Optimism and Time
"Somewhere along the way we must see that time will never solve the problem alone but that we must help time. Somewhere we must see that human progress never rolls in on the wheels on inevitability. It comes through the tireless efforts and the persistent work of dedicated individuals...Without this hard work, time itself becomes an ally of the insurgent and primitive forces of irrational emotionalism and social stagnation. We must always help time and realize that the time is always right to do right." - Dr. Martin Luther King,Jr.
This quote comes from Dr. King's speech at Western Michigan University in December of 1963. I think this quote works well with the article from Dr. Howard Zinn. As educators with a interest in social justice, we can not be pessimistic and give up or think that time will automatically bring change. I encourage you to keep in mind both Zinn and King as we explore Diversity in Higher Education together. How will you maintain energetic optimism in the face of the challenges in educational equity?
I am very moved by this quote by Dr. King. It is particularly poignant for him to point out the simple fact that if we are not working toward social justice, we are accomplices to oppression.
ReplyDeleteWhat this particular quote takes me back to is Dr. King's letter from Birmingham's jail. As he was asked by a citizen why he could simply not wait for eventual change and the agonizing crawl of perceived progress, he stated: "I must make two honest confessions to you, my Christian and Jewish brothers. First, I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action"; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a "more convenient season." Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection."
Given our current views of educational reform, where we appear to be "Tinkering Toward Utopia" and doing "The Same Thing Over and Over Again" I wonder if perhaps incremental approaches to reform should not be praised. They seem to be what colors the educational literature. Educators should simply try to move forward with the educational tides and make small lasting reforms. What keeps me moving is that some of the educational literature provided by Dr. Baber is not of the incremental type. They call for sweeping reforms and make convincing arguments to support it. Aligning myself with these view of educational reform is what keeps me optimistic. And, at the end of the day, if the best we've done is incrementally reform and brought about some progress, so be it. But, I'd rather fail at grand experiments than continually succeed with moderate reform.
Speaking of optimism, I think a key reason to be cynical is the responses to the following article on the Daily Illini website last year. There is a lot of work to do when people perceive the cultural houses as "educational welfare."
ReplyDeletehttp://www.dailyillini.com/index.php/article/2011/01/students_expressed_concern_over_proposed_multicultural_center#