A Day to Remember

A Day to Remember

June 2020

Memorial Day 2020 will forever be remembered as a day that shook our nation’s conscious as we watched the brutal murder of George Floyd at the hands (or more specifically the knee) of Minneapolis police.  Mr. Floyd is not the first African American to become the victim of such brutality.  His death, along with Ahmaud Arbery’s (a young black man chased and shot by vigilante white men in Georgia) and Breonna Taylor’s (an EMT shot and killed by Louisville police in her own home in the middle of the night) have awakened a reality that too many are discovering for the first time – racism is alive and thrives!  In fact, it is so deeply rooted in America, that it has become as American as apple pie.  Racism is embedded in the very fabric of our society and impacts every aspect of our lives.  For centuries, systemic racial disparities have existed in health care, employment, the judicial system and in education.

As educators, who are African American, our personal experiences have not been spared from the ills of this disease called racism.  But in spite of it, we continue to press forward with sheer determination and conviction in all aspects of our lives.

At Taylor & Taylor, we are continuously striving to eradicate the weeds of racial biases by destroying its roots.  To be effective, however, we must ensure our educators are adequately trained and equipped to do so.  As James Baldwin says, “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”

To begin this transformation, we must begin with truth and knowledge; and, that journey begins with educating America’s most precious resource – our children.  Let’s end this disease once and for all.  Let’s begin with understanding why – Black Lives Matter!

 “Racism is a grown-up disease, and we must stop using our children to spread it.”

~Ruby Bridges~

 Wandy Taylor, EdD