Intersections

Sometimes when I am depressed I go for a drive. I'll get on the highway, put on some music and drive... I like to drive in straight lines so I don't have to worry about how I got there or the way to get home. So, I can drive and think on other things that are going on in my head.

Driving helps me sort out those thoughts and sort out a plan of action for dealing with whatever is troubling me at the moment. But I think the most dangerous place to be while driving is at an intersection. Is the person behind you going to stop? Is the person in front of you paying attention when it's time to go forward. What about cross traffic? Are they paying attention? Is there a vehicle coming that is not paying attention and is going to barrel through the intersection?

People have intersections too. I am black, female, short and with medical problems. All these things can have affect over my life and it is the battle between these "intersections" where the most damage can happen. The Black clashes with the female, the female with the medical problems, the medical problems with the black and female both... Each thing has it's own set of baggage. And that baggage against each other and causes more havoc.

But what if we were to take away one of those intersections? Would that make more intersections safer or would it keep things just as complicated or possibly make it less complicated? Beverly Daniel Tatum (1997), wrote a pivotal book entitled "Why are all the black kids sitting together in the cafeteria" It is about race relations in the United States in regards to public schools. Her book speaks to the importance diversification in educational settings and race relations. She states, "My goal in writing was to help others move beyond fear, anger and denial to a new understanding of what racism is, how it impacts all of us and ultimately what we can do about it. I wanted to inspire readers to break the silence about racism and to use their spheres of influence to effect positive social change." But now, there are elite private schools who are in the process of again separating students in classrooms by race and I don't know how to feel about it.

On one hand I say "NO!" Students need to learn about different people and different cultures. We live in a global society that is no longer lives in silos. All races and ethnicities should be presented, celebrated and valued. But that is not what is happening in our educational system. We are only taught about one ethnicity and how other ethnicities measure up to the "standard" ethnicity. Would separating students help to diversify the curriculum? Would people of color actually get to learn about their cultures? Would this develop or bring back a sense of community? I'm not sure?

Anyway, I'm just babbling at this point. I'll stop here... but I'll pick this up another day.