Poemattic: Poetry and Art for the Soul

As a lifetime educator, I feel that I must join the conversation on race and how racism impacts all of us. I lived through the protests of the sixties and remember my teachers talking frankly about racism. I feel blessed to have had such great teachers with such enormous insights. I was lucky to have teachers from all backgrounds. Race to me was basically the human race. I always tried to teach my students more about our common ground but always celebrated the differences with equal enthusiasm. Now that I am a grandmother I feel that I owe it to the to be clear about how racism affects us all one way or another. I feel I have to be blunt at times and not sugar coat some of the realities. It is so difficult to isolate children from some of these horribly frightening events. Social media and the television coverage of the latest horror has been so dreadfully painful. As a mother, grandmother, educator, and simply a human being I have to speak out. All grown-ups especially those who are parents have the obligation, I believe, to have the talk with their respective children. If you are not a parent but have a neighbor or family member with children, find a way to join the conversation.

Mr. George Floyd’s little girl declared to the world “MY DADDY CHANGED THE WORLD” and I pray for all my heart and for the sake of all our children. It takes more than a village. A village can only subscribe to one area. We need to expand the village to include all people and all children.

I have posted a few videos that may help some folks start the talk about race and racism. Look for children’s books that show the culture values that exist in all villages. I just purchased a few books from a book store called https://www.eyeseeme.com/ which is owned by an African American woman whose mission is to promote positive images and stories about African American culture and history. Books have always been a source of comfort for me when I have been confused about something or needed to learn more about a subject in order to fully understand a concept. I hope to continue the conversation with my fellow bloggers and with the readers of my blog. It is pivotal to not only have the conversation but to take action in the most creative ways we can from this moment forward so that we do not have to be the witnesses of plain and torturous hatred. I hope to hear from all of you. What will you do to take part in the conversation? #JointheTalk@poemattic.