Reflections from Rethinking Schools

 

Reflections on ICE, Liberation and Social Justice Unionism 

While reading reflections: I really appreciated the "read-ability" and variety in the articles that I was reading and that were presented to me. I thought that the connecting magazine topic worked really well to ground the different articles in current events and education. I initially read the first article that caught my attention, about ICE in schools and communities and then decided to focus my readings and reflections on ways to push back on current events: we have a problem, now what do we do about it? 

We have a problem: 

Kicking ICE Out of Schools and Communities: I really appreciated reading this for a few reasons: 1. the language used (for example, the article used the term "Latine" instead of Latinx, showing being rooted in community and not higher ed) 2. basing the article in qualitative data in the beginning (starting with a story not only captivates audience attention but also clearly names the problem, especially for someone who may not believe it to be a problem) 3. the articles position on ICE. 

One of the points that come at the end of the article is the (in my opinion truthful) assertion that immigration is and has been seen as a security issue and not a human rights issue. I couldn't have more to say about this. As my audience may or may not know by know, a lot of the research and writing I've done in my undergraduate has been about immigration. This sort of "fear" of immigrants and immigration comes straight from xenophobic and racist American ideals and beliefs. The problem of viewing immigration as a "security issue" was blown up after 9/11 and the War on Terror (the article also mentions this) and an ongoing push and pull over what governmental department was put in charge of immigration. Undocumented immigration is also technically not illegal (!!), it is a civil infraction, like for example getting a parking ticket or getting a ticket for not crossing the street on a crosswalk. Additionally, existing in the United States as an undocumented person is not illegal and is not a civil infraction, so what many anti-immigrant U.S. governments have done is push a "immigrants are illegal" (to socially demonize immigrants) while also using ICE agents, sometimes police officers (that by law HAVE to work with ICE if asked), "arrest" immigrants for something they may or may not have done. This was all until Trump. What other presidents have done was not ethical, what Trump is doing is not ethical OR LEGAL. Pushing an "immigrants are illegal" perspective rationalizes (for the general American public who have no idea about the intricacies of immigration) using any force necessary to "protect Americans". Americans are not in danger because of immigrants. We are collectively in danger because of the government. So, yes, we do have a problem. 

Now what do we do about it?

In It For the Long Haul: Increasing the Possibility of Freedom and Liberation for All

I again, really appreciated the stance and knowledge that was shared in this article (which was a written transcript of an interview). I knew that the author was very knowledgeable when they mentioned Harsha Walia, an activist and writer who I am very familiar with from my time in undergrad and I recommend people read if they're interested in capitalism, immigration, and the environment. 

My biggest take away from this article was using imagination as liberation along with the take in imagination. The article wrote about imagination as a form of resistance that is a collective and constant practice. Increasing ways to encourage and ask for student imagination in the classroom actively asks students to come up with solutions, to think about their dream world, to get ready to act on it. 

I really appreciated the conversation on if students are too young to talk about abolition: the article suggests that students are the perfect age to talk about the world as it is and talk about abolition. Students creativity and imagination has not been capped yet by living through as many oppressions as many adults have (though this is not the case in every individual comparison), the article says that students are "willing to call you over to imagination land. Because they're already living there". Additionally, students are constantly asking why things are the way they are -- which is the first step to freedom. We must question our current reality, dream up a new one, find the ways in which these are not aligned and imagine solutions to fix it.

Trump's Education by Indoctrination Must be Fought with Social Justice Unionism: 

The article begins by naming and explaining that under Trump's America, we are falling, and fast into fascism. A fascist education can be characterized by erasing histories and banning perspectives until the only perspective that is taught or allowed, the white perspective prevails. If students aren't taught the ills of the world or how to see them themselves, they will fall submissive to the regime and not even think to act against it. 

Democrats aren't coming to save us either. They are at the beckoning call of billionaire and millionaire stakeholders who also support children as sheep and not children as active members of change. 

No one is coming to save us, so we have to save ourselves. The basis of social justice unionism is rooted in an innate unity of education and social justice: we can't teach truth without teaching truth. Social justice unionism is about uniting educators that believe strongly in social justice, in children as change makers and not factory workers (which we read about in our history of education mini-unit). Social justice unionism is partnering with other liberation movements (or not) to demand, strike, protest that the needs of the youth be met, that the needs of educators be met, that the needs of the world be met.