OPINION | Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action Builds a Foundation for the Future

by Mark Epstein and Michael Dixon

Across most Seattle streets and residences, the Black Lives Matter (BLM) signs that sprouted like flowers in 2020 are either falling apart from exposure or have been yellowing in a garage or closet. Why is this happening? The answer is that for many Black families in Seattle, these past four years (and the trend seems to be accelerating) have meant a continuing exodus from a place they can no longer call home. It is the culmination of a racial, socioeconomic plan and system for this city and many others across the country.

However, Black Lives still Matter, though the waves of the movement have dissipated. The conditions and contradictions that led to the movement, and others before them, still remain. This is why Black Lives Matter in our classrooms and in our curriculum. Much work remains to be done.

The Black Lives Matter movement was all-inclusive and successfully raised the consciousness of people across our country and the world. The forces arrayed against it were and are vast; they are dedicated to preserving and managing the status quo. This battle is nothing short of the struggle for the determination of our future. The valor and commitment of the people who supported the Black Lives Matter organization will be their legacy; their efforts will continue to be a part of the overall struggle for liberation of Black people and other people oppressed in this society.

The BLM at School Week of Action, which started in Seattle in 2016 and spread across the nation, almost didn't happen this year in Seattle Public Schools (SPS). It was almost replaced, unilaterally, by the Curriculum, Assessment, and Instruction (CAI) department's leadership by a "Black Excellence in Schools Week of Action." The two are not contradictory, but they are not the same.

The BLM at School Week of Action prepares the way for a next step forward. It will help give all of our students and teachers an accurate picture of our common human history. It will help to develop empathy and cooperation during this period of mental health and existential crisis for our students, our educators, and other school employees, and for humanity in general.

Thanks to the organizing efforts of a coalition of two student groups, Seattle Student Union and the NAACP Youth Council, and two educator organizations, Washington Ethnic Studies Now and the Seattle Caucus of Rank-and-File Educators (S-CORE, a group of educators within the Seattle Education Association), Seattle Public Schools belatedly announced the BLM at School Week of Action by name. It is taking place all this week, from Feb. 5—9.

The belated SPS declaration by CAI came after a Jan. 17 school board meeting, where numerous educators, many of whom identified as Jewish, expressed a belief that the district had delayed endorsement of the BLM at School Week of Action because of a plank of the national BLM movement in solidarity with the Palestinian people. Emma Klein, a Seattle educator and parent, decried their hesitation. She urged the board to "promote Black Lives Matter at School week [and] support educators who teach about the interconnectedness of the liberation of all people, including the Palestinian [people]. Like many Jews," Klein said, "I do not share the perspective of the state of Israel. It is not anti-Semitic to affirm the value of Palestinian life."

The four demands of the national BLM at School Week of Action are: Stop the school-to-prison pipeline by adopting restorative justice practices and ending zero tolerance; increase hiring and retention of Black educators; fund ethnic and Black studies; and hire counselors, not police, in the schools. The guiding principle for the week is collective liberation — one is not free until all are. These demands represent the basis for justice for this moment in time.

Unfortunately, at the end of January — just six days after attempting to rename the Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action — CAI also decided that budget cuts necessitated the slashing of its diverse virtual classes. By cutting this option, they are denying students whose schools don't offer the classes the opportunity to study Black Studies U.S. History, Arabic 1, Native American Literature, and the recently developed Filipinx American U.S. History, (though it is still offered in person at Cleveland High.) Teaching about Black lives and equity should not be a one-off, one week, one month. It must be integrated into the totality of the learning experience. SPS has an ethical obligation to follow the lead of the affected communities (its student body and families) that it serves.

The recently released film Origin, based on the book Caste by Isabel Wilkerson, analyzes how the system of racism functions and codifies, comparing the United States with Nazi Germany and India. Wilkerson argues that racial bias evolves over time, but that there is a thread that keeps the oppression intact, as times and examples change. Wilkerson calls these reference points "the signposts of indifference." One factor that stays the same is the dehumanization of a group of people; any individual with those characteristics is by association tainted, excluded, and even hunted.

An example from the book and the film tells the story of Al Bright, a young African American boy whose Little League team won the city championship in Youngstown, Ohio, in 1951. The whole team went swimming, and only Al was kept outside the fenced area. The coach finally negotiated that Al could come into the pool, but only after all of the white parents and children were out of it. The lifeguard pushes Al around the pool on a raft, exhorting him numerous times to "not touch the water." As the expressions of racism continue to evolve, our capacity for empathy and historical understanding must continue to evolve as well.

The murders (and racial abuse) of George Floyd, Trayvon Martin, Breonna Taylor, Rodney King, and countless others have sparked movements and demands for policy change; we never know what can spark the uprising that leads to a new reality.

In the film, Wilkerson wrestles with the dilapidated home that she inherits from her mother. She sees it as the perfect metaphor. We did not build the house of caste in which we are living. But, "here we are now, on unstable soil, and the cracks won't fix themselves." The foundation is leaky, the history has been concealed. The roof and walls are not protecting us from the plagues we are facing. We need a new structure.

We have built a society where 1%—3% of our population controls everyone else, deciding who gets shelter and who is left to the elements; this is leading to our ruin. What is the community we can build that will ensure the collective security of all of us? On what do we build the new foundation?

We build it on people's aspirations and needs — the value of our shared humanity. We let go of our tendency for holding on to indifference, fear, and hate. We trust the elders and trust the youth; children can tell us what they need. New generations will be the ones who build the walls and make the decisions that determine the future.

Find a hammer and see where you can help.

The South Seattle Emerald is committed to holding space for a variety of viewpoints within our community, with the understanding that differing perspectives do not negate mutual respect amongst community members.

The opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints expressed by the contributors on this website do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints of the Emerald or official policies of the Emerald.

Mark Epstein is a 31-year South Seattle resident. He taught elementary and high school for 35 years, with the last 25 at Rainier Beach High School. He is a devoted father and grandfather, with daily walks and love from his pandemic puppy. He has been a career-long union activist, and since his retirement in 2019, he has been active in support of immigrant communities in our state. A lover of music and growing food, he is also an avid biker for transportation.

Michael Dixon is a child of Seattle's Central District. He is a joyous father and grandfather. He has been involved in politics since junior high school as a volunteer/paid page in the legislature in Olympia. At Garfield High School, he was the student body president and active in the Black Student Union and later the Black Panther Party. At the University of Washington, he served as BSU President and taught political science classes while still a student. After starting out to become a student teacher, he worked as a family support worker, and ended up as a security specialist for Seattle Public Schools for 32 years. He sees security in the development of our youth, not in policing them.

Featured image via Bits and Splits/Shutterstock.com.