This classroom will not be a safe space
This classroom will not be a safe space
This classroom will not be a safe space
For domesticated discussions
You won’t be able to say any and everything without repercussions
You are not the president
Nor one of his tweets
When you speak
Your voice emanates from a mouth that’s attached to a body
That can get shot down just like Ahmaud Abery
You are more than 140 characters
You are 25 of the 56 million potential historical actors
56 million students disaggregated
And alienated in remote satellites called home hiding behind screens
Missing football games, pep rallies, proms and other things
Posting throwback pics of last year in crowded halls with hashtag #FuckCovid19
No doubt wondering what does this all mean
And when can we return to normal
But what is normal
And is that something we wanna return to
Where 1.5 million of you return to school
But when the bell rings they don’t have a house to go home to
What is normal
And is that something we wanna return to
Where 16 million of you will stagger down the halls in desperate need of food
What is normal
And is that something we can even return to
When every time I turn around they shutting down our schools
What is normal
For your 1 and a half million undocumented peers
Showing up to school everyday terrified in tears
That an ICE agent might make them disappear
And worst still, you’ll never ask what ever happened to Javier
What is normal for your 14 million black classmates
Forced to navigate a curriculum riddled with hate
As they maneuver through crumbling buildings that are overly policed
That are pipelines to prison not opportunities
We know normal
Normal looks like neoliberalism
Parading as a hero to save us from fascism
Let’s redefine normal as we redefine our lives
Let’s normalize students becoming radicalized
Let’s normalize teachers teaching revolution
Let’s normalize schools as a site where society finds solutions
To the contradictions of capitalism
Where class consciousness triumphs over racisms
Where radical feminism supplants patriarchy
Where students and teachers march in lockstep to crush today’s oligarchy
Let’s redefine normal
Let’s redefine today
Let’s lean into discomfort
This classroom is not a safe space
