This was a reflection written after a March held in Memphis that I attended with my students. It             was not originally intended for the blogosphere, but hey why not. 

I have watched, read, and listened to many reactions about the Trayvon Martin case verdict, alongside the majority of America. In past cases similar to this I paid attention, and I joined in awareness movements at times. Now, with 140 black students who I literally refer to as “my kids” this particular case meant something more to me. Two things in particular stood out to me through the lens of this case. The first is the lack of community and our fear of “other.” The second is the desperate need for empowerment in today’s youth.

Trayvon Martin’s description could have been that of any number of my students. I was especially riled up about the use of the way he broadcasted himself on social media to knock down his character. I have seen the things my students post online, as teenagers they try to portray themselves in a way that makes them seem cool or rebellious. They use their Internet tongue to lash out and rant about the things they are facing. The difference here is that I know my students for who they are, despite how they may describe themselves on internet I have felt my kids love, loyalty, and respect every single day. You can brand or profile anyone to any stereotype if you are looking for the signs. We choose to see what we want to see. This hurts us when we take the easy way out instead of crossing the artificial “boundaries” society has created for us. I remember when I first moved to Memphis the pastor at my multi-ethnic church asked, “who is it that is sitting at your dinner table.” I realized at that moment just how homogenous my life had been especially in terms of race. As I see people post things on social media one thing is apparent to me, we do not know each other. The boundaries that existed by law so many years ago, still survive and we perpetuate them with our fear of the unknown. Our conversations about race are not always honest, and as a nation we do not always strive to create community. So at this point I ask, who is at your dinner table?

My eyes filled with tears as I watched my two students’ arms interlocked leading the chant, “What do we want—JUSTICE! When do we want it? NOW!” It was Kyla that texted me telling me she couldn’t find anyone to go to this rally with her, it was really important to her…might I be free to take her to it? I jumped at the opportunity.  As a teacher you see and hear the many ways students are told no repeatedly. As a high school teacher, my students were often beaten down by the system for more than a decade. Filled with doubt after society had told them no so many times, it took a lot of time and patience to get my students to start saying yes, to start believing in themselves. I was marching to show solidarity with my students, but I knew that they were marching because they know many Trayvons. As they shouted “I am Trayvon Martin, Trayvon Martin is me,” I am certain that faces of late friends and family ran through their minds. Here is the great thing about the march, it gave them the opportunity to see that they are not alone in their grief, frustration, and confusion. It also demonstrated that this should not be the status quo, not simply accepted. I spent 180 days in the classroom trying to tell my students that their voices matter. When I saw the words, “Erielle and I were heard today,” on my students Instagram with a picture from the rally, I knew that this was bigger than one court case. This was about the silencing of a generation. A generation with big hopes and dreams, yet a fear of being knocked down or rejected. America needs it’s youth, ALL of the youth, for success. This march showed me that our youth need more than just the basics, they need to be empowered. I was always overjoyed when a student worked hard to get mastery on a test, but there is something about seeing your students recognize the power of their own voices, for change, for good, that made me prouder than I have ever been.