Don’t Speak

I used to be more guarded about my words, both online and face to face. Believe it or not, I used to love the back of the room and the protection of knowing that no one knew who I was nor did they care. (Four years ago y’all)

I accepted oppressive conversations as normal and I stayed in my designated place…not by choice but by nature.

When I learned the power of speaking up for myself and others, I vowed to never be silenced again…to never settle for comfort over right.

Over the years, I’ve learned that people in this edu space seem to love vanilla rooms of no pushback or challenge, especially in this Edtech space.

We love to celebrate tools, especially as community members of those that create them. We love to maintain social pedestals as designated by followers and amplification via the “tech circuit”.

We can’t seem to bring ourselves to have honest conversations because heaven forbid that some comment ruffles far too many feathers or worse…eliminates one or more from some tech list.

I know this reality all too well as someone who has been told that certain people view me as difficult…that my pushback is somehow personal and mean.

Le sigh…

To be clear, I’m not mean or difficult. I have principles. I have a need and desire to call out what others can’t or won’t do…other than in my DMs when semi-privacy breeds certain comforts.

What others won’t say in public, gets me labeled because I will. I constantly have to think…

“Should I call this out because what on earth will people think of me? What if I’m not seen as safe or relatable?”

My next thoughts are probably obvious especially since I wear my often oppressed melanin like a badge of honor.

Shrugs.

“Publish”