Punching bag & WE feel no pain because we feel everything
What does the punching bag symbolize in the section punching bag?
"To be a Black mother is to be America's punching bag, as you morph into a shield and take every blow for you family, especially your Black children, that will be thrown by America's White rage."
What does Love mean by this distinction of alright and well, and how does this difference challenge the way educators and society define success and thriving for students of color?
“To be alright is to survive. To be well is to thrive and live fully in your joy. Alright is the baseline, the bare minimum of existence, while well means that you are valued, that your humanity is intact, that you matter.”
What is being well?
“Helps you fight racism with love grace and compassion and freeze mental space to freedom dream”
According to the section “Wellness In Schools” what ways do they state will help make a school “well”?
“For schools to be well, educators need to be well. Educators need free therapy, love, compassion, and healing, and to embrace theories that explain why getting well is so hard” (161). OR “I have spoken to leaders of schools who understand how racism, Whiteness, and sexism function in schools and want to do something about it, but addressing these issues would mean letting go of their control of Black bodies, losing power, and admitting that they are part of the problem affecting the school” (161).
What should be the goal when pursuing freedom?
"The goal must be pursuing freedom at all cost as a collective group of abolitionism-minded people who welcome struggle." -s vs. f
Find a quote from "We feel no pain Because we feel everything" that gives a reason for why Love says White people believe Black people feel no pain.
"This is how unarmed Black people get shot or strangled to death by the police or other White men, because White people belive we feel no pain and we have strength beyond the average human." -We feel no pain
Politics of respectability
How does Bettina L. Love critique the politics of respectability as a tool of survival for marginalized communities, and why does she argue that it ultimately upholds systems of oppression?
“The politics of respectability demand that Black and Brown children change who they are to be accepted. This is not liberation; it is assimilation into a system that never meant for them to thrive.”
What is intergenerational trauma?
“Historical trauma that’s been passed down by ancestors, they cannot heal without addressing their ancestors trauma and sacrifices”
Quote to discuss: “abolitionist sit at the feet of their elders for guidance and understanding and to learn from their mistakes. At times abolitionist do more listening than talking”
To you, what does being an abolitionist look like?
“Being a abolitionist means you are ready to lose something, you are ready to let go of your privilege, you are ready to be in solidarity with dark people by recognizing your Whiteness in dark spaces, recognizing how it can take up space if unchecked, using your Whiteness in white spaces to advocate for and with white people” (159).
What must we do to survive?
"There is only one choice: become an abolitionist parent, teacher, doctor, sanitation worker, lawyer, CEO, accountant, community activist, small business owner, scientist, engineer, and human." -s vs. f