Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Irreverin

Home
Progressive Christian
When Inclusion Becomes a “Divisive Political Issue”

When Inclusion Becomes a “Divisive Political Issue”

Last updated on: November 23, 2016 at 1:37 pm by Erin Wathen

When Inclusion Becomes a “Divisive Political Issue” 2016-11-23T13:37:41-07:00 Erin Wathen

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

One of the school districts in the Kansas City area has banned teachers from wearing safety pins.

Two weeks ago, responses to that headline might have been… Are they worried kids will use them as weapons? Did someone poke their eye out? What if there’s a wardrobe malfunction? Is everything dangerous now??

But now we can add safety pins to the list of inanimate objects that have become loaded with social implications. Along with Starbucks holiday cups and Target bathrooms.

The safety pin started in the UK following the Brexit vote. When citizens saw their immigrant neighbors being harassed, they took to wearing these pins as a sign of solidarity. To many Americans, it seemed like a tangible expression of support that could be easily applied to our own context. In the wake of election day, with many groups–specifically ethnic minorities and LGBT people–feeling threatened by the charged climate, the safety pin emerged as a symbol of safe space. Wearing it in public says that you do not tolerate hatred; that you are an ally of the other, that you are a friend to those who might otherwise be targeted by hate speech or violent intent.

So when the Shawnee Mission School district issued a statement barring its faculty and staff from wearing such a symbol on school grounds, reactions were predictably intense.

via Pixabay

A special school board meeting will be held on Monday; administrators have issued official responses; and the ACLU of Kansas has already descended. Their defense of the pin-wearing practice is rooted in the free speech rights of the teachers. While that’s certainly a valid argument–and maybe the one that would best hold up in court–it is perhaps not the main issue at hand.

What’s far more concerning is the reactionary nature of the ban. In response to parent complaints that teachers were being “political,” the immediate response of the district was to ban the pins altogether. On the one hand, that response missed a big opportunity for dialogue; about the school’s anti-bullying policies, about the district’s commitment to equality, about any number of issues wrapped up in that little pin.

Even more alarming is the counter-message conveyed by this new rule. If teachers aren’t allowed to express their support for students who might feel distinctly unsafe in their own community, then that is not just a free speech issue–that is a human issue.

The inclusion and safety of everyone–*especially when we are talking about kids in a public school–*should be a given. Not a “divisive political issue.” The full humanness of all, and the right to go about one’s day without being harassed…these are not partisan matters. They are not up for debate.

That such expression of inclusion and diversity has become so closely aligned with a certain political position, says something pretty alarming about the opposing political position. Again, this doesn’t have to be a binary matter. It need not be an either/or thing… You should be able to stand for the safety and well-being of all, regardless of politics or ideology. A public school system, especially, should be able to speak for the safety and equality of all its students, regardless of the political affiliations of administrators.

But if you can’t… If you can no longer associate a philosophy of human dignity with both arms of our political system, then at least one end of that system has jumped the shark.

No one should have to stay quiet about that.

It is worth mentioning that minority groups are not just being paranoid when they say they feel unsafe in their communities. The Southern Poverty Law Center has reported more than 700 instances of racially-motivated harassment and violence, perpetrated since the election. And these are just the reported instances.

Meanwhile, as the President elect assembles his (mostly male, mostly white) cabinet, some of his first picks include: a known white supremacist as chief strategist; another as Attorney General; a national security adviser who once said that Islam is a “cancer that must be excised;” the Kansas Secretary of State, who has both nationalist and populist ties (and apparently does not know how to handle top secret documents for a photo opp); and an assemblage of other characters whose commitment to equality is, shall we say, questionable.

We are dealing with a public figure that goes Twitter-ballistic on comedians, reporters and artists who challenge him, while issuing the mildest dismissal of a neo-Nazi group that held a convention to celebrate his victory.

I know that not all supporters of this regime–let’s just call it what it is–are comfortable with the language of hate. I recognize that we are complicated people and these are complicated times… that you can support certain “policies” without entirely supporting his politics. If this is true–as I’m told it is, and as I try to believe the level best in people–then teachers should be able to wear a safety pin without being accused of high treason. If we are all equally disturbed by the racist tone of recent rhetoric, then the damn pin is not a partisan statement. It is a human one.

It is such a small thing… So small that, in the face of so much hatred, it may not do much. Some critics have said it is too safe a protest; allowing the privileged to feel they’re doing something pro-active, while never really getting out of their comfort zones. Maybe all that is true. But at the very least, it should be o.k. to wear that small statement without implicating a party line.

If a statement of tolerance and diversity is read, first and foremost, as a protest against the new President–well, what does that say about his platform?

What does it say about what’s coming?

Freedom means many choices. Not just yes/no, black/white, rich/poor, in/out… Freedom is complex, and it is rarely binary. But if, right now, my only two choices are pin or no pin, then I know which side I want to be on.

Being a Person

aclu

faith and politics

progressive christianity

racism

safety pins

shawnee mission school district

steve bannon

white privilege

Previous Post

November 16, 2016

The Country Needs Us, And We Need You: A Call to Action

Next Post

November 28, 2016 Anticipate: Advent 1, Word 1

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category a good week for progress Advent and Christmas Being a Person desert life faith and community Good News for Progressives Lent and Easter Marriage and Family S*^! Jesus Says sabbatical road tripping Spirituality in Culture Talking to Strangers the "Best Stuff I Ever Ate" diet travel Uncategorized writing Writing Prompt Wednesday

Select a Month January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 February 2011 July 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What city did the Good Samaritan's story happen on the road to?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Jericho Bethlehem Nazareth Jerusalem