It was 1990 when the tiniest little girl, Nikki, arrived in my kindergarten….she lived within walking distance and her Grandfather brought her to school, paying tuition in cash –more than most students there…She was black and a good education, grandpa said, would save her. She was the only African American in the Catholic School until a little boy arrived on a voucher…on his first entrances to the classroom he bellowed-“Where all the black boys?” I had never asked that question…but he got me to thinking. There were plenty in the area…but no Catholics.
It was between 1999-2001 when the Archdiocese began a movement to build Catholic Schools and one of their first moves was to close all schools serving the African American community in the city-they built another school by the perimeter-but few had the transportation to get there. All other schools are in the suburbs.
About 5 years later I was teaching in a public school and one of my students was the great nephew of Bill Cosby. I remembered that his son, Ennis, had been murdered in a driveby shooting while changing a tire in Los Angeles. The man asked the family’s forgiveness. He admitted, “Yep-I shot that N….” At that very time I had a flat tire and was waiting to get it changed and thought-no one would shoot me…
Awareness of racism came slowly in my life because I was born into and live in a Catholic bubble in which I maintain a white privilege my new friends do not. In a recent sharing, my friend, Rev Brenda, shared that she stopped to get gas and the white proprietor stood by the car asking, “Where’d you come from? Get gas and leave…” She has been tailed by police up and down from GA to NY and been given warnings-for driving too slow? She shared this when I told her I got out of a ticket by crying….my white privilege!
In our time, and in the age of Trump, huge lights are focused on a racism many cannot see. Now I see racism all around me…while I am protected, the black children I taught are not. While I am shielded by the color of my skin, my friends are watched with trepidation and mistrust. While the poor seeking quality public education, the wealthy seeking vouchers are emptying their coffers.
With this awareness of my own “WHITE PRIVILEGE”, I have now decided to ratch up my troublemaking in strategic ways. I am a member of the Georgia Coalition of Public Education that disavows vouchers for private and catholic education, charter schools and advocates for Community Schools as a means of building solid stable and diverse beloved communities. I advocate for affordable housing in the city of Atlanta. The good news is that the City Council voted 13-2 to demand all landlords accept housing vouchers and ban discrimination in any form.
As these children, my friends and the communities of the south informed me of my status within our common ground, and as I reflected on my commitment to living a transformative Christianity, I now work out that commitment locally with leaders of substance. This is my witness and story. What is yours?