Your Voice Matters: Injustices Being Unsilenced from an Educators Perspective

There has been a long history of urban public schools failing their students time and time again. As an educator, I would be misleading any person who read my blog if I just blamed the urban schools who provide the education for urban children. It is a lot more complex and deeper than just that. Instead, we have to consider politics, systems, government, funding, and the list goes on and on as to why Black and Brown children have been let down for a very long time. When you read this blog, I want you to think of America, and how we have heard time and time again that the American belief that our founding fathers harped on is "liberty and justice for all", but is there really any liberty and justice when it comes to this broken education system for urban children? I would definitely argue no. This is why the Charter School Movement has become so prevalent over the years, because it is supposed to be an alternative to the horrible public schools that are planted in poor neighbo...

 As a Black woman in today's society, I am more than aware that the fight for racial justice is far from gone. Not only do I live it everyday because of the color of my skin, but the media is flooded with gruesome images of modern day slavery still showing its ugly face. This fight is nowhere near done, and I would even go further by saying it is just truly beginning due to technology and social media showing the same injustices that have been going on for decades. The only difference now is simply that social media and technology has just given it a platform for the entire world to see. The raw truth is simply that White people can no longer turn a blind eye to it, because well it is right in their face now.  When I look in the mirror at myself, I see more than a Black women in today's society. I also see a Black educator who must not stay silent about the past trauma that my Black brothers and sisters faced. Many White people would make the argument that "I wasn't a ...

If you have ever been within a Black community, than you have probably heard someone say... "Black Men Ain't Shit." This can refer to a lot of things other than the notion of them being absent in their children's lives. Though this may be an ideology that most Black women hold on to and believe based off of their negative experiences with Black men, does this necessarily mean that it is true, and most importantly that it applies to every Black man that is walking the earth? I would argue no, but the media definitely wants to display a different image. We may not notice it, but the media is the Black man's biggest critic. The media works overtime and picks certain stories to display Black men as murders, thugs, and animals that simply need to be detained. This is why police officers think that it is okay to kill our Black men, and expect that there should not be any consequences for their actions. In their minds, they are only protecting our communities, and keepin...

 When you come from a city like Philadelphia, it is easy to look around and think that Black people do not value education. This may seem like the case, but in reality this is what society wants you to think. The society that we live in today wants you to think that Black people do not get married, they live off of welfare, live toxic unhealthy lifestyles, and keep having babies to collect another check. Though this may be some Black people's reality, does it really speak for the entire Black community? I would argue no, because the more my horizons broaden, the more I see Black excellence and success. Despite this, it still seems like the world around us evolves every day, but our perspective and lenses seem to reflect the lies that has been passed down from generation to generation about Black people. I think that it is time that Black people take a look around them and realize that baby steps are still being made, despite all of the trauma we witness everyday that makes us want ...

                                        School to Prison Pipeline       The school to prison pipeline is a discussion that does not seem to get as much publicity as other topics that we constantly hear on the news. I would take it even farther and say that most people do not even know what the school to prison pipeline is. It is not something that is discussed nearly as much as it should be. Due to this, I thought it would be a good idea to first explain what the school to prison pipeline actually is.                                           What is it anyway?      The school to prison pipeline in short terms is when schools make a conscious decision to allow police officers to take the role of administration when it comes to disciplinary protoc...

       Why Should African American People Exercise their Right to Vote?  Election Day is coming soon, and I felt that it was only right to do a blog on the importance of voting, and why African American people should absolutely exercise their right to vote. We live in a world where we see injustices happening around us everyday. Unfortunately, a lot of these injustices are usually happening to people of color. The list of injustices goes on and on, but I will name a few: school to prison pipeline in poverty stricken areas, police brutality, high incarceration rates for non-violent crimes, and so much more. When you really think about it, why are things the way that they are? Well, we could make the biblical argument that we live in a sinful fallen world. We could also make the argument that this is just the sad world we live in, and it will only get worse. We could also open our eyes and realize that the people who are placed in positions of power in o...

The history of Black hair goes back centuries. Most people believe that it all started with the Egyptians as they wore dreadlocks in their hair, but Black hair has a history all on its own. Not only is Black hair seen as a way of expressing oneself, it is also seen as a journey that each Black women and man partakes in to define themselves. Black hair has an identity all on it's own. It is super versatile, and you will probably see a Black women change her hair several times over the course of a year. It can be straight one day, in an afro the next day, and in braids the week after. Black hair is art, but unfortunately society does not see it that way. This issue of Black hair being seen as nappy, unacceptable, not beautiful, and undesirable started way before the 21st century era. This has been an issue for a very long time, and still remains an issue today. This is why so many Black women go to great extremes to straighten their hair, and spend thousands of dollars a year on weav...