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A Letter from a Quaker school history teacher

Dear Class,

I am sure you are all well aware of the protests and riots that are happening around the country. Some of you have them happening in your neighborhoods.

I know at some level you still turn to teachers for wisdom and advice. I am deeply saddened about what is going on and what has been going on in the world, my country and my city. What can I say to you that offers any wisdom or comfort?

If you turn on the TV, you will no doubt see violence. The coverage will be of cop cars on fire, looters fighting over stolen computers, and out of control police tasing, macing, running over and punching protestors. Some shout, “F*#* the police” and others respond with “When they start looting, we start shooting”. Please do not let that be all you see and hear. I urge you to listen and try to understand why people are protesting. It isn’t just the murder of George Floyd - that was just the trigger - this time.

James Baldwin, the famous writer spoke about history this way,

History … does not refer merely, or even principally, to the past. On the contrary, the great force of history comes from the fact that we carry it within us, are unconsciously controlled by it in many ways, and history is literally present in all that we do. It could scarcely be otherwise, since it is to history that we owe our frames of reference, our identities, and our aspirations.

Go read that quote again., really read it. History does not refer merely , or even principally to the past. If you want to understand what is going on you have to look at the past because the past is present. I will never defend rioters. (I did not say protestors, I said rioters.) But to ignore why there is such rage is simply begging for such riots to happen again. This happened in the sixties in cities across the country including Philadelphia. This happened in the early nineties in LA. This happened in Ferguson, Missouri and Baltimore, Maryland in the last five years. Almost always, these riots have been in response to police brutality.

The news looks for the most dramatic footage to broadcast. The peaceful protest, the understanding cop, the politician calling for calm will be overshadowed by the violence. Understand that there is more than one thing going on right now. There are leftists and anarchists looking to tear down the whole system. There are white rioters and black rioters. There are adrenaline junkies just hoping for a fight with the cops and robbers looking for some free loot. There are right wing agitators hoping this is the start of their much anticipated race war. There are 'roided up bigoted cops looking to crack some heads and there are scared cops who became police officers to truly “protect and serve” who have been given body armor and batons standing across the barricade from people who want to fight with them. Mostly there are peaceful, angry, hurting, grieving protesters. As you know from literature class, there is danger in any single story. I saw footage from Camden NJ, just across the river and from Flint, Michigan in which the police in both cities joined and marched with the protesters. And while only two stories, they gave me some joy.

Camden, NJ

Since there can be more than one truth and more than one problem, there is more than one answer. Listen to responsible people looking for solutions. Talk to your parents. Talk with those who disagree with you. Do your own research. And go beyond social media to dive more deeply into understanding. (Yet, as I write that I realize the most powerful thing I took from this weekend was this speech by rapper Killer Mike that I found on social media. I urge you to watch.

I’ve been in organizations devoted to bringing diversity into our schools. I’ve attended a few of marches and protests in my day. I’ve donated to the correct causes. I’m not sure it made or makes any difference. Maybe I can and should do much more but I really do not know what that is. Perhaps in the end, my advocacy and calling is to be a teacher, specifically to be a teacher in a Quaker school.

So what does that mean? For starters, I am dedicated to the principles of non-violence and peace. Through that lens, I know that looting a business- whether it be black owned on 52nd street in W. Philly or white or Asian owned there or elsewhere- isn’t a solution to anything. Yet, I also believe in Quaker testimonies of equity and equality. I know that inequity and inequality fuel the rage, hurt and frustration that many black people are feeling. This rage, in turn, fuels the riots.

I wish I had more to offer. But I can’t leave what is going on right now unmentioned. As we wrap up this year, a year in which you’ve learned about the power of people, leaders, and ideas for good and for bad- I feel responsible for having you understand why history matters.

You are living through it right now. For as Baldwin reminds us, “It is literally present in all we do.”

Be safe. Be good. Take care of each other. Mr. McDonnell

Created By
Alex McDonnell
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Credits:

Created with images by munshots - "beautiful graffiti mural honoring george floyd from black lives matter protest . . . for more editorial photos: http://www.shutterstock.com/g/MUNSHOTS?rid=267047586" • Unknown - "Go Tell It on the Mountain: Writing Advice from James Baldwin" • Joseph Ngabo - "LA protest l Los Angeles"

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