wise-word Wednesday 💙

 

I've been collecting quotes for a long time and when I determined to become more active on instagram, I opted to include a weekly wise word Wednesday. This would give me some focus and allow me to share some favorite quotes with my followers. I want to stay in touch with friends and readers, but I also admit that social media is not my strongest suit.  Left to my own devices (basically books, laptop,  paper, pencil & not one but three electric sharpeners), I could become quite a recluse. 

This past Wednesday was Juneteenth so I turned to one of my favorite poets, Lucille Clifton, a poet introduced to me by my son. The quote I chose was from Clifton's poem The Light That Came to Lucille Clifton and the line I lifted was  You might as well open the door, my child, the truth is furiously knocking.

When I first read that poem, I was foolish enough to think that someone had at last opened the door. Society seemed to be changing.   

The Me Too Movement

Black Lives Matter

Obergefell v. Hodge                                                                                                                

                                                                                                                                    

As a country our  hearts were opening wide to recognize our mistakes and become more inclusive.  It finally seemed the door was open and we were inching further down the road of equality and justice, closer to the American ideals that we had so seldom reflected.

But then, on cue, our racist past emerged from the underground holes and hidden hollers.    

Neo-Nazis and White Supremacists  

Charlottesville.                            

The murder of Heather Heyer.    

The murder of George Floyd.

It seemed that our opened hearts were slammed shut before the roots of truth could spread.

I've always tried to stay of the political arena, not because I haven't strong opinions, but because as a former teacher and now middle-grade author,  I respect the right of each person to follow the dictates of their conscience. Like Anne Frank I've always believed that people are really good at heart . I believed  that if we encouraged kids to use their senses they'd recognize the beauty of kindness and justice.  If we allowed students to use their intellect and follow the facts, they would recognize that what happened to Anne Frank, Emmet Till, Heather Meyer and George Floyd, as well as millions of unnamed others was grievously wrong.  

Unfortunately, facts are hard to come by these days. Our world is saturated with misinformation. Books which might sensitize readers to the world around them (and thereby allow a kinder and more just world to emerge) are banned. Adults who should know better are outright lying to obtain or hold on to power.  

The truth is out there but all of us, not just the children, need to exercise our intellect and trust our senses. 

While parents have the right to raise their child as they see fit, they don't have the right to force their belief system on anyone else. Quite frankly, I don't understand why any parent would want to shield their child from the reality that slavery was wrong, that the United States was wrong. What better way to illustrate that even the most egregious wrong can be righted with hard work, humility and truth. Despite our flaws, we can do better if we take responsibility. Why would any parent want to deprive their child of knowing that love comes in a rainbow of colors? The world is a beautiful place— why would anyone lock their child in a house of mirrors where nothing ever changes?

 It seems we are going backwards but I'm heartened by the thought that the flight and distance of any arrow will draw its power in direct resistance to an effort to pull it backwards. The force of truth will not stay in the quiver. Nor must we let it fall limply from the bow.  

my child, the truth is furiously knocking. Open the door and let's follow the eagle-plumed arrow on its way to liberty and justice for all.