From “Dropout to Doctorate: Breaking the Chains of Educational Injustice” By Terrence Lester, PhD
Pause for a moment and put yourself in the shoes of someone born into an environment riddled with violence or material and social poverty. Imagine constant transition, moving from place to place with fear of more violence following you. Consider the weight, the emotional heaviness, the challenge of processing complex feelings without guidance, and the impact this might have on your ability to focus on a classroom. Could you have survived school? Would you have been able to engage with your studies, make friends, or even envision a future for yourself? Did you experience this yourself?
Now think about the millions who face these types of barriers and injustices daily, much like the people Howard Thurman describes in his prophetic book Jesus and the Disinherited. These are people like me, like my mother and some of my family and people in my community – people with their backs against the wall, navigating social conditions and personal challenges shaped by systemic oppression in a world that often seems indifferent to their struggles, while also being hostile toward those whose skin has been kissed by nature’s sun. When you process this, ask yourself is this also my story? What did I need? What is needed to ensure that people who grow up in environments with their backs against the wall are able to grow and not wither?