EQUITY AND INCLUSION IN EDUCATION: A SPOKEN WORD POEM

We call it a "level playing field,"

but some of us are running on asphalt

while others are sinking in the sand.

We built these halls with high ceilings

and grand staircases,

then wondered why those in wheelchairs

were still waiting at the bottom of the steps.

Education isn’t a handout or a favor;

it is the oxygen of opportunity.

But inclusion isn't just "letting them in the room."

It is not an RSVP to a party where you aren't allowed to dance.

Inclusion is the radical act of

rewriting the guest list

and then changing the music so everyone knows the beat.

Equity isn’t a synonym for equality.

Equality is giving every person the same size shoe—

even if some have blistered heels and others have no feet.

Equity is the tailor,

measuring the distance between where a soul starts

and where the dream resides.

It’s the teacher who sees the hunger behind the "disruption."

It’s the syllabus that doesn't just echo

the voices of the victors,

but listens to the whispers of the marginalized.

It’s recognizing that a "standardized" test

often measures wealth more than wisdom.

So, don't just open the door.

Take it off the hinges.

Don't just offer a seat at the table.

Ask who built the table, and why it was so small to begin with.

Because when we teach for some, we fail all.

But when we build for the margins,

the center holds stronger than it ever has before.