For those who weren’t aware, I’ll be moving to New York City this Saturday to begin my two years of service in the Teach For America Corps.
I take this commitment seriously. We all have this assumption that America is a meritocracy; that hard wrk is rewarded with good job and good pay. But when you think about it, none of you are about to tell me that kids coming out of schools in the Bronx had the advantages you did. Still, later in life, you will (hear others) point to some of these same nameless figures and say that they deserve the lifestyle they have because they are lazy, or stupid, or genetically inferior.
This is the new racism. It’s called residential discrimination. We turn a blind eye to the plight of our human brothers and sisters living only a zipcode away. We justify our higher class in society by reassuring ourselves that we worked harder, that we are smarter by our own efforts. Let’s pull that thread out of the myth of meritocracy, that simply doesn’t exist in America anymore.
So I’m heading to New York City, to put my time, money, and likely my tears where my mouth is. I’ll be there, teaching English as a Second Language in the Bronx, for the next two years. I will be bringing a fold-out couch - feel free to visit any time.
Buy less, be more,
Jonthon
