There is a roar right now, a rage against injustice. How could there not be?
The recent murder in the United States of George Floyd, has served as a clarion call to unite us. AMI stands with its partners both in the US and around the world in denouncing discrimination, exclusion and all of the social inequalities that deprive adults and children of their rights to a fulfilling life.
Right now, the world is experiencing extreme forms of exclusion, inequity and discrimination. The pandemic, in rich and poor countries alike, has revealed the suffering of the most marginalised: the millions who have neither the resources nor the standing in society to protect them in this time of crisis.
How should we, as Montessorians act during this time? What should we say? What should we do to express our solidarity?
We must stand shoulder to shoulder with the discriminated and the excluded. Martin Luther King reminded us that “all life is interrelated…whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” His words encapsulate our belief as Montessorians. Respect for all humanity is integral to our philosophy. It is the wellspring of our values.
Education is the pathway to a better world; education that includes global citizenship, love and appreciation of others and of our planet. It is a fundamental human right and we must continue to work to make it available to all. In doing so, we must learn to become aware of bias, injustice and systemic discrimination and ensure that there is no unconscious bias, no inadvertent discrimination in the work that we do, with whomever we work. Bias, discrimination and exclusion have no place in Montessori’s philosophy, and nor, therefore, do they in ours.
Children are not born prejudiced, racist or phobic. They are taught to be so. Prejudice is born of the environment and it is an environment which we can all influence profoundly. Maria Montessori worked all her life to bring about a radical change in the way we view human relations. She believed that we must strive “to awaken in humankind’s spirit a sense of gratitude towards others.”
In that spirit of gratitude and love let us act together. Let us aspire to become better partners and stronger allies. Let us seek, identify and transform the hidden prejudices and implicit biases that we carry. Let us listen more, learn from those fighting the hardest battles and work together for real change.
Lynne Lawrence Philip O’Brien
AMI Executive Director AMI President
