Editor’s Note: Teaching Tolerance recently hosted a TT Advisory Board meeting in Montgomery, Ala. Here are the reflections of one board member.
Standing on the porch of the Dexter Parsonage, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his family lived during their time in Montgomery, was one of the most memorable moments of the Teaching Tolerance Advisory Board meeting. Miss Shirley Cherry, our magnetic tour guide, is a retired teacher with a flair for history. She handed the house key to Darnell Fine, an African-American educator, who unlocked the door and led us inside the parsonage. This poignant moment perfectly symbolized our roles as educators.
There were many moments during those three muggy days that I’ll happily recall. I was first selected to serve in 2011, and this was my second experience with the Board. I looked forward to meeting the new Board members, renewing bonds with returning members and reuniting with the tireless Teaching Tolerance staff. We were all in Montgomery to create a more just and equitable school system for our students.
The Board includes several new members who were the recipients of the 2011 and 2012 Teaching Tolerance Awards. These activists for social justice in their communities energized our meeting with insights, ideas and a fair bit of humor. The meeting was also infused with a feeling of familiarity that arises from shared beliefs and understanding. This year, Teaching Tolerance added a much-needed voice to the Board: counselors, who affect students in direct, personal and profound ways. Their insight is an invaluable contribution to our equity work.
Advisory Board meetings were jam-packed with discussions, sharing and brainstorming. We described our favorite culturally responsive practices through a gallery walk protocol in the “Each One, Teach One” portion of the program.
Another of my favorite events was our dinner with Richard Cohen, president of the Southern Poverty Law Center. His toast to justice celebrated positives such as the Supreme Court decision on the Defense of Marriage Act, while acknowledging that there is more work to do in light of the same court’s decision on the Voting Rights Act and the recent verdict in Florida in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin.
Each activity and discussion during our meeting reminded me of the importance of being actively involved. The Advisory Board is committed to regularly sharing actionable ideas and opinions about upcoming projects with Teaching Tolerance members. But the 20 members of the Board cannot do this alone.
Teaching Tolerance needs to hear from you. Today’s technology and social media offer many different platforms on which you can share your voice. Be brave and dare to speak up, to share, to dialogue—where you live or on Facebook or Pinterest or Twitter—about what you are doing. Your actual and virtual communities await you.
Our tour of the Dexter Parsonage ended in the kitchen where, one cold January night, Dr. King found his bravery in the midst of death threats for his civil rights work. As Miss Cherry spun the soulful story about Dr. King, our souls were filled with his spirit and profound courage. This inspiring tour left me energized and ready to forge ahead to continue realizing Dr. King’s dream.
One thing is guaranteed: Teaching Tolerance will be with us every step of the way.
Hiller is a mentor to first- and second-year teachers in Oregon and a member of the Teaching Tolerance Advisory Board.
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