Reckoning Progress Pt. II: These Things Take Time

How do you stay on a straight path of hope, mission, and purpose when there’s an injustice and/or obstacle at every turn?

Whether it be gun violence in our city, the banning of books, or the day-to-day struggles that disrupt learning and equity in our classrooms, there’s a strong sense of urgency to end such inequities immediately. But sometimes, it's tough to find the strength and patience to keep fighting for change. The pain of these challenges feels unbearable, yet, the cost to actually combat them can also feel overwhelming (to say the least). We want to put an end to gun violence right now; we want better funding and resources without delay; we want to see the impact of our hard work as educators immediately. Constant roadblocks can cause many of us to become discouraged, pivot, and ultimately transfer our energy to other things we feel we can manage, tolerate, and/or change. However, I propose that real progress and change have more to do with our ability to focus and commit rather than any obstacle, system, or force standing in our way?

Staying Power

Call me old fashioned, but I feel there is something to be regarded about those who stay-the-course and remain focused on their long term impact just as much as their short term predicament. Before entering Kindergarten at Ardmore Elementary, I was already acquainted with Ms. Brobston (4th grade), Ms. Naylor (5th grade), and Ms. Fry (6th grade). As their students, my sister (7 years my senior) and brother (5 years my senior) had instilled in me the anticipation of being in their classrooms one day. Sadly, such longstanding teacher-student connections, especially in schools serving Black & Brown youth, are rapidly fading. These days, the life cycle of a teacher in a school is often no more than five years. This trend raises concerns about its impact on students, schools, and communities over time. J. Meltzer has shared before about his challenging first year at Hardy High as a teacher. While he did not witness the immediate change he had envisioned when aspiring to become an educator, imagine if he had decided to quit at the year's end due to the obstacles he faced? On the contrary, consider the immense impact he has had on numerous students and families over the past 12 years – now serving as the principal, with two of his former students turned teachers at the school. Remember the impact of the Civil Rights Movement, which often seems to be condensed into two arduous summers of boycotts, fire hoses, and speeches. In reality, this fight for justice spanned 14 years before accomplishing one of its core objectives. Above all, the urgency lies not only in the injustices or obstacles we confront, but in our ability to focus, persevere, and see our work through to completion.

Where Do We Find Our Hope?

Having had the opportunity to ask Dr. Marc Lamonth Hill and Dr. Camika Royal about what keeps them hopeful in their fight for justice, both scholars/activists independently concluded that our progress stems from our commitment to the struggle. They firmly believe that the tradition of struggle–passed down from generation to generation–that has inched us closer to liberation, sustains their hope. I tend to agree with them.

Simply put, "Where you remain rooted is where you will produce the most fruit."

Now What?

I have 4 recommendations for everyone who reads this. 1) Come back to your why. Reflect on what your purpose is, why you decide to invest the only life you have toward that purpose, and why achieving that purpose is worth more than the cost of actualizing it. 2) Envision the end result…regularly. We can get so bogged down in our current situation and feelings that we don’t carve out our space to reimagine and dream. Keeping your focus on the end result regularly is crucial to keep you focused and in the fight. 3) Keep your thoughts in check. Research tells us that our brains are poised to send us intrusive thoughts constantly to persuade us to take the easiest route possible. In short, if we do not keep our thoughts in check, our thoughts will check us out. Be vigilant that you are meditating on reasons to stay in the game. Filter whether your actions and commitments bring you closer to your purpose and goal or further away? 4) Seek out moments of gratitude. Whatever you are searching for is what you will find. If you are constantly looking for the issue, it’ll show up. If you are intentional to look for progress and small wins, that’ll be there too.?

Our ability to stay in the fight and persist through adversity is crucial. Progress will not fall in our laps. The urgency of seeing change now should reinforce why your purpose is relevant, but never allow the urgency of today deviate you from the work to be done tomorrow. Your gifts, your mission, your dreams are deeply needed and these things take time.