Education Emancipation

This is the fourth and final poem of  my spoken word album called, “The Light of Education.” I hope you enjoy! Transcript: Education is a light A light that beams upon you and me A light that lights the way to incomparable success, and a little bit of distress Nevertheless, education is a light A light that has the power to propel someone out of poverty and darkness with the simple tools of a pencil, a teacher, and a book A pencil, a teacher, and a book, seems pretty simple right? But why is it that some have to fight to attain the same educational rights as the rest of us? Namely, those who look like me Those who have a darker complexion and so they learn a very important lesson early on: Education is power, but you mustn’t fall into the false deception that everything is easy. Those words were the soundtrack to my childhood and those of many of us here today, I’m sure Year after year, though, as my mother repeated those words incessantly, they began to become utterly clear I started to see the kids in remedial classes were predominantly students of color And although they could do more, their light was only dimmed because somehow their future was already secure Somehow they were already predetermined to fail and not go to high places like Yale. And so they had to make their own trail and tread and trek on that trail But even then, the odds were stacked against them Because historically students of color are suspended and expelled at much higher rates as if they are just dispensable And even if they did all of the hard work to get there, on graduation day, they do not see many of their same peers there Because historically students of color graduate at lower rates Which means they don’t go home with a big smile on their face so their mothers can display their only sign of hope next to the box of childhood memories No, instead they turn to the only things they know, which according to everyone is nothing So they go down a very dark road that leads to incarceration, medication, depression, and utter evasion And they can’t help but wonder if it was all because of racial discrmication within schools So, yes, education is a light, with that I don’t disagree, but why is it that students who look like me suffer so very harshly?

This is the third poem in my spoken word album called, “The Future of Education.” I hope you enjoy! Transcript: I propose the solution of emancipation within education. To do away with the biases and discrimination that has oppressed generations. Our people today are more diverse than ever before, so let us fuel the inspiration undoubtedly indebted within our population. Let school be the place where novel ideas prosper, and where imagination takes on its full potential A place that fosters creativity, vulnerability, and individuality instead of negativity and selectivity A place that does not lead to the path of incarceration and the excessive use of nonessential medication Let school be the place where the next Mark Twain learns to not contain his words, but let them flow like the rain and use them for good. And the place where the next Ernest Hemingway is not so earnest with his words that he uses them in a charming, unapologetic way, And the place where the young entrepreneur becomes the next Steve Jobs And while he will not invent the iPhone, truly he will have found his calling Malcom X said, “education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.” Truly, these words have transported through time because although they were uttered nearly sixty years ago they still resonate with us today. May we all remember that education uplifts the next generation to pursue innovation and imagination.

This is the second poem in my spoken word album called, “Bridges to Climb.” I hope you enjoy! Transcript: It is said that education is the most powerful weapon that can be used to change the world. But education is not universal, really it’s only controversial We live in a country where education is prized, celebrated, and precious Where we feel lucky to be well-educated and dedicated to the ideas of the past, present, and future But it was in that past, that was not so long ago, that people who had a darker complexion were separated and degraded because of the color of their skin But, why was it that education is still is used as a means of discrimination? As a means of discrimination not against the caucasian, but against the asian, latino, African, and ingigenous populations. Why are we still seeing the repercussions of oppression in the education system? We may have come a long way from Ruby Bridges, who was one of the first African-American students allowed in an all-white school, but we still have so many more bridges to climb. So many more barriers to topple and so many more role models to uplift. So let us be the generation that does not resist innovation, but rather the one that ends this woeful discrimination within education.

This is the first poem in my spoken word album called, “The Door of Education.” I hope you enjoy! Transcript: Education is the key that unlocks the doors of potential and resilience. Our teachers are the gatekeepers of this illustrious door. A door that opens wide for some, and shuts so abruptly for others. A door that does not speak or think, but one that has the ability to see. A door that sees the color of one's skin. A door that sees the color of one’s skin and equates that to their worth. A door that has to be propelled, pushed, poked, and prodded for people like you and me. Because although the door is only metaphorical, its consequences are very real. To the point where teachers of all backgrounds and ethnicities have said that it may lead to lower self-esteem and prestige. But why is this the way that it has to be?

Hi! This is my spoken word album called, “Education Emancipation.” It is comprised of four poems that explore the richness and inequality within education. I hope you enjoy!