Often I’m called upon to use my voice to influence decisions made for students and families that have no voice in the decision making realm of schooling. Although I know the overtly dichotomous racial history of the United States, I have to use my voice to speak for all races not just the black race.

The passing of the Notorious RBG on Rosh Hashanah focuses my thinking on the intent for this three-day series. Ruth Bader Ginsburg was not silent in the face of injustice and it earned her a seat at one of the most influential tables in our democracy. Now our democracy is on shakier ground than it was just days ago. I saw a tweet this weekend that said

If you’ve never had a Supreme Court case decide if you have the same rights as others, you have privilege. ~ George H. Takei

George made this statement commenting on the Court decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia, which extended Title VII’s protections from workplace discrimination “because of … sex” to apply to LGBTQ employees.

Those rights provided under the protection of law are skewed in favor of those with the most skin privilege, regardless of intersectional identities. That means the law favors the socially constructed racial mandate that places me, Dr. Ward, at the bottom of the caste system below all black men. The constitution is the law that provides access to rights that many, even in my race, take for granted. The passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the political rush to fill her vacancy is the biggest assault on liberty that I have ever faced in my lifetime.

George chose to speak out, to use his influence. Some of us have influence and are not always able to speak out. In those cases we need co-conspirators. A co-conspirator is so much more than an ally. They have a reciprocal relationship with a person or people from marginalized groups. They have DONE THEIR OWN WORK!!!!!! They do not wait for marginalized and oppressed people to teach them. Co-conspirators open doors that are slammed shut in our faces, repeat what we said in a meeting and make people take notice when they ignore the gifts we have to offer, and go before us to prepare a place for our voice to make the process of speaking out just a little less harmful to our mental and physical health. Allyship does not require action. Allyship rewards silence because it does not require one to step outside their comfort zone. One can be an ally to black people and at the same time a bystander/witness to seriously harmful racial assaults day in and day out.

What does this have to do with education? EVERYTHING! And, it’s quite difficult, to be honest, for me to speak strictly to educators because the issue of silence has dire consequences for all of us, everyone regardless of race, gender, gender identity, socio economic status and many other identities. When we choose silence are we choosing “safety”? I believe we are actually gifting our consent. Silence makes one complicit with the political rhetoric that maintains the structures in the education system, criminal justice and overall judicial system, housing, finance, immigration and healthcare system. All these “systems” are in place because of the people who work in them every day. The people make the systems; therefore, the people fuel the political rhetoric that permeates the very fabric of each institution.

#AntiRacistEd Reflection/Action: Considering your role in the system of education are you silent and complicit in the face of political rhetoric and marginalizing decisions that maintain disproportionality and disparities in the academic, social and emotional success of black, brown and indigenous students? If you are, what will you do differently today?

#AntiRacistEd #CiteBlackWomen