Dear Educational Leaders,

Since our last letter, how have you been seeing things differently? What actions have you gotten to do? How have you been creating fertile ground for continued goodness and movement? Last time, we talked about cognitive restructuring during a time when the flurry of government aggression is causing great overwhelm and despair. We highlighted the importance of being aware of and managing our emotions so we could be prepared to seize opportunities. We also reminded ourselves that we have an abundance of strengths upon which we can draw. In this letter, we wish to continue harnessing those strengths by seizing a recently presented opportunity that operates on the cultural terrain of language.

In harnessing our strengths within our areas of influence, let us first reground by invoking collective, radical, humanizing love. This type of love has deep roots that keep us firmly planted no matter the storm. This is a love that is rooted in a profound purpose to engage in radical work to understand and improve the conditions of lives, especially those historically marginalized. This is a love that works to humanize others despite the historical, structural and cultural legacy that perpetuates dehumanization.

Because of such collective, radical, humanizing love, we continuously dialogue with ourselves and others to develop precision in what we do, how we do it, and why we do it. In other words, this love we speak of informs the clarity of our stance, specifically our sociopolitical stance.

As a sociopolitical stance, it must be critically, historically and culturally informed. It must be justice-principled, liberation-driven, and include transformative language. It must center upon humanizing and relationally accountable values. Such a comprehensive stance is not easy to develop, so it must be informed by a clarity that deepens as we learn more, as we do more, as we reflect more, as we both make more mistakes and find more successes. Because the depths of our clarity are intertwined with the roots of our love, let the wind blow. The storm is here. The storm has always been here since the moment of our first breath. This version of the storm may seem unfamiliar, so we must extend our roots deeper and adjust.

Let us get to it then. While there are so many issues to address, the “Art of War” reminds us that we can start with one that has the potential to unlock other opportunities. One such area revolves around the cultural attacks on language and knowledge, which is absolutely within our sphere of influence.

Recently, The New York Times released an article entitled, “These Words are Disappearing in the New Trump Administration.” In that article, approximately 200 words were identified that must be limited or simply cut off from documents used by federal agencies to purge the government of “woke” initiatives.” The types of documents include but are not limited to public-facing websites, school curricula, contracts, and grant proposals.

What is it about “wokeness” that is feared by the government? This attack on words is significant and should not be underestimated. To cut something off, whether with the use of particular language or access to essential funding, is an act of violence. It is a severing — yet it is a normalized practice. Remember, initial attacks only set up future, more directed, more intensified ones. Initial attacks assess an opponent’s response (see first letter). Before exploring how to respond, let us unveil the potential of the attack. Understanding the implications of an attack on certain words will help us to see the greater opportunities for our response.

To control and limit language is to control and limit how we think, know and discuss. If how we think, how we know, and how we discuss is limited, then so are how we understand, how we analyze, how we critique. Once those aspects of how we name and make sense of our world are controlled, then behavior is also controlled and limited. In other words, how we move in the world based on what we know and how we work to improve our world becomes limited. We cannot improve something that we cannot name. Once behavior is controlled, then so is culture. When culture is under control, then the people are contained and seized. Once the people are under this control, then the people maintain the culture, and things become, “That’s just the way it is. It is what it is. It’s whatever.”

This is the long game of such an attack on words. So this is really not just about words. Demonizing certain words is, by proxy, a demonization of the people who engage those words. The smokescreen is all around. Remove the smoke, however, and we see this is about so much more. This is about culture. This is about silencing. This is about erasing. This is about severing the connection from our most cherished freedom fighters who came before us, whose shoulders we stand on, and the hopes and dreams for which they fought.

As you contemplate this analysis, we invite you to reflect upon its implications on your work. How do we seize control of the narrative? How do we lift their smoke and send our own smoke signals to others by sharing analyses such as this? What is our collective call to action? How do our pedagogical moves complement and make transparent the logics behind our actions?

In essence, we invite you to return to Paulo Freire’s timeless work, “Pedagogy of the Oppressed.” More relevant now than ever, Freire’s work on critical pedagogy offers us a collective approach called praxis, which has us learn, study, examine, self-reflect, be in dialogue and collectively act. He provokes us to ask ourselves and each other what questions we need to be asking right now. He offers us a method to be strategic. He reminds us to not only look to the conditions of the immediate moment, but to also envision a tomorrow absent of the systems of oppression that work to diminutize, disconnect, dispossess, dismember. What Freire is referring to is the long game. We have at our fingertips the opportunity to control the narrative today and shift culture through our schools, our community-based programs, our young people.

Never forget that. We are playing the long game. This is not the time to be silent, to be inactive. This is the time to light the fire, to bring (in)sight, to light the way. As you continue the necessary praxis to do this, know that we will return to you next week in our final love letter — “The Good Fire Now.”

In transformative solidarity and community, Dr. G, Dr. Carreón, Dr. Nava

Dr. G.T. Reyes is an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at California State University, East Bay. Dr. Orlando Carreón is an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership at California State University, Sonoma. Dr. Pedro Nava is the Director of Educational Leadership and Associate Professor at Santa Clara University.