Skip to main content

Willing to Learn


 

I cannot begin to describe my gratitude this morning that the Academy Awards are not a local story. 

Also: I’m not particularly fond of Mondays.

*****

Straight from the pages of this morning’s Baltimore Sun, two pieces that made me think. Sometimes I see connections where others might not necessarily see them. Today may be one of those days. The first piece is:

‘Lynching is local, and that’s why reconciliation has to be local, too’  Three Hartford County Lynching victims remembered with soil collection ceremony, Jason Fontelieu

And the second:

Velma B. Evans - City public schools educator, associate professor at Delaware State University was an inspiration to students, teachers alike, Frederick N. Rassmussen

This is what stood out to me in the first article: 

Dr. Charles Chavis, vice chairman of the [Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation] commission, also noted the importance of continuing to have these conversations and acknowledging the state’s past indiscretions.

“It doesn’t weaken our democracy by telling these stories; it strengthens our democracy,” Chavis said.

We’ve been hearing a quite a lot these days from people who want to silence these stories. I think they are wrong. And I agree with Dr. Chavis that learning the truth about our history strengthens our democracy. That’s why I have followed the work of Marlena Jareaux, the EC Black History Roundtable, and Howard County Lynching Truth and Reconciliation with such interest. Our community must learn and learn from its history in a way that prompts us to be better and do better. 

About Velma Branch Evans, whose life is carefully detailed by veteran Sun journalist Rasmussen, one sentence leapt out at me.

She obtained a Master’s degree in 1957 from Columbia University at a time when African Americans were not allowed to attend graduate school in Maryland. 

1957 was not that long ago, and the state of Maryland could not bring itself to make graduate education open to all its citizens. If you read the piece you’ll see that taxpayer money was used to send Black students out of state rather than allow them to learn side by side with whites as equals. Ms. Evans gave so much more back to the state of Maryland in a lifetime of teaching than Maryland was willing to give to her.

These are our stories, in Maryland and right here in Howard County. Sometimes they make me sad, and angry, and uncomfortable. But I am grateful for what they have to teach me.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Getting Fresh

One of my favorite days in the Spring comes when this year’s list of Farmer’s Markets is released. That happened this week. New this year are markets in Old Ellicott City and the “Merriweather Market” which, according to the address, will be located here . I mistakenly thought at first glance that it was in the new-construction part of the Merriweather District. I find the name confusing considering its actual location. I’m going to guess that this market is an initiative of the Howard Hughes Corporation because the name seems chosen more for branding purposes than anything else.  Alas, the market in Maple Lawn is gone. The thread on the markets on the County Executive’s FB page will provide you with quite the education in who actually runs the Farmers Markets vs what people often think is going on. Short answer: they are not  chosen nor run by the county. Each market is an independent entity, sometimes started by community volunteers, other times supported by local businesses...
1 comment
Read more

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday.  Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was  "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018.  2018 .  But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest.  In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...
1 comment
Read more

What Kids Are Thinking

  It’s a Monday in February, and if you guessed that a lot of Howard County students have the new cell phone policy on their minds, you’d be right. It will mean big changes and it will be stressful, no matter how much good we hope it will do in the long run. But on this particular Monday cell phones might not be top of mind, as amazing as that seems. Some kids will go to school wondering if they or family members will be seized by ICE. Some will fear that their parents’ employment will be purged by the ongoing rampage of Elon Musk and his cronies through Federal Government. Some fear heightened and renewed racism as programs that supprted Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are vilified and destroyed.  Some worry that it soon won’t be safe for them to use the bathroom in school anymore. It goes without saying that some kids fear going to school every day because of the prevalence of school shootings.  And look! Here’s something new to fear. That old hate group, Libs of TikTo...
1 comment
Read more