You wouldn’t send your child into a school that you know has teachers who aren’t trained to teach, and of course you’d want your child and other family members to succeed in learning basic skills such as reading, writing and math. This may not seem like an issue, but there’s over 130 million children who are not able to get a proper education. There’s only 35% of Hispanic Americans who were enrolled in college, and only around 35% of African Americans who could attend college . There are families and children all across the world that with each step they take, they wonder why they couldn’t be as lucky as us. There are so many people who are not able to learn or become educated based on the color of their skin and where they come from. This shows just how unequal the world still is when it comes to education, and how deeply we need to fix it.
Many of us assume these are mere numbers, but they aren’t. When I think of school I don’t only picture academics and homework, I see friends and another community in my life. School can be the home lots of kids weren’t fortunate enough to have. You may have never thought about this but there are many children who didn’t get that chance, even in our city of Chicago. We should always remember to represent ourselves well, as we are representing those who couldn’t be as fortunate as us wherever we go because of the color of their skin, where they live and come from, or financial constraints.
As all of us become older, the struggle and harsh reality of the world shows more everyday. There are many children and adults who haven’t been able to get any kind of education based upon where they live, their skin color, not feeling safe walking to school, or even being forced to focus on supporting their families at ages as early as eight. Thousands of students sit at a desk waiting for the class to end, while there’s a kid outside praying they will one day be able to sit at that desk.
There are a variety of reasons that education can be struggling from poverty. From a child not being able to attend school because of financial burden, as teachers lack funding for their training. It’s not their fault they weren’t provided the necessary resources, but each day there is a child walking hours to get to school or a teenager working long hours struggling to pay education fees. This should not be normalized nor be looked past.
Now as a Daniel Murphy Scholar, this topic resonates with me. My dream of attending higher education would have been long gone without the scholarship and financial assistance, and I constantly feel I represent something even bigger. As someone of color who’s always tried to prove those negative voices wrong, I always try to embody and represent the kids who aren’t able to get an equal shot at education due to their circumstances.
Speak up. Talk to your families or spread the word of supporting programs that give scholarships and money to the countries who have less. Donate old school supplies, tutor the younger generation, even speaking out through social media is an amazing thing to do. Nobody should ever feel they didn’t make the criteria to learn or weren’t good enough. It’s up to us to make a difference.
Jaylene Garcia – Nazareth Academy – DMSF Class of 2029
Photo Credit: Anne Seubert – Unsplash