New York’s United Federation Of Teachers Rejects and Votes Down Black Lives Matter Position (BLM)
Not really surprised here; the ‘upside’ of the era of Trumpism is that all calculated, casual and careful views on defending the disenfranchised and disinherited children in our nation will be put to a standardized test: “In the age of a disparagement, the demeaning and rejection of people of color, the question is: “Whose side are you own?”
Real ‘Educational Progressivism’ means having the vision, courage and voice to defend and affirm the right of our nation’s least cared for, and little thought about children to learn and intellectually thrive; a good education being the only available and viable path to best alter the negative trajectory that has been planned for their lives.
Affirming that yes, these Black student’s lives matter is the beginning place of a pedagogy of learning liberation and empowerment. And to suggest (even if the speaker is strategically phenotypically black in color) that this affirmation is ‘divisive’ (or harms White children), is to betray the very principles and meaning of an ethically based philosophy of education. Trust me, in our nation’s public school systems the only White children in danger of not being well served are those who are poor.
This very definitive and self-defining vote should at the very least give every Black: parent, educator, political-civic-religious, union and civil rights leader cause to take a short pause, and think about who are your true friends. For true friendship can only be revealed in those difficult moments when the friend is called upon to make a painful and difficult sacrifice, and not a cheap donation of cute ‘throwaway’ rhetorical phrases that pretend, but never produce quality educational equality. It should also concern White parents, because if a system and its largest group of professionals are so willing to disaffirm the learning rights of one group of students; this ultimately lowers the quality of education for all students.
Michael A. Johnson, author of the soon to be released book on school leadership: Report To The Principal’s Office: Tools for Building a Successful High School Administrative Leadership… http://reporttotheprincipalsoffice.net/