Thursday, March 28, 2013

Connections to Community

Selene gave a great overview of what we did today. To recap, we read with students at KIPP, visited Mary Queen of Vietnam, and attended an open mic heralded by a Hamline alum.

We have met a plethora of people so far in New Orleans, and we have had some unbelievably engaging and thought provoking discussions. All week we have talked about the sense of community down here in New Orleans. It is so alive, so prevalent. Down here, everyone is connected, everyone is recognized as a sister or a brother.

This is something I admire so much about the culture down here. It was even prevalent in the classrooms we visited today at KIPP. When a student speaks or answers a question, other students wiggle their fingers in their direction to send them positive "energy" in order to have the courage to speak up and loudly, and to answer the question correctly. Additionally, students are encouraged to snap when they hear something they agree with, like, or support. This fosters this incredible sense of community within the students. They are all working together to be successful.

I can't help picturing a world that had this sort of support on a daily basis. What if we connected and supported each other in this way? What kind of world would that be? I can't help feeling that it may be a more successful one.

To quote Kone, our tour guide earlier this week: "Compassion is the radicalism of the twenty first century."
Kind of a sad thought, but something to really think about.


Bre'Elle E.

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