March 1982: Wake County Superintendent Dr. Walter Marks proposes a Schools of Choice program of educational options designed to achieve racial balance and efficient utilization of schools. The magnet program begins August 1982. (News and Observer).
May 10th, 1982: I am born.
In 2nd grade my parents chose to send me and my sister to Washington Elementary. A magnet school in downtown Raleigh across the street from the projects.
In 2nd grade a white mid to upperclass girl knew the name of those projects, Walnut Terrace.
In 2nd grade, I had my 8 year old party. I remember two things distinctly. One, my friend asking me " you are friends with black people." I had one black friend there. Two, a different friend telling me she wanted to come to my party, but didn't know if she could buy me a present. She lived right by the school and rode the green bus, not the pink bus.Speaking of buses, my sister and I rode the bus everyday. We loved our 45 minute bus ride.
She "found" me a present, a pair of hoop earrings. I have a picture with me and those earrings. I loved those earrings. In college, in my class Teaching Diverse populations, when I was asked to remember my first experience of diversity, I remembered these memories.
Last night, Wake County voted to end the diversity policy that has been in effect for a long time. Schools will go into neighborhood schools. Each school zone will have a magnet, year round and traditional option. My husband went to neighborhood schools and he turned out fine. He went to school with all of his friends in the neighborhood. In second grade, I was friends with all my neighborhood kids as well as kids in north Raleigh, regular Raleigh, downtown, and other parts of Cary.
I don't even live in Raleigh and it breaks my heart. I don't even have children and it still makes me cry. This policy is a little about racism, a little about new people not understanding, but mostly about the future, and me understanding a little more the people that walk into my office everyday straight from the projects of downtown Norfolk, and me understanding a little more the importance of Washington Elementary, and the old school policy.
Hello Blog World! As you could see from my post below I signed up for a half marathon! For the past few weeks I had been down about my running and working out in general. It probably all started when I ran a 5k with a bunch of hard core runners. All the girls were super thin and everyone was talking about what times they wanted. I just wanted to run the whole time. Then the run was hot and I could barely breathe. I began to feel sorry for myself. The old bad thoughts began to poison my mind. "You can't do this," "Running sucks," "You will never be able to run a 5k in less than 30 minutes, why are you even trying." So I put these pictures up to remind myself. "Wendy you look a hell of a lot better now that you are a runner (ALSO THANK YOU WEIGHT WATCHERS) AND you are much happier." A person can only be the best version of themselves. I may never be able to run a 5k in less than 30 minutes. I may never get to that 150 pounds that I once tried to achieve. I can though continue to be the healthiest best version of myself.
