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podcastSeason 4

Raising Free & Aware People

By January 23, 2019February 19th, 20192 Comments
Why This Now (A note from Zakiyya Ismail)

”There’s a contestation between the dominant messaging in our society and our goals as unschoolers in raising free people. The dominant society we live in is patriarchal, racist, ableist, homophobic and adultist.  It’s evident in in the way language is used, TV shows, jokes, books etc. Our inevitable participation in this society means we end up absorbing and internalising many of these messages, reproducing them subconsciously (or consciously) and inadvertently upholding the very systems of domination and oppression we’re experiencing and fighting against.

We need to have a conversation about developing a set of tools and a solidarity around raising free people who are also aware people. This is vital especially since we’re not using tools of oppression in attempts force our children into an awareness of our deeply unjust society. We need to normalize the conversation and safe space-making in takes to explore this, and this is one effort in that direction.

We’re not raising children in a bubble, so the conversation and tools are an inevitably necessary part of the journey to raising free and aware people.  Raising free aware people is how we work toward dismantling oppressive systems – systems that they will inevitably face and be oppressed by, or systems they will face and benefit from while oppressing others.  It’s a cycle that we need to break, and it will not happen if we are not deliberate and clear about our intentions. Raising free, aware people isn’t a mere conversation topic, it is a responsibility we have in endeavoring to help transform our world.”  #BIPOCinSDE

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Join the discussion 2 Comments

  • Domari says:

    This is my first time listening to your podcast, and I am hooked! This entire conversation resonated with me so much, and I can’t wait to listen to more! I’ve been trying to decide what to do with my kids next school year (I homeschooled for 2 years, then put them in public school for 2 years) and this has given me so much to think about. Thank you for sharing! ❤️

    • Safiah says:

      So happy you’ve found our community, Domari! Welcome! Keep on listening, and be sure to listen to past episodes because the conversation is deep and dope, and so very necessary for us to raise free people. Thanks for listening!

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