Playing the White Card

The country woke up Tuesday morning to the news that Donald Trump plans on eliminating birthright citizenship via an Executive Order. This is yet another blatant leveraging of whiteness to energize Trump’s white working class base. The violence inherent in its worldview means nothing to Trump or those that work with him. This move plainly…

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The Politics of Teaching

Very few professions have to defend their existence the way teachers do. There seems to be an insatiable need to critique teachers and “fix” education via “fixing” teachers. Often what this looks like is formulas and best practices compiled in a rubric meant to facilitate teacher accountability and increase effectiveness. Teachers pushback with some iteration…

The Power of Whiteness

The day after Trump was inaugurated as President of the United States millions of Americans took to the streets. The Women’s March was reported to be the largest single-day protest in American history. For a moment, one could be forgiven for feeling a tinge of optimism and hope amid the tragedy of the election. As…

The Incivility of White America: #WhiteAmnesia

Apparently there is an “uncivil war” breaking out in America. The declaration follows some high profile incidents such as Sarah Huckabee Sanders being asked to leave the Red Hen, Homeland Security Secretary Kirsjten Nielsen being jeered, booed at and, eventually, forced to leave a D.C. Mexican restaurant, and Stephen Miller, the Trump advisor largely seen…

The Purpose of Public Education

To begin to answer this question, or move towards the more important question of what SHOULD be the purpose of public education in America, first we must start with what WAS the purpose of education in America. Thomas Jefferson, widely considered the most adamant supporter of public education among our country’s founders, proposed a two-track…

We Choose Truth

“The educator has the duty of not being neutral.” ― Paulo Freire Last month politicians in the Minnesota legislature introduced a bill titled the Academic Balance Bill. The stated objective of the bill is “Public education courses are not for the purpose of political, ideological, religious, or antireligious indoctrination” The bill requires “the school to provide…

Aziz Ansari and the Silence of Straight, Cis Men

I read the Babe story about Aziz Ansari and cringed. I could feel my heart start to race, my palms got sweaty, and the knot in my stomach, my no-doubt-about-it sign that my conscience is kicking in, had me taking deep breaths in my living room. I wasn’t cringing because I was disappointed in Aziz…

A Requiem for John Brown: road map for 21st Century Abolition

“I, John Brown, am now quite certain, that the crimes of this guilty land will never be purged away, but with blood.” – John Brown   Saturday marked the 158th anniversary of John Brown’s execution. The passionate and dedicated abolitionist believed that logic and moral arguments would not end the practice of slavery, that only…

Unmasking Whiteness: Trump, NFL, and Interest Convergence

To many, this weekend felt like a trip through the twilight zone. For months Colin Kaepernick and those he inspired endured the outrage of NFL fans who insisted they were disrespecting the military and the flag by not standing for the national anthem. Kaepernick, after meeting with Nate Boyer, modified his protest from sitting down…

Stop Lying! Tell the Truth About School Choice

It’s back to school. An exciting yet nerve-racking time, especially for families starting out at new schools. There are few decisions as important as where to send your child to school, but, sadly, the school choice debate does little to ease the nerves around that decision or help families navigate the minefield of failing schools.…