1. “The Autobiography of Malcolm X”

“Only a fool would let his enemy educate his children.”

— Malcolm X

In a time of uprising and upheaval, an education that is truly honest, culturally compentent and child-centered is itself an act of revolution. The foundation for this journey is the revolution within each of our selves. Remember, if things as violently inequitable as we know they are — in our schools, in our cities, in our world — the solution might seem radical at first. We might not fully understand it yet, and it might feel uncomfortable. It might even sound like something our schools conditioned us to fear.

But we need to trust that radical change is what’s needed, and that Black and Indigenous leaders are the ones to show us the way. Malcolm X was talking about government-mandated public schooling in the United States when he spoke the now-famous words about the absurdity of allowing his known enemy to educate his kids, and that was decades ago. His words ring out loudly and with bold relevance still today.

We, too, must make decisions that fully reflect our sacred obligation to raise free-thinking, unconditioned children who know and love themselves, and who know and reject our systems of oppression. Malcolm’s words remind us why we have chosen the less-comfortable road and help us maintain the courage of our conviction.