I am now retired from Education but recent events in the press have made me reflect on my journey as a woman moving through the ranks in Education.
Today, March 14, 2021, is the anniversary of the death of Breana Taylor. A black woman at home, sleeping in her own bed, shot dead by the Police by mistake. Mistake?? The woman is dead. She had done nothing wrong. She was a first responder, but no big deal right? It was a mistake. Now a young woman in Britain, Sarah Everard, was kidnapped and killed on her way home. Also by a policeman. My point today is not to bash the police but rather to make the point that women, of any colour, are not more safe today in 2021 than they were when I was growing up in the 60's and 70's. The very people to whom we should be able to turn to for protection are the ones in both of these cases who became the danger, the aggressor. Both situations just underline how far we haven't come as a gender.
Growing up I drank the Kool Aid. I believed that if I worked hard enough I could be anything I wanted to be. I believed I was equal to my male counterparts and I believed that race, gender, appearance didn't matter. What mattered was substance and a demonstration of capability. Yes, I was naive.
On one occasion when I was nearly attacked by one of my teacher supervisors in teacher's college I raced home to tell my father what had happened to me. I expected outrage, I expected him to want to go and punch the guy, I expected him to stand up for me, but instead he told me to get used to it. He told me it wouldn't be the last time something like that would happen to me. Here was the man I loved and adored telling me to get used to it. It was very definitely a wow moment for me. I didn't say anything more about it and reported to the school where I was doing my practicum and just accepted it was part of the game. I faced the man, acted like nothing had happened, and got on with my day.
The second memory that really stands out for me was when I went to my very first Principal/Vice Principal conference. My former Principal whom I thought supported my leadership journey and with whom I thought I had a good relationship with called me Slut for the whole three days of the conference. Hey slut, how is it going slut, how are you doing slut. For three days. I was humiliated and tried to hide from him so I wouldn't have to face the abuse. At the time I didn't understand why he was treating me that way but I have come to realize the message was I couldn't have been promoted because of merit. I obviously had slept with the right people to secure my promotion.
The third memory is when I got my first appointment as a Vice Principal. Affirmative Action was alive and well. Board's were working to increase the number of females in administrative roles. At the time I was appointed 98% of elementary teachers were female and only 5% of Administrators were female. Again, I got promoted because I wore high heels and a skirt. It had nothing to do with my abilities.
My first appointment was a nightmare and almost my undoing. It is the closest I have ever come to quitting but somehow I got through it. My Principal used to tell me to walk three steps behind him. On one occasion when they were looking for new leadership in our professional association he leaned over to me and said, "Next thing you know they will want women and blacks up there."
I share all of this because there are so many of us, women, people of colour, disabled, young, old, faiths, cultures and race who have fought for many years for respect and equality but there is still so far to go. When I was experiencing all of the challenges throughout my career because of my gender I just kept thinking it was because I was making it better for the women who would follow me, better for my daughters, but now I am not so sure. I remember listening to Stephen Lewis who said that the biggest crisis still facing the world is gender violence and I hate it that he is right.
I started this off by mentioning Breanna Taylor and Sarah Everard. If the pandemic has done any good it has been to bring attention to the lightning rods of racism and gender violence. Currently there is much anger in response but both point to the need for us as a human race to evaluate our values and morals. There is no doubt that the systemic systems of power and control have not been disrupted and there is so much work to be done. We need to come together as communities to build a stronger society that is driven by a collective purpose rather than preserving the power of a few.
I may be retired from my profession but I will never retire from my commitment to upholding justice. I will never retire from seeking a world where we can all walk home through any neighbourhood and be safe.
