The way that we know we have done our jobs as abolitionist educators is when, 15 minutes into the first lesson of content at the beginning of the school year, our students ask us, “how do we know the information you are giving us is factual? How do we know you are telling the truth?”

The institution of education was created to colonize the spirit and increase the system’s ability to indoctrinate and force assimilation. As the institution of education faces the current reckoning as a result of the intersection of several social movements, the response of the people in the sky (what I call educational leadership, whether it be leaders in a specific school or national leaders) has been to increase the number of stories we tell about people of color and other oppressed communities. Having students read a book by a black author is about as surface level of a response as hiring a black person to serve as the poster child for an organization. It isn’t enough.  As abolitionist educators we must push leaders to center a more dangerous vision: successful schools should commit to developing critical consumers of knowledge. 

Reading the stories of people of color doesn’t mean we are reading accurate history. People of color have bias and skewed perspectives too. We need to teach students to question everything. In history class, instead of teaching students to read sources and embrace an author’s perspective as history, students should be pushed to ask poignant questions. We should teach students to ask, “Who is the author of this story? What do I know about the identity of this author? What mindsets and ideologies might have impacted the way this author told their story? What institutions, policies, systems, and mindsets might have prevented the author from having access to all perspectives? How might access to power, or a lack thereof, impact this story? What perspectives are missing from this story? How can I supplement the perspectives that are missing from this story by reading other sources? How has this person’s story been impacted by racism, sexism, classism, homophobia, transphobia, colorism, ageism, ableism, and every other –ism that exists? The same questions can be asked in English and other humanities courses. In science students should be taught to ask, “What makes this science? Who decided this was science? What type of people have the power to make something science? Was this idea stolen from someone else? Why was it stolen? Does this science benefit specific groups of people? Who has been oppressed by science? Who has used science to oppress? What is the implication of calling an idea, science? Who embraces science blindly? What systems and institutions make embracing science blindly easy? How can I use science to benefit those that are oppressed? The same questions can be asked in math classes. In the arts we can teach students to ask, “How has art and the media been manipulated to benefit certain groups of privilege? Who has used art as a vehicle of protest and how can I do the same? What perspectives are depicted in art and what perspectives are left out? Is this piece of art an accurate depiction of reality? What message is embedded in this piece of art? Are these messages intended or unintended? What pieces of art has my teacher chosen to center and why? What story is missing?

A skill we need to cultivate in students is the art of questioning authority. We should celebrate when students ask, “Who put you in charge? Why did they put you in charge? Who or what influences the decisions you make? How can power and authority be shared? Why do I receive less power and authority because of my age? Why do you receive more power and authority because of your age? What narrative are you leaving out? Have you included the voices of all stakeholders in your decisions? How are your choices, decisions, and actions influenced by racism, sexism, classism, homophobia, transphobia, colorism, ageism, ableism, and every other –ism that exists? How are you influenced by  privilege? What voices do you use your power and authority to center? Where have you gotten your information from? Do you communicate information authentically and accurately?

The reason I call developing and celebrating critical consumers of knowledge dangerous is because critical consumers of knowledge are often critical consumers of the status quo. They question barriers and break boundaries. They create discomfort for those with privilege. They eradicate policies and dismantle systems. This can feel dangerous for those that benefit from existing social conditions. BUT, to call yourself an abolitionist educator is to be in bed with disruption. We must sever our relationships with our existing social conditions and that starts with what we do in our schools. Students need to think on their own and make informed choices. They need to identify their own truths and filter out the noise. Let’s nurture our students’ inherent skepticism. The students we need to learn to praise are the ones that ask us why they are in school in the first place. The student who asks that question should be the valedictorian.