Do Better, Let's Soar

Enraged, pissed off, flabbergasted, disgusted, and annoyed… any of these terms could be used but none of them fully encompass how it felt in the moment. Standing in front of the class, she proclaimed a story could only be an epic if it came from Greece…what?

I sat there and pondered, does she know the true definition of the term, or maybe I didn’t know. Then I thought back to several statements she made during our lectures, this was a low blow because it was clear how she felt about Greek culture in relation to others. An extreme disappointment crept through my soul but then I remembered the words of one of my community Mamas: Sankofa an African word but a word that is good for anyone… when you know where you come from…there’s no need to look down on the people around you.

I responded: How do you define the term epic, and have you heard of the Sundiata Keita epic? My classmates began to offer epics from their cultures? She went low and but I went high, offering a response that opened a space for a dialog that could possibly lead to growth for all parties. I don’t always get it right but I offer my experiences to create dialog/discussion of how we can do better.

My nostalgic moment allowed me to breathe through the experience and ask a question rather than attacking. Some of us have heard the saying” it takes a village to raise a child”, and I am thankful that my education came for more than my teachers at school. I am a strong believer in education as an extension of the community but it is an extension. Prior to our children walking into the outside world, we must pour into them the values, belief systems, and histories that are vital to the culture from which they originate. I define the outside world as the communities and artificial environments of which the child does not reside. To once again pull from the West African adinkra symbol Sankofa, you must know where you came from to know where you are going. My family and communities taught me Egyptian, West African, Roman, and Norse mythology as well as African American history. I learned about Imhotep and the school in Alexandria before I learned about Hypocrites. When I arrived in school I had a good idea of who I was, knew how to read, and the history of my people. I understood my value and the contributions of ancestors. My family taught me about Timbuktu, Mansa Musa and Sundiata Keita. It was my education outside of school that taught me self value, and empathy. It was this holistic education that allowed me to hear what this educator was saying but not internalize her view. She’d taken some low blows during the semester by using language that failed to be inclusive and created spaces of othering.

There is enough talk about who is better and who is worse, but I offer this as an idea: How about we are all amazing in our own way. Some just have to learn what makes us special, and while this can be an individual journey there is a space for parents to help along in this process. As one of my professors once said “ we are the intersection of all of our lived experiences” If we look closely enough we can find something positive about the community/ cultures that we are apart of. It is imperative that we share these pieces of positivity with our children so they are prepared when they go out into the world. Self-esteem is amazing! Knowing your heritage does wonder for self-esteem. It’s easy to believe that teachers will teach your child, and the good one will. But even the good ones will have a challenge providing the in-depth cultural history that is not of their own. It takes a village to raise a child and it takes that same village to educate a child. Let’s educate our children in a way that allows them to see the beauty and strength in themselves while respecting and acknowledging that in others, that way when others go low they will go high

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💛Mya

#GoHigh #inclusivity #empathy #sankofa #parenting #education #ittakesavillage #history #representationmatters #dobetter #michelleobama #foreverfirstlady #mothers #community #culture