But on Friday I was able to talk with Reverend C. about the philosophy behind the community and that's what I really wanted to write about tonight. I told Reverend C. that one of my goals this summer was to learn more about what social justice really is and how it works in the learning center neighborhood. He started out by saying that he has stopped using the term "social justice" because he believes it is a good concept that is ill-applied. Instead, he focuses on systemic justice. Social Justice's goal is to bring people past the barriers that keep them in poverty, but Systemic Justice is the idea that we must completely break down the barriers, so that advancement and success is open to everyone; at least that's the best way I can summarize my understanding so far. The definitions are still a little hazy to me. He said that systemic justice is about keeping community open. Currently, community is closed, there are barriers. Not everyone can live in any area he wants to because of the cost of living in that area. This is a land barrier. People who live in the neighborhood around the learning center rent with Section 8 vouchers, a government assisted housing voucher for that neighborhood. Reverend C. talked about something called a portable voucher, one that would allow those eligible to get government funding to live anywhere. I'm going to have to ask him the next time I talk to him whether these portable vouchers exist or not, but from what I understand, portable vouchers would be a way to break down the land barriers, and apply systemic justice.
Employment barriers are things like educational requirements for jobs. Say someone has independently studied business (for example) and he even has experience in the business field but he does not have an Associates degree in business. Even if he is the best man for the a given job, he won't get the position because there is a barrier saying that an employee in said position must possess an Associates degree. This is an employment barrier.
But perhaps that person wasn't able to get into an Associates problem because of a poor high school GPA. Here we have an educational barrier. Maybe because he grew up in a lower class neighborhood (land barrier) he wasn't able to go to a good elementary or middle school, and therefore did not succeed in high school. It's a failed system that allows for very little advancement.
So, Reverend C.'s philosophy is since we must start in a failed position with the Section 8 housing, we should use the income from that financial exchange to provide a good education (the learning center) to the residents so that they can break the educational barriers, employment barriers, and finally the land barriers.
He also gave me a book of essays and addresses by James Luther Adams, one of the most influential activates for justice and one of Reverend C.'s college mentors. I'm looking forward to reading through some of the essays and getting a better understanding of systemic justice as well as my next meeting with Reverend C. Our first discussion was a really great introduction to systemic justice.
As for the summer program, things have been going pretty well. I've definitely been learning a lot. Mr. T. decided to change the book from Yolanda's Genius to Julian, Dream Doctor, which I believe was written for a younger audience. From the first couple chapters though, I can tell it's a very high quality read. I think the kids are going to do great with it and learn a lot. I was happy to see that Mr. T. was so willing to change his plan. Not that I thought Yolanda's Genius was a bad pick (I actually was really excited to see how the kids would do with it), it's just nice to know that he's really reflecting on everyday and trying his best to find the right materials to truly boost everyone's reading level. He also gave the kids the option to take home chapters of Yolanda's Genius and write journal responses if they wanted an extra challenge. I really respect the way he runs that class and am glad to get to work with someone who cares so deeply about teaching these kids.
Today I sat in Mr. P's reading class with the older kids. They are focusing on satire this summer and they started reading Fahrenheit 451 today. I think it's going to be a big challenge for many of them but that gives them the chance to learn a ton. I've never read the book either so I'm actually excited to read it along with them. Talking to Mr. P. after the class I suggested doing a character map with the students and he said if I wanted to do that with them that would be great. I would really LOVE to teach something, even just a little something this summer, so now I'm really excited about reading this book.
The other fun thing we did today was go on a field trip to Growing Power on Silver Spring. http://www.growingpower.org/index.htm
OK, I might have enjoyed myself even more than the kids. It is so cool. There are a bunch of greenhouses and they have different systems to create healthy soil and fresh produce. There's a store and different volunteer and work opportunities for kids and young adults and they even have fish, chickens, ducks, turkeys, and goats! They're the last farm in Milwaukee because they were grandfathered in when zoning laws changed. I'm definitely going there to buy fresh eggs and produce in the future. It was a really nice day.
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