Moving Forward

One hope that I have when I think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds is that they truly embrace those families for who they are and do their best to genuinely show compassion and a desire to learn ways to help them.  Many times, individuals in the education field strive to meet certain standards in order to align themselves with organizations that will increase their visibility or verify that they are a cut above the rest.  However, in the process, they often neglect the real interactions needed in order to check boxes and look good on paper.  Instead, organizations should be concerned about the true needs of the families they serve.

One goal you I would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice is to keep an open heart and mind.  Put yourself in the shoes of those people you have been positioned to help.  

Thank you all for sharing this journey with me over the past couple of months.  I have learned so much and gotten different perspectives.  I hope to go forward with a lot of the viewpoints and insights I have gained.  I wish you all well on your future endeavors.

I have learned what it means to be more inclusive and diverse,

Lending myself to others in service and in love. 

Our world somehow lacks the desire to show respect,

To those who are different, their fate is often neglect.

I am making it my mission to reach out to all in need,

To show that they are cared for, and they are loved heard and seen.

Whether old, young, trans, gay and straight,

Handicapable or homeless, there are ways for us all to relate,

To the struggles each of us experience, the need for inclusion and visibility,

But in order for anything to happen, I'll ensure it starts with me.

We all share a commonality, we are members of the human race,

We live and breathe cry and laugh and all need to embrace,

Our differences, our likenesses, our ability to see,

That one thing is imperative, the need for diversity.

I initially wanted to make a collage that would show images, such as nuclear, gay and trans families, families from different backgrounds, elderly people interacting with younger people, women and men in roles that are non-stereotypical (i.e. males nurses and female architects), inclusion of religion and a number of other different things.  However, I am not as tech savvy as I thought I was (or the information age is surpassing me faster than I can keep up) AND I was worried about using images that just did not belong to me.  So, I decided to write a poem to encompass everything that i wanted to say with my photos.  Hope you enjoy and understand!

Shhhh! Don't Say That!

Once, my daughter and I were in Target and there was a man in the same aisle as us who was obese.  She was about 4 at the time and said to me, "Mom, that man is really big."  With wide eyes, I said, "Laila!  Shhhhhhh don't say that, that's rude.  He is overweight but he doesn't need anyone to point it out to him."  Once we got into the car, I told her that what she said was absolutely true but it was not necessary to point it out and may hurt his feelings if he overheard us.

The message I was trying to convey to her was to be politically correct and consider the feelings of others.  Whether or not that 's the message she received is up for question.  Had I been thinking with the mindset of an anti-bias educator at the time, I would have said something like, "Yes, he is what we would call overweight.  Some people are really big, some are small, some are short.  However, we have to be mindful of the things we say.  What if his feelings got hurt from hearing you say that."  Then, depending on the age group (because I am used to working with older kids), I would ask them to consider their own insecurities and how they would feel if people pointed them out!  For smaller children, I would incorporate books about body positivity and promoting confidence, making sure to include books with plenty of pictures.