nation in terms of
progress towards social justice and towards achieving the goals of "liberty
and justice for all."
There are many aspects of
our struggle that make efforts to address our challenges difficult, and
sometimes seemingly impossible to resolve. There are entrenched prejudices and
beliefs that are perpetuated in ways that are often subtle and even outgrowths
of efforts to address our societal inequities. Racism, sexism, religious
intolerance and all other forms of prejudice don't exist in a vacuum and don't
simply emerge out of the blue. They are a part of our societal fabric that goes
through our history and that can't be erased or simply removed. We can make
reparations, enact legislation and mandate practices and policy changes, but we
can't remove the legacy that our predecessors have left us. If ending prejudice
was as simple as passing a law, or changing a policy we would have been able to
move forward as a society long ago.
We also must recognize
that our nation is a special one in many ways, but at the same time it is a
human creation that is just as flawed as any other society. To claim that America is a
morally superior and more highly evolved society is to ignore the many examples
of injustice and intolerance that exist in our past and present. While we may
want to claim that America
is a place where opportunity and achievement are not tied to class, race,
gender or other demographic characteristic, the data tells us otherwise. Having
a woman as a CEO, seeing recent immigrants achieve high positions, and even
electing an African-American president doesn't change the status of the
majority of individuals living in our nation.
In fact, that illustrates
another barrier to resolving our challenges around diversity and opportunity. America is a
nation that is highly individualistic in many ways, while ignoring the fact
that no individual exists independently of the rest of society. When we tout
the success of the individual without taking a more comprehensive view of what
is going on to the majority of people we lose sight of the reason that we live
in organized societies at all. The idea that the individual has rights is
important, but the elevating of individual rights over the collective whole of
a community is damaging and creates an unsustainable environment.
How a city where blacks are well represented among the city
government and police erupted in riots not seen since Martin Luther King Jr.
was killed.
buzzfeed.com
Our focus on the
individual also highlights a difficult aspect of our challenges. Each incident
is based on an individual set of circumstances, each act of violence and each
response is rooted in the facts that there are good people in bad situations or
systems, and bad people in systems that could work. When an incident of
horrifying, gratuitous injustice occurs we can clearly see the changes that
need to be made, but at the same time these incidents create an atmosphere of
mistrust and cause our society to divide along demographic and ideological
lines. It is easy to see why so many people mistrust our existing systems, but
much more difficult to find ways to create unity and cohesiveness.
Our diversity as a nation
is one of our greatest strengths. Yet, at the same time it is a part of our
society that has created significant discord and that has resulted in any
number of troubling events and a checkered history around our respect (or lack
thereof) for the rights and dignity of our own citizens. We look around the
world and talk about the human rights records of other nations, while ignoring
what is happening within our own borders.
This brings me to the
final barrier that I see to our efforts to create a more equitable and socially
just society. By making our conversations all about one group at a time we
weaken our efforts. As a nation we tend to look at one group and their struggle
and then move on to another issue. When we do this we ignore the fact that our most
successful efforts to organize and improve our society were not focused only on
a small portion of the population. Martin Luther King Jr. was a Civil Rights
leader, but he was also a labor advocate and anti-war advocate and gave voice
to many other issues. He also recognized the need to include many groups, in
fact to make all groups a part of the effort. When we don't do this we end up
creating divisions between efforts that might otherwise unite.
By Sudie Hofmann I recently came across a flier in an old
backpack of my daughter's: Wanted: Committee Chairs for this Spring's Cinco de
Mayo All School Celebration. The flier was replete with cultural props
including a sombrero,...
social.huffingtonpost.com
What better way to kick off Cinco de Mayo celebrations than
with a free biscuit taco?
wfla.com|By Press Release
By saying that only
certain groups are struggling, or that only specific groups are targeted is to
ignore our long legacy of inequity and the efforts of those who hold power to
maintain their control of our society through political, social and economic
means. Brutality and force have been employed on a regular basis here in America whether
directed at a specific racial group, a wide range of organizations or as a
means to control the general population. Whether it was George Washington
leading the effort to end the Whiskey Rebellion, the multiple uses of brutal
force used against organized labor, or the continued targeting of specific
neighborhoods or racial groups by law enforcement officers our history is far
from peaceful.
I should make myself
clear, our issues around racial inequity are deep and should not be ignored.
None of what I am saying is intended to deny that we have issues around race in
America
that need to be addressed. I am not arguing that groups that focus on these
issues should stay silent, or that slogans like "Black Lives Matter"
should not be a part of our national dialog. What I am saying is that we need
to find ways to unite our efforts and to change the trajectory that our nation
is currently following.
Places like Wisconsin, or more specifically Madison where I live, are becoming more and
more divided and volatile. Our public dialog is increasingly hostile and filled
with rhetoric that serves to create dissent, fear and antagonism towards
others. Unless we change this we face the prospect of losing our ability to
talk civilly about these important issues. We know from both distant and recent
past that this is dangerous for our entire society. Whether it was the
increasingly divisive climate of the 1920's which led to the incredibly
challenging times in the 1930's and 40's, or the more recent examples of the
struggles that have gotten us to where we are today, fear and anger are not
effective ways to create a more socially just society. They may create the
climate that fuels radical change, but they also create a climate that is
dangerous and unpleasant for so many.
Gentrified cities, the fall of manufacturing, the filling of
jails with black men - all fuelled the violence that followed the killing of
Freddie Gray
theguardian.com|By Ed Vulliamy
Once again, our problems
around racial inequities are significant and must be addressed. The racial data
around incarceration, poverty and any other social indicator demonstrate
inequity on a massive scale. They are also problems that have existed
throughout our history and ones that we simply don't seem able, or willing to
address in meaningful ways. While other demographic groups tend to see some
improvement in their overall status, our African-American citizens continually
struggle to achieve measurable success in our society.
By Joe Pettit | Originally Published at The Baltimore Sun.
February 22, 2012 | Photographic Credit; Chris Ryan/Getty Images Imagine a
report that reached the following three conclusions: In Maryland, 35 percent of males passed
Advanced...
empathyeducates.org
Yet, at the same time we
are seeing trends towards a society that is increasingly stratified on all
social, political and economic levels. This is disturbing, but also can give us
some hope for a future where we work cooperatively to address inequities for
all of our citizens.
Powerlessness comes from a lack of meaningful choice. Big
institutions don't have to be responsive to us because we can't penalize them
by going to a competitor. And we have no loud countervailing voice forcing them
to listen....
huffingtonpost.com
With more mothers working, women suffer most from failure to
give workers control over their workdays
salon.com|By Caroline Fredrickson
We can see that the
potential for a more widespread and unified coalition that is actively seeking
to create a socially just society is threatening the existing power structure.
A structure that is based on "divide and conquer" strategies that
serve to direct our discontent towards others and not towards creating a more
equitable society. This isn't to imply that there is a "conspiracy"
or some other clandestine force at work that seeks to subjugate the majority of
people. Rather it is a recognition that those who achieve success and power in
any group seek to maintain their hold on that success and power. This is why we
are seeing efforts to restrict voting, control media outlets and to change our
system of public education increasing. The end result is a distorted view of
"reality" for many of us. If we continue to blame individuals (Scott
Walker, Koch Brothers, etc.) we may defeat their efforts, but they will simply
be replaced by others with the same goals and objectives. The cyclical nature
of history often exists because we don't seek to really change our reality, but
rather settle for short term objectives that don't deeply impact our society.
"The revolution will not be televised."
baltimoresun.com|By Baltimore Sun
Baltimore
teachers and parents tell a different story from the one you've been reading in
the media.
m.motherjones.com
Because education is one
of the most important tools that individuals and groups can use to try and
achieve upward mobility, public education has become one of the most intense
battlegrounds in recent years. Whether it is by attacking educators and
limiting their ability to influence their professional world, or by promoting
"reforms" that actually increase gaps and divide our communities, the
attacks have been relentless here in Wisconsin
and around the nation.
Presidential hopefuls have been outbidding themselves in
touting school vouchers but racial integration was never part of the original
design, which was cooked up out of hostility for public schools and first used
evade desegregation.
prwatch.org
As the Obama administration asks Congress to increase
funding for charter schools by almost 50 percent, a new report claims charter
schools are...
democracynow.org
Michelle Rhee's group is sneakily trying to rebrand itself
to advance its anti-union agenda.
alternet.org
The Chicago Teachers Union said Tuesday the district is
asking its members to take a seven percent pay cut in its next contract.
chicagotribune.com|By Chicago Tribune
Your child sits in their high school 10th grade Civics and
Economics class. The teacher, dressed in a...
womenadvancenc.org
The working lives of teachers have become “unbearable” because
of constant monitoring and as a result they are quitting in such numbers that
the profession...
independent.co.uk
We've seen standardized
test scores used as a weapon to control our public education system and to
manipulate public opinion about our schools. We know there are gaps in our
students' achievement and their access to opportunities, but standardized
testing isn't an accurate way to identify these issues, nor is it a useful way
to address the concerns.
Test makers rake in bucks, students and teachers chafe under
the strain. Here's a better way forward for everyone
salon.com|By Dr. Ken Robinson and Lou
Aronica
A reader, Charlene Williams, who holds a Ph.D. in clinical
psychology, sent the following comment in...
dianeravitch.net
Since the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001,
44 percent of school administrators admit that they've cut PE or recess to
focus on test prep
truth-out.org|By Eleanor J. Bader
Kim Abler, an arts curriculum specialist, has helped garner
multiple federal grants for MPS and also launched a nonprofit that’s exposed
thousands more district students to the arts.
jsonline.com|By Erin Richards
The Madison School Board member says that opting out of
standardized tests is a reaction to a problem that does not exist in local
schools.
host.madison.com|By Pat Schneider
Standardized testing also
gives us an opportunity to peek behind the curtain and see who is really
driving education "reform." Whenever we try to identify the powers
behind any societal initiative it is useful to "follow the
money."
Corporate thieves and hedge-fund parasites are working with
political leaders to impose a school "reform" agenda that will
privatize public education.
socialistworker.org
Congratulations to the Democracy Campaign for shining a
spotlight on the "legalized bribery" in the Legislature.
host.madison.com|By Cap Times editorial
The bids are being sought because of Gov. Scott Walker's
proposal in his 2015-17 spending plan to abandon the Badger Exam.
host.madison.com|By Molly Beck |
Wisconsin State Journal
Microsoft last year announced a testing and certification
partnership with Pearson, using the cloud to make exams accessible.
libn.com|By Claude Solnik
All of the challenges and
the scope of the problems we face may seem insurmountable. Yet, there is hope
for the future, if we are willing and able to put in the hard work and commit
ourselves to the struggle. One thing we should always remember is that our
society is changeable and we can see this in the attitudes and opinions that
are expressed on a larger scale.
As the Supreme Court considers extending same-sex marriage
rights to all Americans, we look at the patterns of social change that have
tranformed the nation.
bloomberg.com
We also can't forget that
"without struggle there is no progress," and that all our
achievements come as the result of concerted efforts to make change happen.
While I'm certainly not advocating violence, neither am I advocating meek
silence. As part of a larger group, Wisconsin
public employees, that took to the streets in 2011 I fully support those who
demonstrate and advocate vocally for issues of social justice.
Officials calling for calm can offer no rational
justification for Gray's death, and so they appeal for order.
theatln.tc
Class were canceled at 18 Detroit public schools on Thursday after
Governor Rick Synder’s plans for struggling district prompted teachers’
absences
theguardian.com
By Juan M. Thompson | Originally Published at The Intercept.
May 3, 2015 | Photographic Credit; David Goldman/AP After prosecutor Marilyn
Mosby charged six Baltimore
police officers with the killing of Freddie Gray, this city, which had...
empathyeducates.org
In the end our efforts
must be based on a cooperative and organized coalition that incorporates a
respect for the concerns and struggles of individual groups with a desire to
elevate all members of our society. We can't allow our efforts to be derailed
and our coalitions to be divided. While our experiences and our conditions may
differ, our end goal should be the same, a socially just society where freedom,
opportunity and equity are the norms for every member.
But making it easier for parents to opt out is not the end
game. The end game is designing a system where parents and educators don’t even
consider opting out of assessments because they trust that assessments make
sense, guide...
lilysblackboard.org
nytimes.com|By David Leonhardt,
You could start with the term “achievement gap.” This
article names what's really going on, and it's much more damaging than that.
everydayfeminism.com
Authored by Jesse Hagopian and the NPE Board of Directors
Today several important civil rights organizations released a statement that is
critical of the...
networkforpubliceducation.org
The
Good, The Bad and
The
Ugly. . .
The Good . . . There is some great potential for Senator Sanders to inject some
reality into our next presidential race.
Sometimes it can be scary and confusing for kids when
they’re faced with an unknown, like a politician who actually repr…
medium.com|By Kimberly Harrington
Her campaign isn't saying whether it will reveal the
bundlers who are raising huge sums of money.
motherjones.com
The Bad . . . While the Wisconsin legislature
debates our next state budget and tries to claim they will fund public
education, the reality is that our system for funding public education is
inequitable and inadequate no matter what is finally decided.
STATE BUDGET FOCUS 2015-16 CUTS TO PER PUPIL FUNDING, BY
COUNTY To find your county, pass your cursor over the charts. Click to enlarge.
For more information on these charts, click here .
reformwi.org
The Ugly . . . While our governor travels around the
country talking about how his reforms have helped Wisconsin, and how he's taken
the tough stands that will make Wisconsin's future better the citizens of his
state are left to cope with the mess that he is creating. It seems that every
day a new element of his agenda is revealed, each one more damaging to our
state than the last.
State tax funding for Wisconsin’s state parks would be zeroed out
and user fees would go up under a plan approved by Republicans on the
Legislature’s budget...
wpr.org
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