Dr. King and Education

I was privileged to speak at a neighborhood interfaith service today, reflecting on the work of Dr. King and education.  

A few weeks ago, I was in a meeting where someone declared that neighborhood schools were dead, and we had lost the fight for public education.  It took me by surprise, because while I know the school district I suffering, I am not seeing death.

My kids are students in the Philadelphia school district–I have a 4th grader attending just down the street at Henry, and a 7th grader who attended Henry, but is now at a magnet school downtown.  My kids are proud of the schools they have attended, and so am I.  The neighborhood school has taught me the power of community and raising kids in a village.  From the teachers who have been committed to teaching my kids creatively, to the amazing school counselors who have helped my kids through some difficult times, to the parents who have stood with me in front of the school district offices, reminded me to write another letter ot the governor, and had faith in public schools, when I was ready to wrap it up and move to the suburbs.

This does not sound like the death of neighborhood schools to me.  This sounds like while the schools are troubled with lack of funding, there are plenty of signs of hope and life.

In the last eight years, I’ve seen  powerful life-giving moments at Henry school, moments of deep transformation.

In November 2008, the day after President Barack Obama was elected, my then six year old son and I walked into the upper yard, into a scene of chaotic jubilation.  Every last kid was wearing some sort of Barack Obama hat, t-shirt or button.  Some of the African American boys were wearing suits–they wanted to look like the man who would be their new president.

My son was delighted.  He took my hand, beaming with pride, and said, “My friends finally have a president that looks like them.”

This wouldn’t have happened in just any school.  But it happened right here in the the Henry school yard, in the middle of this racially diverse neighborhood.  Here my children learned to value diversity, to value the gifts that different perspectives offer.  Here they learned about the dream that Dr. Martin Luther King had decades ago. Here they began to live the dream that “one day little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.”

One of my favorite days of the school year is the day that the Kindergarten starts at Henry school.  It’s usually a few weeks after the regular school year starts.  That day, the upper yard at Henry is full of anxious parents, squirrely five year olds, along with teachers and the parents and kids from all the other grades.  It’s an exciting morning.  And what does the community do at Henry?  They have the kids line the hallways to welcome the kindergarteners into the school, to let them know they are loved.

Neighborhood schools are not dead.  It’s not what I’m seeing.  While I know very well that school district is suffering, I also know that children of every race, class, and religion walk into the the school every day, and they learn together, they learn from each other.  And they are living out the dream of Dr. King.

Here’s another reason I know that neighborhood schools are not dead.  And it’s kind of a big reasons for Christians.  As a Christian, I believe in the resurrection.  I believe that just when people think a thing is dead and they give up and walk away, surprise!  Here comes the new life!  Here comes something better than ever was expected.

And it’s not just a Christian belief–this is something prophets of Judaism, Christianity and Islam said over and over again.  The desert will bloom, God will make a path in the wilderness.

Public school are not dead in Philadelphia.  The dream of Dr. King is not wishful thinking.  It can happen.  It is happening.  It will happen.  But we need to keep working for that dream, keep fighting to see that public school funding continues and increases.  We cannot give up.  Let’s keep praying towards that dream of Dr. King.  Let’s keep advocating to our government officials that the dreams of our ancestors are fulfilled.  Let’s keep supporting and loving our public school children, teachers and principals.  Because God is doing a new thing, resurrection is happening right in front of us, and new life is springing forth.