Democracy is under siege in the United States. Since the 2020 presidential election and the continued accusations of election fraud, there have been more than 250 bills written across various states to restrict citizens’ voting rights. New redistricting proposals are attempts to disenfranchise the poor — especially people of color. Other changes have been made to make mail-in and early voting more difficult, to reduce the number of voting sites, and to make individuals’ right to vote more challenging. In addition, there is greater disrespect for the United States Constitution by those elected officials who are sworn to uphold it. Hate crimes, mob violence, domestic terrorism, police brutality and general disrespect for diversity of opinion are on the increase.
I don’t know what it is like to be discriminated against because of my religion, my culture, or the color of my skin. I don’t have to fear my mosque or temple being bombed. But I do have concerns about what is happening. I appreciate anyone’s passion for their beliefs, because so many people I know don’t seem to care about anything beyond their own personal needs. They are more interested in athletes and rock stars than government. They have become numb to politics in this country and do not realize the impact of the world’s problems unless it interferes with their travel plans.
I hate what is happening between Palestine and Israel. I know they have a history of aggression and war. The Israeli government has never abided by the two-state solution – and has continuously taken land and possessions from the Palestinians. Historically, the countries surrounding Palestine and Israel have not cared what happens. Genocide is not new, and too often overlooked.
The west has been guilty – but so has the rest of the world. Fighting for land between the earliest Hebrews and the groups that lived in the lands currently known as Palestine go back to the time before Moses. There was no “west”. The world was full of tribal groups – and the East and Mideast already had developed civilizations. It is amazing to me that Great Britain built such an empire around the world. And their actions of colonialism truly impacted prejudice and racism.
When I was teaching in the early 1980s, I had a middle school student who was from Lebanon. His home was attacked by terrorists. His parents, grandparents and some siblings were killed When the terrorists ransacked the house and stole anything they thought was of value, they said they would come back for the rest. He and one of his sisters hid under a bed for three days – not sure if the terrorists were going to return. When they finally got out, they spent days burying their family members. He came to the United States to live with an uncle and spent most of the day in my biology class. He spoke no English, and I guess I was the only teacher who took time with him. He liked me, but I could not imagine the horror and fear he lived through. There was a sadness in his eyes that I will never forget.
History is filled with war after war – often in the name of religion – sometimes in the name of communism – most of the time just for greed. Greed for land. Greed for resources. Greed for power. But I have never understood why one human being would want to hold another human being as a slave — or kill one another. I would have hoped by now human beings would have become more civilized. But we haven’t. I don’t know why so many countries can’t condemn genocide – both in Palestine and the Ukraine. I guess because we would have to examine our own histories and admit our own sins.
I hate what I see in this world – and especially in our country. Recently I read that there are three wars the United States will face this year: (1) Palestine vs Israel (2) Ukraine vs Russia and (3) the United States vs itself. The increase in violence since 2020 that has been frightening. The threats against judges, politicians, poll workers and candidates put our elections in jeopardy. Schools are no longer safe havens for students. The prejudice, growing gun violence, mass shootings, and domestic terrorism are threats to our democracy. Since the 2020 election there is a growing disrespect for the law and the Constitution.
My great grandparents all came to this country when Finland was controlled by Russia. And even after Finland gained its independence in 1917, in Finland’s Winter War in 1939, the area that one of my great grandmothers came from was conceded to Russia in order to stop the war. In World War II Finland would not join the Allies because of Russia, so they were part of the Axis powers – even though Finland was relatively inactive in the war. My dad and uncle – as well as many of the Finnish men from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan – would not speak of their Finnish ancestry for fear that they would be seen as “the enemy”.
We seem to be going backwards – with voting rights, abortion, immigration, book banning in schools, violence in the streets. Teachers must be concerned about microaggressions in the classroom – the discussion of controversial topics is too often avoided. Students know little about the world— its geography, global economics, and especially global politics. And yet they are expected to vote on critical issues that impact their lives.
Educators must ask themselves, what can we do better? What should curriculum look like that prepares students to be active citizens in their communities? What are the responsibilities of citizenship? What are the threats to democracy and their rights under a Constitution in jeopardy? How do we help students understand that with freedom comes responsibility?