I. Will. Persist...

“Because love is an act of courage, not of fear, love is a commitment to others. No matter where the oppressed are found, the act of love is commitment to their cause--the cause of liberation.”
― Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed

“To glorify democracy and to silence the people is a farce; to discourse on humanism and to negate people is a lie.”
― Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed

DESPITE the fact that the newly elected leader of my new home calls immigrants of color "garbage", "rapists", and "murderers"

I WILL PERSIST ....

I WILL PERSIST to affirm, lift, elevate, and celebrate the beautiful children of color, their families, their communities, their languages, their stories, their countries of origin

DESPITE the fact that tyranny raises its horns, blows up in anger, accuses immigrants of eating their pets

I WILL PERSIST....

I WILL PERSIST to speak of their accomplishments, their dignity, their stories of survival, their voices of resilience

DESPITE the fact that immigrants are told to speak English because you are in 'Merica

I WILL PERSIST ....

I WILL PERSIST to read Yuyi Morales, Sandra Cisneros, Juan Filipe Ferrera, Gloria Anzaldua to elevate literature associated with "illegals"

DESPITE the fact many children do not have the right papers to be here "legally" because their families fled escaping violence

I WILL PERSIST....

I WILL PERSIST to teach children because I am an educator and my job is to teach and to love, not to check their status

DESPITE the fact that characters and morals are out the window because "we need to save America" and "those are just words"

I WILL PERSIST ...

I WILL PERSIST to develop character in young people, to teach respect, to "go high when they go low", to live out love in action, not just words

DESPITE the fact there is fear of mass deportation,

I WILL PERSIST ....

I WILL PERSIST to replace fear with hope, to hug and protect, to teach with love and joy, and to give and serve until there is nothing else to give

I WILL PERSIST!

WE WILL PERSIST!

WE MUST PERSIST!

Ruslana