I write this still reeling from the Zimmerman verdict that verified, again, that the infrastructure of this nation is one built to support and maintain white supremacy. My social media feeds are flooded by the posts of pain, anger, and resentment that people of color are feeling as they are reminded of the core truths…
Taken down by the Guardian shortly after being posted, “pending investigation.” Let it be noted that on this day, Saturday 13 July 2013, it was still deemed legal in the US to chase and then shoot dead an unarmed young black man on his way home from the store because you didn’t like the look…
Remember this game? The logic of the game is simple: connect four of your red or black checkers before your opponent does. Diagonal, Vertical, Horizontal – all acceptable. Pretty basic, right? And yet it seems we are struggling to apply this basic principle outside of the sunshine yellow quadrangle. Let’s do a quick recap of…
I have always been in love with learning. Which means that as a lifelong educator, I have always been in a state of heartbreak working in schools. Learning is idiosyncratic, more unpredictable than predictable. We really don’t know for sure what makes one person, at any given moment, engage in this relatively risky business. Part…
I was on Mass Ave and Boylston April 15th when the bombs exploded. You’ve heard more than enough to add the details of what it felt like to be there: panic, chaos, helping, screaming, running, falling, being helped up, mass confusion. As I’ve been feeling the adrenaline pulse its half-life through my veins, I’ve been…
Immigration, like many issues, is told through stories. First there is the story this is a nation founded by immigrants. Then there are countless stories of brave immigrants, risking harm and death to try to forge a better life for themselves and their families. We also have fear-fueled stories, telling tales of immigrants who…
In 1903, W.E.B. DuBois compacted the experienced of being othered and excluded into the question, “How does it feel to be a problem?” This was what he heard when posed equivalents of, “Some of my best friends are Latino/Black/undocumented,” or “aren’t you outraged at the policies in Arizona?” In the wake of President Obama’s announcement…
OK, I’ll play your silly game When we were kids and I approached my brother with a fantastical premise, he used to tell me, “OK, I’ll play your silly game,” What if we didn’t tell Mom that we broke the TV? OK, I’ll play your silly game. What if it just kept snowing…
In a high school where I taught about 15 years ago, a new principal started our school year by giving each of us a laminated poster we were to hang in our classrooms. The poster had a stark orange background with thick black print that asked: “When am I ever going to use what…
In many schools where I’ve worked, diversity is valued. This means that in conversations about the culture of the institution, choices about which students to admit and which potential faculty to hire, diversity is often sitting at the table. It makes itself known by logging how many people of color might be in the group,…
Leigh Patel 
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