The philosophical/ethical argument of the “seamless garment” holds that there must be a consistency in the application of moral principles that value the worth of all human life. Made popular in the 1970’s by Roman Catholic theologians, this theory maintains that issues such as abortion, capital punishment, militarism, euthanasia, social injustice, and economic injustice all demand a constant and balanced praxis if we are to remain true to our valuing of all life from conception to death. In essence, the seamless garment theory states that “you can't protect some life and not others."
In an all too familiar way, the Trayvon Martin tragedy reminds us just how deeply the scars of racism impact our everyday lives. On the surface, if we simply describe the scenario of a teenager walking home in the evening with the hood of his sweatshirt covering his head, nothing out of the ordinary seems to call out for any special attention. However, if we contextualize the specifics: a young, urban African-American male, walking alone with a hoodie concealing his face, a myriad of preconceived notions start to flood our “reality”. Our xenophobic impulses kick in and we are suddenly face to face with our fear of “the other”. President Obama even alluded to this knee jerk reaction when he spoke of his grandmother’s fears of passing a black man on the street: “…if she sees somebody on the street that she doesn't know...there's a reaction that's been bred into our experiences that doesn't go away and that sometimes comes out in the wrong way, and that's just the nature of race in our society.”. And that debilitating, depressing and, often, denigrating reaction to race in our society is the epitome of the disjointed, distorted, and disturbing response we witness with issues around class, poverty, gender, age, sexual orientation, political affiliation, and religion that we see played out every day.
Trayvon Martin, even in death, has challenged us to re-evaluate our sense of equity, our sense of power and privilege. Through a horrible tragedy, we are given the opportunity to assess once again our capacity to empathize, to embrace differences, and to defend those who are not sharing in equal rights. We are offered the opportunity to profess, as we have been taught by our Native American kin to “never judge another person until we have walked a mile in their moccasins”. And the hoodie has become symbolic of every form of unfair treatment to all different groups.
As Director of Education at The National School Climate Center, I am privileged to collaborate with school communities on the essential issues of how to structure our academic institutions to best serve the needs of those who will be our “change agents” both now and in the future. I am fortunate to listen and learn and partner with students, teachers, parents, and community members to ensure that all our youth have the tools and skills to become democratically informed, successful, and civically engaged citizens. We concentrate on questions like: How does our school deal with conflict? How do we deal with bullying and unfair treatment of others? How do we celebrate our differences? How do we practice restorative methods of discipline that educate instead of castigate? How do we embrace different learning styles and different contextual realities? Most of this boils down to educating ourselves to accept that: “we are in this together”. The African concept of Ubuntu perfectly captures what we need to embrace as our essential task. When I can accept that "I am what I am because of who we all are", then we can start to create a societal fabric that is truly a seamless garment. Far from simply adapting slogans, pep talks, canned/cookie-cutter or other “cockeyed optimist” approaches, this work is sometimes gritty, sometimes difficult, sometimes uncomfortable but always enriching (especially for me!). And, I am rapidly learning that it is essential if we are to avoid future tragedies such as Trayvon Martin.
The hoodie that purportedly targeted Trayvon for suspicion and derision is a powerful symbol for all of us. It is that object that “set him apart”, that made him “the other”. So the query posited in solidarity marches throughout the nation: “Do I look suspicious?” is rightfully and aptly asked by young African-American males. As study after study proves, they are wrongfully profiled, wrongfully searched, wrongfully singled out for discrimination, and wrongfully judged, and their treatment hurts us all. When President Obama stated that, “…if I had a son, he would look like Trayvon”, I’d like to believe that his larger meaning was much broader than race and included the concept of Ubuntu. That is, when an injustice was done in this situation, all of us were harmed and, therefore, all of us are called to respond. In a tremendous show of solidarity, this refutation of “the other” is also proclaimed by Muslim women who in their Million Hijab March assert that: “hoodie or hijab, racism is racism”. So, the challenge given to us by young African-American males (and young Islam females), then, is for us to broaden our vision, open our eyes, embrace the diversity in our midst and realize that we are all diminished when any of us is humiliated or diminished, when any of us is tortured, violated or oppressed. Trayvon’s hoodie, now more than ever, needs to become our “seamless garment”, energetically and vociferously refuting the societal message that some lives are worth “less than” others and, instead, teaching our youth the inherent value in all of us.
For many of us the first day of school is right around the corner. Students and educators across the country are gearing up for another year and this year the issue of bullying and cyber-bullying is not only on the student’s minds but educators as well. This year, 160,000 students will skip school each day in fear of getting bullied. With these numbers as high as they are, it's not a big surprise that academic achievement is an increasing challenge in most schools. If you want take part in making a change in your schools academic achievement and pinpointing where exactly this begins, then you can't miss the first National Conference on School Engagement.
National Center for School Engagement Presents: The National Conference on School Success
Date: October 26-28, 2011
Location: Denver, Colorado
With regestration all conference participants will be given one year free membership to the School Climate Resource Center –Operated by the National School Climate Center
One year ago today, Carl Walker Hoover took his own precious life only 11 days before his 12th birthday after being bullied incessantly with anti-gay taunts. Since his tragic death, Carl's mother has been a tireless advocate for greater awareness of this rampant harassment in our nation's schools and has pushed for stronger anti-bullying legislation. You can help by signing GLSEN's petition in support of the Safe Schools Improvement Act (H.R. 2262), which will require schools receiving federal funding to enact policies to prohibit bullying and harassment, and provide them with resources to prevent and respond to incidents when they occur.
This past January, the country was shocked by the brutal bullying of 15-year-old freshman Phoebe Prince, who committed suicide after months of harassment. Today, three of the nine students who face charges connected to the case were arraigned in court, entering not guilty pleas. As the community looks to make sense of this tragedy, one truth is abundantly clear: our children need better supports to put an end to this toxic abuse when it occurs and prevent future bullying from taking place. The Safe Schools Improvement Act will help ensure that policies and practices are in place to keep our children safe.
Effective, school-wide, sustained programs are the next critical piece. If you are in need of bully prevention supports as a student, educator, or parent, please visit BullyBust today to access free resources, join a nationwide community of educators in the Partner School Program, and sign the STAND UP pledge to show your commitment. You can also sign up for our newsletter to receive concrete supports on bully prevention, student engagement, and creating positive school climates.
Spread the word, and check the status of bully prevention legislation in your state. Together, we can put an end to bullying.
The Center for Social and Emotional Education (CSEE) is proud to be partnering with the Broadway musical WICKED to bring the Witches of Oz to life in classrooms across the country with critical bully prevention supports for the fall 2010 BullyBust Campaign. Elphaba, the misunderstood green witch at the heart of WICKED, will help students learn how to put an end to bullying for good as the spokesperson for BullyBust. Schools can get involved with the cause by joining the Partner School Program, which will provide classroom-based supports including WICKED-themed activities, resources, and a national “Defying Gravity” essay contest this fall.
Show your support for the cause! Use the code "CSEE" when purchasing tickets for WICKED on Broadway (online or at the box office), and a portion of the sale goes back to BullyBust! Read the full press release here.
Become a fan on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to get the latest news on BullyBust and help spread the word. Together we can create a community of positive upstanders and put an end to bullying!
Anderson Williams, Director of Consulting at Cascade Educational Consultants, has written an insightful piece on the language we use in engaging our students and communities in collective action. He asks what is implied when we say things like the following: Youth are our future, Youth are the leaders of tomorrow; Give back to the Community; Pass the Torch; and A Seat at My Table. How does the cliched language we often defer to impact our efforts in reaching youth (and adults) to build and improve our communities, or to get involved in a social cause?
Click here to read the post at the Cascade Matters Blog.