“No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream” MLK JR
Photo from Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial at Yerba Buena Gardens in San Francisco.
Celebrating MLK JR brings complex questions to my line of work. I have not met anyone who would (openly) disagree that we have made progress in race relationships in the United States since 1960. I have not met anyone who (openly) disagrees that discrimination based on race still exists today. Between those two reasonably accepted lines lies huge disagreement, a million opinions, anger & defensiveness, inattention & apathy, painful unimaginable grief, graduation & celebration, thoughtfulness & hidden consciousness. So what do we teach the kids?!! What do we teach the 3 to 9 year old’s that come to camp today? How do we celebrate the work of civil rights?
We teach that the work is not finished. That every voice matters. That empathy is the great healer. By sharing power, we teach that power is to be shared and used for the common well-being of us all. We teach that if one child has a problem in the classroom then we are all of us concerned. In a word, we teach nonviolence.
We don’t teach nonviolence only on holidays. We don’t learn to appreciate race, class and cultural diversity only one day a year. We live our principles at Art Zone each and everyday. We don’t do it perfectly. It is messy, sometimes confusing and uncomfortable. We go there. There is endless work to be done. This work starts with me and you.
Thank you Martin Luther King, Jr. and all those working tirelessly today to carry the dream forward. Thank You #Blacklivesmatter. Thank you Karem Abdul Jabar for your words today.