Education in the streets

Chris Riser, a Black male middle-school teacher, allowed his class to join a protest against police brutality on the anniversary of the police killing of Quanice Hayes. That meant the students left the building during school hours, and for that, the school began the process of firing the much-loved, much-admired teacher. There have been protests, petitions, and rallies, and today during one more rally, the school system released a statement that they are no longer considering terminating his contract, but they are still “investigating.” Local news story is here. 

I took many photos during the rally, and this is one of my favorites. I find the gender fluidity of young people fascinating and beautiful. Many call themselves non-binary and use the pronoun “they” to describe themselves, in order to avoid the limitations of gender. I don’t know if these three call themselves non-binary, but they certainly do not fit gendered stereotypes. 

The students, most of them eleven to fourteen, are learning about class, race, gender, and systemic oppression. This is what education looks like.