The Importance of Education in Creating Opportunities

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.- Martin Niemöller

This is Part 3 in my interview with Broderick. You can find Part 1 here and Part 2 here. 

Broderick is a yogi, capoeira practitioner, and educator who is passionate about fostering human evolution towards more wholeness, love, kindness, goodness, and beauty. As a dedicated yogi, the overwhelming majority of his energy is employed in the cultivation of these qualities within himself. He feels that his daily, personal yoga practice is the means by which he is able to express his highest self in service to others. Broderick also has a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Georgia Tech and a Doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine from Bastyr University. For more information visit www.broderickrodell.com

I remember when I first started teaching students would say, "White bitch, what do you know about me?"  Of course they think that.  Especially after I learned some of their stories.  Teachers who looked just like me, called them stupid, assholes.  Why should they trust anyone in leadership if folks they were supposed to trust can't lead by example? The teachers hated them and were scared of them. The students lived up to the expectations that were set for them. FAILURE.  Schools are structured for the social norm.  They are structured for white middle class students. Schools have not been open to all students for very long. I asked Broderick what he thinks. -Jennifer

Broderick: "Schools should find a way to teach social emotional learning and to develop human potential for all kids. Educators need to be trained for all kids. I don’t know if society is fully ready for it.We have no idea of the experiences of the person that we have come in contact with.  We don't know if that child has been abused at home, they may have been sexually assaulted, neglected. We should be sensitive and empathize with children. That doesn't mean you don’t create discipline in your schools, but there has to be a balance and a building of trust.Maybe they lacked a healthy attachment so their capacity for emotions and sensitivity... are stunted, especially those coming from an impoverished environment. Maybe even the teachers’, theorist and lawmakers’ growth have been stunted because of a lack of healthy attachment in childhood. I have seen children get whoopings under the age of two years old. A two-year old, is just beginning to recognize that the world is separate! So beating/spanking a child at this tender age is traumatizing and the child begins to see the world is threatening and not safe. This is the foundation for which their perception of the world will build. If they don’t have secure attachment it may stunt their growth and it makes it difficult to engage and relate appropriately. It can be generations of perpetuating harmful ideas."

I have been slowly reading Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire and these thoughts really stuck out for me from chapter 1:

Dehumanization, which marks not only those whose humanity has been stolen, but also (though in a different way) those who have stolen it, is a distortion of the vocation of becoming more fully human. Neither the oppressor of the oppressed can live in the full expression of humanism because humanity has been lost... In order for the oppressed to be able to wage the struggle for their liberation, they must perceive the reality of oppression not as a closed world from which there is no exit, but as a limiting situation which they can transform.[The] individual oppressor as a person. Discovering himself to be an oppressor may cause considerable anguish, but it does not necessarily lead to solidarity with the oppressed. Rationalizing his guilt through paternalistic treatment of the oppressed, all the while holding them fast in a position of dependence, will not do. Solidarity requires that one enter into the situation of those with whom one is solidary; it is a radical posture.

I asked Broderick how he stays positive with the exposure of all of the negativity? We talked about how the negativity has always been there but it is just starting to be revealed in a more real way.

Broderick: "I am optimistic. Hopeful. I know that we are all an expression and the spirit and of the divine. My practice teaches me that. My experiences teach me that. I believe in us. I believe that we can transform into a loving and compassionate people. I know that hate is out of ignorance and we don’t know yet our greatness. The more we experience our greatness the more we will strive for it."

I was moved by Broderick's frankness and I asked him what he would want to say to African American Youth

Broderick: "Educate YOURSELF. Seek help. Find supporting networks. Find support. Know that you are beautiful, tap into that beauty. Tap into any resources you can to realize yourself to the fullest.Get help. When you grow up in poverty you don’t have the most confidence about your own self-worth in life. You have to find a way to do that. Surround yourself with people who are positive. Find healthy distractions. Being cool doesn’t mean that you need to engage in activities everyone else is doing. We have to transform what is cool and hip. Be self-aware. That is cool! Doing good and positive is cool.  READ!  Find mentors dead or alive."

I asked Broderick what he would say to white America:

Broderick: "Be honest with yourselves. Try to see the world from different eyes. White folks with their white privilege need to be courageous… to understand and accept that privilege… and help retransform the world. We are all ill from the history of the society. All of us need to take part in transforming ourselves."

Broderick gave some solutions:

Form groupsI know some folks who are getting together to talk and feel comfortable with being vulnerable… being able to be vulnerable opens up to healing. Have the conversation with someone that you can be vulnerable with. We can’t have these with anyone. Some people will harm us. We need to create trusting communities where we can have dialogue and have helpful and constructive conversations about the challenges we all face. All groups of folks have there challenges and we need to get together an honest dialogue to brainstorm solutions.Believe humanity has the potentialWe have to believe that as a humanity that we have the potential to express love in the world… to be kind and compassionate. We are all family and need to learn to be together. We are designed to do so.Relate to each otherThe more we relate to each other, the more integrated we become, the more gifts that we can bring to the world. If we do the work to realize this, we will be much better off… all of us. All of this competition is overrated. I don’t have to compete with you. I have to beat out the next guy. We collaborate to compete. Why not compete under the umbrella collaboration? Under our current copetetive paradigm, I know it can be a challenge to do more together.  However, we have to encourage each other and work together if want to experience a better world. We must bring our talents together in order to create something beautiful together. I have to bring what I have to the table, because what I have is unique and different and needed as we mold this beautiful world together for generations to come."

We would love to hear from you.  Share your solutions below.Do you have a story?  To be considered for interview as part of our community series send an email with your story idea.