I am both happy and sad to be back writing on this blog. Happy because writing has always been something I've enjoyed doing but sad because on this specific platform the fact that I am writing means that there is something going on in politics that is outraging me to the point of speaking up (and anyone who knows me knows there are only a few things that will get me outraged where politics are concerned). This morning I woke up to my boyfriend telling me that there was a rally of white supremacists protesting in Virginia. He proceeded to tell me that these people were Neo-Nazi's and basically anti everyone! If I wasn't awake before, I was definitely awake after hearing this. There are very few things that upset me the way that public displays of hatred and intolerance do. I like to think that this is thanks to the upbringing and family history that I have.
I have made references to this many times throughout my writing contributions but its worth mentioning again. My paternal grandparents were Holocaust survivors. My grandmother grew up in Germany and was lucky enough to get out of the country via the KinderTransport program with her brother which took them to England and eventually to this country. My grandfather had a much more difficult journey to getting here but they both made it and established a life as Americans. My grandmother's brother fought and died as an American soldier in World War II, fighting the Nazi's and the injustices they valued. All of this greatly impacted the way my dad and his siblings grew up, which in turn impacted the way I was raised. Acceptance, tolerance and understanding were at the forefront of my upbringing. I was friends with people of different skin tones, different religions, different abilities and never batted an eyelash because in my world, in the world I was raised in it was all the same. A person is a person and the differences are what make us unique.
So how do we get these Neo-Nazi, anti-everybody-who-is-different groups in a world where we have made so much progress? The truth is, I don't know, I have no idea why these groups still exist but I do know that I truly feel that the climate of the country and the attitude of the current administration in the White House is responsible for how out and proud these groups are. It appeared that these protesters were not covering their faces and hiding their identity today, they were very visible. President Trump's limited remarks today in light of everything that happened basically left me feeling like there was very little that would change in the coming days.
His incredibly luke warm sentiment did nothing but make me feel like this administration is condoning the actions of these hate groups. Yes he addressed the nation (but not before finishing his golf game on what is probably his twentieth "working vacation" of his very short presidency), but he did so first via a tweet. Call me "old fashioned" or not up with the times or whatever but I don't believe that something as tragic as this should be addressed in 140 characters. This is a serious issue of our time, we are setting a standard that says hating people's differences is okay.
This brings me to my next disheartening point. I am an early childhood educator and I love my job. I work with two and three year olds with and without disabilities everyday. I am the epitome of teaching acceptance by working in the setting I work in. However, sometimes it is hard for us as ECE's to feel like we are making a difference because our children are so young. This afternoon in the wake of all of this a fellow early childhood educator posted this:
For anyone with young children, or who interacts with young children as I do, she showed me how much power we do have as parents and teachers to teach our children to love and appreciate everyone so that we can end this idea of intolerance. Some of the events that have taken place in the last ten months has made me want to cry and hug my work children a little tighter but watching this video showed me that I have more power than I think I do.
So I guess in closing, I just want to say that there are so many things that made me sad about the events of today, mostly I just look at my Jewish roots, I am a second generation American on that side of my family and have come to understand the struggle my grandparents went through to get to this country, a struggle that is still very real for so many people who are trying to get out of oppressive nations around the world. I just wish that more people in this country had the mentality that was taught to me, people are people embrace their differences and love them for who they are. And finally I'd like to share this quote, its a favorite of mine and now even more so because former President Obama shared it today in light of the events in Charlottesville.
"No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate then they can learn to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite" --Nelson Mandela
Wishing you peace and love tonight, until next time!
