Yes, Black Lives Still Matter and Politics-free Schools are a Myth

Abstract

Attempts to support and affirm the lives and contributions of Black people have been consistently attacked and deemed “divisive and un-American.” As the nation recently erupted in protests against racial injustice, K-12 educators were advised to maintain the politically neutral nature of the current education system. In this essay, the author argues that this notion of a politically neutral education system is both a fallacy and a blatant attempt at censorship. The author asserts that schools are not and have never been politically neutral, nor should they be. Instead, the author contends that schools should be spaces where students, families, and educators engage in critical conversations that some may deem controversial. While the inherent value of Black lives is not controversial nor subject to debate, deeper discussions about prejudice, racism, and the White supremacist foundations of American society in K-12 schools are necessary if this nation is ever to live up to its promise of a more perfect union.