My So-Called Education

I grew up in Newark, New Jersey.

The Black people lived in one area,

and the whites lived in another.

I went to school for an education.

We started the school day

by pledging allegiance to the flag.

We were told that this flag represented

liberty and justice for all.

While we pledged our allegiance,

the government ordered the armed forces

to murder four million human beings in South-East Asia.

But this was only the beginning of the day.

They told us to pay attention

to the lessons in the classrooms.

They told us to study diligently,

so we might get ahead.

They told us that America

was the most democratic nation in the world.

They told us that government officials

are public servants who have our best interests at heart.

They didn’t tell us that these government officials

violated 400 treaties with Native Americans.

They didn’t tell us that the so-called public servants

belong to a political party that promoted both slavery and legalized discrimination.

They didn’t tell us that getting ahead meant

working hard so someone else might live in opulence.

They told us what to do to prepare us for the time when

a boss would tell us what to do for the rest of our lives.

My teachers all tried to be fair.

They were only doing what

they were told to do.

But is this education?

Don’t we all want to live a better

and more rewarding life?

Shouldn’t education be dedicated

to making this a better world for all?

There is so much work that needs to be done.

There are so many people who want to do this work.

Why don’t schools teach us to do these jobs?

Why are we only taught how to make a few people rich?

We need to make sure that everyone

has a descent place to live.

No one should be denied

the basic necessities of life.

Everyone needs to have the right

to a top quality education.

Everyone needs to have the right

to a rewarding job.

But today the cities are filled

with expensive skyscrapers.

Buildings that demand enormous resources,

yet produce nothing we need.

Why do we teach students

to provide enormous amounts of wealth for a few?

Why not teach students to make this

a world with liberty and justice for all?