Tag Archives: equality

on *juneteenth.

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Jordi Prat Pons.Books that had been cast aside, unwanted.

Villa del Arte Galleries Barcelona (at Mandarin Oriental). Passeig de Gràcia 38-40

 

“it really boils down to this: that all life is interrelated. we are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tired into a single garment of destiny. whatever affects one destiny, affects all indirectly.”

-REV. DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.

*Juneteenth (short for “June Nineteenth”) marks the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1865 to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people be freed. The troops’ arrival came a full two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth honors the end to slavery in the United States and is considered the longest-running African American holiday. On June 17, 2021, it  officially became a federal holiday.

humanity.

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our class of 3’s-4’s

met with their learning partners

a 4th grade class

and together

they read a book

learned about what Dr. King

stood for and fought for

in his own peaceful way

talked about

what love, fairness, equality

meant to them

then created

a lovely art piece together

each to become a square

in a large paper quilt

created by the whole school

a beautiful collaboration.

 

“make a career of humanity.

commit yourself to the noble struggle for equal rights.

you will make a better person of yourself,

a greater nation of your country, and a finer world to live in.”

-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  – March for Integrated Schools, April 18, 1959.

equality in learning.

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“education is a better safeguard of liberty than a standing army.”

*-edward everett

 

*Edward Everett was an American politician, Unitarian pastor, educator, diplomat, and orator from Massachusetts. Everett, as a Whig, served as U.S. representative, U.S. senator, the 15th governor of Massachusetts, minister to Great Britain, and United States secretary of state. (1794-1865)

 

 

 

 

 

image credit: rutgers.edu

on juneteenth.

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“to deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity.”

-nelson mandela

image credit: princeton university, african american studies

our part.

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“love football – hate racism”

well done.

 

“ours is not the struggle of one day, one week, or one year.

ours is not the struggle of one judicial appointment or presidential term.

ours is the struggle of a lifetime,

or maybe even many lifetimes,

and each of us in every generation must do our part.”

-*john lewis

 

*John Lewis was an American politician, civil rights leader, and Medal of Freedom awardee who served in the House of Representatives from 1987 until his death in 2020.

together.

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“america is a tune. it must be sung together.”

-gerald stanley lee

 

the final word.

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open society.

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 powerful messages found everywhere

 

“in an open society, no idea can be above scrutiny, just as no people should be beneath dignity.”

-maajid nawaz

 

grand trunk pub, detroit, michigan, usa -2020

get in the way.

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The Bloodiest Sunday 

Bloody Sunday was a cruel incident that occurred on March 7, 1965  in Selma, Alabama. Six hundred orderly protesters were ready to march to Selma on a Sunday to support the Voting Rights Movement. They were led by John Lewis, SNCC, and SCLC activists. All six hundred of them crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge, but were blocked by Alabama State Troopers. The police commanded them to turn around, but the protesters refused. The police say ‘they had no choice’ other than to start shooting teargas into the crowd, and beating the non-violent protesters. Sadly, they hospitalized over sixty people. To this day, Lewis still has a visible scar on his forehead from Bloody Sunday. This week, I watched as you made one final trip over that bridge, in your casket, with Alabama State Troopers saluting you, and people holding you in their hearts for all you did for them. You will always be remembered as a brave and compassionate leader who truly led by example.

RIP, John Lewis, thank you for always getting in the way, and showing us how it’s done.

 

“you must be bold, brave, and courageous and find a way… to get in the way.”

-john lewis

we.

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‘Friends Who Share Balloons’

 

“peace is not merely the absence of warfare,

any more than true health is simply the absence of a disease.

nor is peace simply a quiet state of equilibrium –

impossible to achieve in an evolving system.

though refraining from harm is an essential first step,

lasting peace is created by actively redressing harm done.

peace is a creative process of joining i and thou into a co-creative we.

it requires authentic communication, empathic listening, and wildly creative solutions.”

-anodea judith

 

 

 

image credit: willowdayflowerproject by gina – Leaves, Twigs, Iris, Geraniums, Lilacs, Delphiniums, Hydrangeas, Marigolds all got together and became “Friends who share balloons.”