Generally, I like to think of myself as a pretty open-minded individual. I try to educate myself on the things going on in the world and what might be impacting my peers. I do my best to recognize my own implicit biases and where they come from and then work past them.
I’m not perfect, and I don’t claim to be, either. There’s still a lot I have to learn, and that’s a process I don’t think will ever end for any of us. We’re always learning about how to do new things, but we’re also always learning how to be better people.
Working on “The Handle: Living While Black” has solidified this theory for me, and it also helped me do quite a bit of learning. I hope it’s having that same effect on you as well. When we first started the interview process, there were things about the Black experience that I expected we would hear about: being followed in stores, being called names, things that you hear about frequently. I wish that wasn’t the case, but unfortunately those things still happen in our community to the people we know and love. In addition to that, there was also a lot I learned about that I didn’t expect to hear.
In this week’s episode, you’ll hear about desegregation in the Amarillo Independent School District, as well as the renaming of a local elementary school and the re-branding of a local high school.
I happened to attend this high school, Tascosa, not so long ago. When I was a student there, the mascot was no longer presented as a Confederate soldier, and the flag no longer resembled that of the Confederacy. However, it wasn’t that long ago that it did, and it isn’t exactly a secret. As a student, I remember having that conversation with my friends and awkwardly laughing with them about the absurdity of it all, not quite grasping the gravity of the situation.
Tascosa High School is a public school in Amarillo, which means students in the district should be able to attend classes there regardless of their background. However, when the school mascot is a Confederate soldier, or the Confederate flag is flown at football games and pep rallies, or when you have an elementary school named after a Confederate general, it sends a very clear message to students of color, whether it’s intentional or not.
The Civil War is a part of our history, there’s no denying that. It’s also a part of our history that shouldn’t be forgotten or ignored. There’s a fine line between remembering and monumentalizing, and the difference lies in how those pieces of history are regarded. Of course we don’t want to forget the Civil War happened, but to honor that part of our history in the name of a public school, or the mascot of a public school, can understandably make Black students feel alienated.
As a high school student several years ago, I didn’t really understand that. I still can’t tell you exactly what that feels like because I didn’t experience it firsthand. But, through listening, I’ve been able to learn a little bit more. Join us this week for a new episode of "The Handle: Living While Black," and maybe you’ll learn a bit too.
