You only stand above the ones you teach
To pass down the knowledge you can reach.
You are no better than them.
The people have to be with
you
If you ever intend for progress to ensue.
No individual will change life for all of us on their own.
This battle is not one that can be
fought divided. What use are fancy clothes to the rural family of Mississippi? Flashy
clothes don’t feed hungry mouths and don’t protect the body from brutal beatings.
The horrors of black folks in the south should not and cannot be ignored. One
black person is a black person still. Rich, poor, educated, or illiterate – we
all bear the consequences of being graced with brown skin.
What do you gain by believing yourself
superior to a black man harassed into believing his voice does not matter? What
pride fills you by disrespecting a black woman that is taught that her body is
not her own? When you speak to these people, do you fear the lives that they
live? Do your fingers twitch as you walk around their neighborhoods and their
towns? How quickly do your shoulders tense when you see a white southerner?
These pains are daily experiences
for the people living here. You are equal to the people you will be teaching.
Yes, you have your textbooks and college experience, but they have felt the
ground beneath their feet for years. They know the shop owners, the cracks in
the pavement, and the breeze in the fields. They are not academics, but make no
mistake: they are smart. The community will take this movement forward. It is
your job to be there with them.
A good teacher can ensure that
their students know the information they pass along. A great teacher makes an
exchange with their students: they learn about and from their students while
giving them information as well. The educated hold no more importance than the
illiterate. The man holds no dominance over the woman. SNCC is working towards
balance in this society. We have to start with ourselves, what and how we
teach.
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ReplyDeleteDear Miss Morgan,
ReplyDeleteI am delighted to see a young woman of color express interest in the black freedom struggle, and I am especially delighted to see that you seem to have captured the essence of the SNCC. As I've previously stated, one of the major emphases of SNCC was that of working with indigenous people, not working for them. We seek not to lead their movements but rather to help develop their own capacity for leadership. Even within the activist community, there is often a tendency to patronize those who may not have had the same opportunities for formal education. I still witness manifestations of sexism and elitism, and it is concerning that despite having been subordinated by white supremacy, we still seek to subordinate one another within the black community. It is crucial that the educated facilitators of this movement acknowledge their degrees are not indicative of some greater, overwhelming superiority over the "uneducated" population. You said it best yourself: "They are not academics, but make no mistake: they are smart. The community will take this movement forward. It is your job to be there with them."
You strike me as a young woman full of promise and drive; please keep me updated in regards to your involvements. I would cherish an opportunity to collaborate directly with you and other youth like you.
Warm regards,
Ella Baker