As public educators we surely live in the ‘real political world’, but we can’t be only of and about what that ‘real political world’ represents. That is why we educate children regardless of their (or their parents) citizenship status. We don’t despise, or deny the poor students our best efforts, simply because of their poverty. If anything we fight hard to enrich and empower their school experience, so that they can overcome the societal created obstacles and barriers to their success as adults. We must educate all children, regardless of the level of ‘parental push’ the student brings when they enter our school doors! And that is because our ethical values compel us to see all children as equal gifts, of equal value to the world.

I suggest in the ethical chapter in the book that if you cannot take a strong ethical leadership position on behalf of all students under your care, and in particular for those children for whom you may be one of the few non-family champions for their best good, then it does not suggest that you are a bad person; but it may suggest that you should not be an educator, and especially not a leader of a school.

And so, let me address an issue for which I am sure will make some folks upset (as if I need more people upset with me in this world!)

First full disclosure: Throughout my life as an educator, and at every stage (teacher, principal and superintendent), I have sought to serve well all students of many different nationalities, ethnicities, economic-class status, colors, sexual orientation, disabilities, religious beliefs (or no religious beliefs), etc.; without exception. The safety and educational success of every one of those students was equally important to me.
I confess that I have provided the necessary extra support needed by those students who were either lacking in parental support, or were educationally and emotionally mistreated in a school setting before coming to me; the students of extreme poverty, students with obvious and hidden learning hindering disabilities, the homeless students, those students in group homes, students whose parents don’t speak English, students with one or both parents in prison, the forgotten, the ignored, the politically unrepresented, unheard and uncared for students.

And now what I find disturbing:

The commentary by some Black Americans that is dismissive of the youth organized National “March For Our Lives” activities; because no such march was organized by ‘White America’ and supported by the news media for the too many slow-daily mass murdering of young people of color in our nation, by civilians and police.

My Response:

1) I never have, and never will use the actions (or lack of) of any other Americans and/or the news media as the model for my personal behavior, decision making, and professional, moral and ethical practices. I stayed in trouble for my entire public educational life because I didn’t limit myself to what others did, or did not do for their students. People who have worked with me probably have heard me say this concerning a decision I have made: “They (whoever the ‘they’ were at the time) can do what they do, and I will do what I do!”

And so, I don’t care if it is the “whitest” school in America, I want those children and my colleagues in that school to be safe, and not be senselessly slaughtered. I don’t want any parent in America to be forced into the incongruous and inconceivable tragedy of being forced to bury their own child. This pain was felt by both my brother and sister who had to bury their own children. It is a pain that is never ever silent, it sadly whispers for the rest of the parent’s lives.

Justice and righteous can’t be situational, and I refuse to be placed in a limited caring and concerned box. My visionary hope for the world, which for some based on the 2016 election results could be a ‘nightmare’; is a world where no parent in any part of America is forced to bury their child. A world where all children can live and learn well in peace. I don’t want to copy the worse primitive elements of American culture. I want to completely eliminate exploitation and oppression, not be in replacement charge of it. If we become like Trump, his allies and faithful followers, then we have, and are, truly lost.

2) My protest and advocating concerning various causes and challenges we face as an earth family, is not limited to, or contingent upon the problems that African-Americans face. Nor will I be silent until that moment when African-Americans are fully free in our nation. And I will also not wait for others to muster the moral courage to act outside of their debased tribalism; not waiting for everyone to want for other people’s children, what they desire for their own children. A life in public education has ‘ethically inoculated’ me after seeing so many educators (Black, Asian, White and Latino) providing first class educational experiences to their own children; and then offering a second (3rd, 4th, 5th…) class educational product to parents, who like them only want the best for their children. Seeing this unethical and unprofessional behavior never dictated my actions, nor did it determine my professional behavior.

The forces of evil and oppression are not a localized and isolated Black problem. That “Mexican Wall” mirrors with intent and purpose the “Walls” that prevent Black children in the US from fully realizing their true gifts and talents. The dismissal and disregard of Puerto Rican and Native American children, is reflective of the same treatment of Black American children as they desperately try to escape from the political storm wrecked, rigor-less, uncaring and under resourced school and classroom. I will not wait for the carnage visited upon young people in Chicago and other inner cities to stop, before I cry out for the Nigerian girls whose lives and dreams are being violently destroyed when they are kidnapped by Boko Haram. I can, and will do both.

There is a sad equality of suffering for too many children in this world; because they are all connected by their physical and psychological pain. The North African-Middle Eastern child losing an essential educational and childhood experience while trapped in a refugee camp; the Haitian child suffering from the indifference of so many leaders who, although look like them, have betrayed the meaning and purpose of their nation’s great independence efforts.

No malicious suffering purposely inflicted on children, anywhere can be rationalized or accepted. The level of political awareness of their parents is not a required prerequisite, a practical or ethical concern of the ethical professional educator; in the same way that my friend Dr. Mark Walker the Atlanta trauma surgeon is not concerned if the victim of a car accident is either a registered Democrat or Republican.

3) Finally, I thought the young people did an outstanding exemplary job not only with the march; but also in their presentations on many different news media platforms. The students regardless of race, religion, school or community sent the same articulate message: gun violence of any type, anywhere in America, against any American is unacceptable, and must end. They seem determined to not let adults divide the gun war against children problem by community and race.

I have always been a champion of high expectations, but to be fair, these young high school students who organized the: National “March For Our Lives” protest-movement did not invent American racism. And despite thousands of anti-racism marches by many adults, for many years before they were even born; we still find ourselves in 2018 with a POTUS and his Party working successfully to make America harmful, hurtful and unwelcoming to Black Americans and “others” in our nation, again. Yet I think the young folk’s response and resistance to the natural American inclination to make some lives worth more than others was tremendously thoughtful and inspiring. I applaud their efforts, and in this season of hatred and harmful rhetoric emanating from the White House; their brave words and works give me hope for our nation’s future.

Others can choose to model their political actions on the selfish and racially restrictive behaviors of some ethically and morally challenged Americans. They can follow the pharisaical hypocrisy of the Religious Evangelical (not so) Right; or people who hold on to the idea that: “my child can only be successful, if someone else’s child is harmed and diminished”. Or: “For America to be great again, large parts of the citizenry must be excluded from that greatness”. The only thing more tragic than the existence of these ungenerous and ungracious individuals, is if they convince the understandably frustrated kind and thoughtful people of our nation to think and act like them.