This evening I had the opportunity to attend a performance at Sidecar Coffee, a small coffee shop on "The Hill" in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Below are some of my thoughts, not shared as eloquently as WWP, but rather musings from this white guy, that believes in student voice, sharing your world, and recognizing that whatever your feelings are, put the human race first and listen.
Tonight I heard student voice, and through that voice:
I heard - joy, sadness, passion, beauty, feelings of being marginalized.
I heard that a student is an imposter in some of their settings of learning.
I heard love from a sister to another as she was introduced.
I heard that being a woman can be rough.
I heard that the color of skin means a lot, to every side of this messed up equation.
To that I say:
Students you are important, you are valued, you are necessary, YOUR VOICE NEEDS TO BE HEARD. You are talented. You are__________________. And your job is to fill in that blank with whatever you want to be and however you wish to express yourself.
We are Waterloo
We are the Cedar Valley
We are Black Hawk County
We are the state of Iowa
We are the Midwest
We are the USA
We are the World
We are different
We are the same
We are every adjective you can think of, good, bad, on our best and worst days
We are motivated
We are striving for a greater world
I sing because you sing
I play because you play
I write because you have written
Your story needs to be continued to be told
You need to continue pushing boundaries to improve the world
You need to be present
You need to be unique
You need to hold on
Not everyone is what they seem
Not everyone wishes to be unkind
Not everyone is going to understand the first time, be kind in turn, and lead by a strong example
All need to listen
All need to listen
Listen so hard that even the silence speaks, because it does, even louder, through actions and deeds
All need to speak for groups that aren't represented, for groups that aren't heard
To these students again,
Strive to rise above oppression - we are here for you - The glory is us, united as one, fighting as one...
This is nowhere as great as WWP, but I offer you their words, their mission, please seek out this project, and help individuals continue to write.
http://www.waterloowritingproject.com
Sorry again that this is disjunct and perhaps hard to digest. I was so moved and could not find a way to articulate the powerful messages I heard tonight. Reach out, help, and share.
Like them on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/WWP319/
Peace my friends,
TGZ
Tonight I heard student voice, and through that voice:
I heard - joy, sadness, passion, beauty, feelings of being marginalized.
I heard that a student is an imposter in some of their settings of learning.
I heard love from a sister to another as she was introduced.
I heard that being a woman can be rough.
I heard that the color of skin means a lot, to every side of this messed up equation.
To that I say:
Students you are important, you are valued, you are necessary, YOUR VOICE NEEDS TO BE HEARD. You are talented. You are__________________. And your job is to fill in that blank with whatever you want to be and however you wish to express yourself.
We are Waterloo
We are the Cedar Valley
We are Black Hawk County
We are the state of Iowa
We are the Midwest
We are the USA
We are the World
We are different
We are the same
We are every adjective you can think of, good, bad, on our best and worst days
We are motivated
We are striving for a greater world
I sing because you sing
I play because you play
I write because you have written
Your story needs to be continued to be told
You need to continue pushing boundaries to improve the world
You need to be present
You need to be unique
You need to hold on
Not everyone is what they seem
Not everyone wishes to be unkind
Not everyone is going to understand the first time, be kind in turn, and lead by a strong example
All need to listen
All need to listen
Listen so hard that even the silence speaks, because it does, even louder, through actions and deeds
All need to speak for groups that aren't represented, for groups that aren't heard
To these students again,
Strive to rise above oppression - we are here for you - The glory is us, united as one, fighting as one...
This is nowhere as great as WWP, but I offer you their words, their mission, please seek out this project, and help individuals continue to write.
http://www.waterloowritingproject.com
Sorry again that this is disjunct and perhaps hard to digest. I was so moved and could not find a way to articulate the powerful messages I heard tonight. Reach out, help, and share.
Like them on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/WWP319/
Peace my friends,
TGZ
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