Our Response to Injustice Across the Country

Dear First Teacher Network,

We hope this letter finds you taking care of yourself and your family in a time of both long-continued horror and injustice and new potential transformation. 

The last few weeks have been a reminder of why First Teacher exists: because racism exists, not because of supposed deficiencies in Black and Brown families. We are a movement of parents and caregivers working together to prepare all our children for success in kindergarten and beyond; more importantly, we are a community of power and safety and love. We are a community where parents can laugh, let down our guard, be ourselves, feel held both emotionally and physically - even these days, through our screens. 

One of the ways we have been together is through our Tuesday night Parent Virtual Commiseration Party. It is an hour filled with laughter and sometimes tears and always, a parent says something that we all take away with us. Recently, Ludvie, a powerful mama, used this expression during one of our Tuesday calls in connection with her sons: 

“More is caught than taught.” 

One of our core tenets in the First Teacher movement is that learners are developed at home.  In examining the role we can continue to play to fight 400 years of racism embedded in our country and ourselves, we know that what we do best is create spaces for people to come together to learn and grow and connect. We do so to nurture ourselves and also our children so that they can begin to live without the insidious footprint of historical and daily racism we have all grown up experiencing, whether we were the perpetrators or the receivers. 

What are we doing now?

1. Listening and continuing to build the First Teacher movement with Black and Brown parents and caregivers in Roxbury and Dorchester

2. Stepping up our Family Play Weeks - summer programming for families with young children in Roxbury and Dorchester  - with our partners, Countdown to Kindergarten, Boston Children's Museum, and Vital Village

3. Identifying and rooting out our own practices in our organization that uphold white supremacy (Including but not limited to fear of conflict)

4. LaToya, a First Teacher Parent Leader, says that it is time to create brave spaces. In the spirit of playing the long game, of pacing ourselves in the fight for justice, we would love to know if any of you have an interest in creating a brave space by talking with a group of parents - either in affinity groups or in a mixed group - about how racism impacts your lives and your children's lives. Again, long game. We will gauge interest and think together about how to make this happen - perhaps in the winter. Let us know if you are interested.

What can you do?

Many of you are already doing so much and do not need to hear from us about what to do. Some of you are just entering, eyes wide open. Take care of yourself. This is a from-this-day-forward and forever fight. Ask yourself these questions:

1. Who is consistently at my table? At my BBQs? My more intimate gatherings?

2. Where am I spending my money? 

3. How much do I know about my city or neighborhood’s local politics? How much money is in the police budget versus the early education budget?

4. What are my children catching? 

Because you are part of First Teacher, you are invested in the idea that all children have the right to be ready for kindergarten and beyond, and that all parents and caregivers have the power to prepare them to do so. Continue the work after all organizations and businesses have stopped sending their solidarity emails. Continue the work when your social media feeds become filled with photos of your friends at the beach. 

We commit to continuing to do the work and invite you to continue to do the work with us so that every child has the freedom to live, love, and learn freely, and so do their parents. 

Finally, allow yourself joy. Just tonight, Alexa, a First Teacher Parent Leader, led us in a joy and wellness activity. We each shared a song that lifts us up when nothing else can, and then listened to each other’s songs together. We have included the playlist at the bottom of this letter. We hope it lifts you, as it did us.

With love, respect, and gratitude,

The First Teacher Team

First Teacher Playlist

Soulstar by Musiq Soul Child

Pray for Grace by Spearhead

Sunny by Bobby Hebb

Sunflower by Swae Lee and Post Malone

The Heart is a Muscle by Gang of Youths

Optimistic by Sounds of Blackness

He Reigns/Awesome God by Kirk Franklin

Golden by Jill Scott

Made a Way by Travis Green