Nov 10, 2016 12:00:00 AM
by Erika Sanzi
Never stop believing that fighting for what's right is worth it. And to all of the little girls who are watching this, never doubt that you are valuable and powerful and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue and achieve your own dreams.While the latter part of her comments were especially directed at young girls, those words apply to all children and must be front of mind for all of us dedicated to the students—particularly Black and Latino students from poor communities—who are missing out on the chances and opportunities Clinton describes. And the brutal truth is that the millions of children to whom she was speaking will not be able to achieve the dreams to which she refers if they aren't well educated in high-quality schools run by talented leaders and staffed by skilled educators. It doesn't matter what kind of school educates them but we cannot stand still or stay quiet, not even for one day, knowing that American children are consigned to schools where they aren't learning, where they are victims of abuse, and where a minor school infraction can land them in handcuffs. I am personally grateful for Mrs. Clinton for becoming a voice in my head moving forward.
Editor’s note: Donald Trump regularly incites political violence and is a serial liar, rampant xenophobe, racist, misogynist and birther who has repeatedly pledged to ban all Muslims — 1.6 billion members of an entire religion — from entering the U.S.Pundits mocked and dismissed not only his candidacy but those who supported him. They belittled his supporters, all of them, as ignorant racists, xenophobes, misogynists— deplorables—but turn-out shows that far more women and even Latinos broke for Trump than anyone expected. And to the dismay of her team, her supporters, and President Obama himself, Hillary proved to be unable to carry the "Obama Coalition," the model upon which almost all polls seem to have been based. And while racism, sexism, and xenophobia had to have driven some of the vote, it is intellectually dishonest—and irresponsible—to imply it drove all of it. The night I saw Hillary supporters swarm Twitter to mock Mike Pence for choosing to eat at Chilis with his family while in New York City, was the moment I sensed a path for a Trump victory. Steve Schmidt, former McCain adviser, rightly says that we can't underestimate the role of 'cultural condescension' in this race and the pitchforks that came out over a meal at Chilis encapsulated that for me. I grew up surrounded by the Whole Foods crowd and I know how tiresome that condescension can be. But because of my background and education levels perhaps, I only get hit with it when I take my kids to McDonalds or choose Dunkin' Donuts coffee over Starbucks. Others in America get hit with it from every side.
But don't underestimate the cultural condescension heaped on millions of these working class Americans by elites in this country. Their God is mocked. Their service to the country is mocked. The fact that their patriotism, they get teary eyed when they see the flag. Their values are scorned and you saw this massive resentment manifest itself in this campaign and it's a huge part of it.Through their lens, while the elites were feeding at the table of globalization, technology, and trade, ordinary working Americans with whom they never rub elbows were suffering. And calling out for help. And being ignored. Those who ultimately voted for Trump didn't want to hear about what New York Times columnist Frank Bruni rightly calls "boutique issues." Small business owners didn't want to hear about transgender bathrooms in high schools. They wanted to hear how they could escape losing their business. People without jobs didn't want to hear about the promise of a global economy. They wanted to believe their luck may change and they might find a job.
When people are silenced, when they feel like simply saying, I don’t agree with Obamacare, or I don’t agree with transgender bathrooms, but, if they feel like saying that, it immediately gets them branded, whether it’s on social media, or whether it’s by people talking in a studio, it gets them branded a bigot, a deplorable. They’re going to seethe, and they’re going to find some sort of outlet for that seething, and the outlet is Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States.I found much of Donald Trump's rhetoric appalling. And racist. And incoherent. I've told my own children that they'd be suspended from school if they said the things our now President Elect has said. While one of my sons attends a district school where the student body was split down the middle on Trump vs. Clinton, my younger ones attend a high-poverty charter school that is mostly Latino—and we talked at length the morning of November 9 about how to navigate the day in school with the knowledge that classmates may feel scared and be very upset about the election outcome. Since I was first able to vote, I have supported presidential candidates from both parties. But without exception, I have always done my best to want my president, whoever it was, to succeed. And while this isn't the outcome I wanted or predicted, I shall do the same now. What other option do we have?
Erika Sanzi is a mother of three sons and taught in public schools in Massachusetts, California and Rhode Island. She has served on her local school board in Cumberland, Rhode Island, advocated for fair school funding at the state level, and worked on campaigns of candidates she considers to be champions for kids and true supporters of great schools. She is currently a Fordham senior visiting fellow.
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