The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave
By Laurie Bruton
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
I recently received a letter addressed to the school district that advised those of us in charge to pay attention to racism and to do something about it.
Through long lost memories I heard my dad’s words: “There are opportunities for everyone, but the chances and opportunities are not always equal. They are not always fair. Some have a running start to a good life and others don’t. What is fair about any foot race where some people start before the others? Some people have people cheering them on from the sidelines and others have people throwing things at them.”
In 1975 as a teenager, I wasn’t quite sure what he meant. I chalked it up to parental exaggeration.
Later, I recalled images of college protests. My father was deeply troubled by these uprisings. The violence, the police aggression, the vandalism were all disturbing. If it involved college students and other young people, his distress became evident. “They are kids,” he’d say. “These are kids,” and he’d often become emotional, tears running down his face. “They are just trying to tell everyone that this is America, but everything is not fair. Not everyone has the same chance in life.”
I was confused. I did not understand him at the time. Now it brings tears to my eyes. As a child of immigrant parents who lived through the Depression and World War II, my father had a much different life than I did. He saw the injustice that was still prevalent in America throughout the 1940s, 50s, 60s, and 70s. I grew up in California. What did I know? We had the Beach Boys, Hollywood, and Newport Beach. What was he talking about?
I am ashamed sometimes to be part of the white and privileged middle class, where we can honestly say we are not prejudiced and we want equality and justice for all, but turn our eyes away from discrimination and violence against our neighbors. We have to do something. We have to get up off of our privileged butts and stand up and say – no more. Let’s be wise about who we elect to office. Let’s be smart about where we put our money. Let’s be perceptive about where we live. Let’s consider where we lend our voice. I am not okay with disbanding the police, but I am not okay with racial profiling, violence against innocent protestors, brutality, or violence against anyone. It is time to stand up and join the millions of people who speak out with their voice, presence, and influence to say, “Black Lives Matter.”
If black lives do not matter then NO lives matter. As educators, every student is important. Students are not scary or threatening, or better or less than. They are children. They are growing, learning, and changing. They will oversee the world in our future. Let’s teach them well. Let’s teach them to understand and to love. Let’s teach them compassion. Let’s teach them that in order for “freedom to ring” across the country and the world, it has to start in our family and in our neighborhood. Let’s help them imagine that we can build a world where freedom extends to everyone and that those who need a helping hand get that help.
Call me a daughter who finally understands what her father tried to tell her in 1975.
My own daughter said, “I am going to a protest.”
“Don’t go,” I told her, “It might not be safe.” My daughter paused, and I could hear the hitch in her voice. “I’m going,” she said softly, and I know she did not want to go against my advice. A second or two passed. Louder and more confidently, and with a clear and certain voice she said, “I am going. I am making a sign. I am going to carry it and I am going to be there. I’m going because if I don’t go, I am no better than the rest of the people who look the other way.”
Justice, liberty, and freedom for all doesn’t just happen. It requires action and courage. If we want to live in the “land of the free,” we will need to start acting like the “home of the brave.”
Laurie Bruton is the Superintendent at San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District.
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