“Make sure that classroom teachers, know his story-Leonard Peltier especially history and government teachers. Students can engage in activism by writing their local and national representative. I’ve got lesson plans if someone needs them.” –Kathy Durham
Kathy Durham is someone I follow on Twitter and one cannot find a stronger advocate for Leonard Peltier than Kathy. Recently I had the wonderful opportunity to talk with Kathy about her life and her journey into activism. You can follow Kathy on Twitter @NanaTeacher22
Q.) Thank You for granting me this interview today. So tell me, what’s your ambition for 2023?
A.) To continue to bring passion and energy into the classroom in hopes of inspiring students to become the best version of themselves they can be. To help students find their own passions, discover their purpose and then give them the tools they need to pursue it.
Q.) When did you know you wanted to be an educator?
A.) I did college late in life, I was in my late 20’s early 30’s when I went back to college and only to get my dad off my back about getting an education. I took a couple of history classes because I knew that’s what my dad would take. I fell in love with the subject matter thanks to my professor- Dr. Harold Bauman he changed my life.
Q.) Do you remember the first time you read The Diary of a Young Girl–Anne Frank?
A.) The first time I read Anne Franks’s diary I was in the 4th or 5th grade-I was absolutely fascinated, and later obsessed with the Holocaust. Of course I was heartbroken with the end.
Q.) Where were you born?
A.) I’m an Army brat, so I was born in Dugway, Utah not far from where I live today. It’s a military base where many of America’s chemical weapons are created and tested. I like to joke that being born at a military base where chemical weapons are made is all you need to know why I’m a bit crazy and a bit off.
Q.) Who were your heroes in college?
A.) Tough question, my Nana, who is still alive at 102 and living on her own, has always been my hero, my biggest fan and supporter. I guess if I had to to pick someone famous I’d go with the resistance fighters from the Warsaw Ghetto. They fought to the end, they stood for what they believed in, they persevered though the odds were against them, they had died fighting for a righteous cause. I admire their courage in the face of such difficult and horrific times.
Q.) What is your favorite quote?
A.) “Educating the heart without educating the mind is no education at all.” -Aristotle
Q.) Who is your favorite poet?
A.) Don’t really read a lot of poetry-but I do love Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree. I think songwriters qualify as poets, I think Bruce Springsteen and Stevie Van Zandt would be at the top of my list.
Q.) What is the best investment you’ve ever made?
A.) My education was the best investment I ever made in my life. I’d never have met my husband had I not gone back to college, I’d never been able to take care of my kids and grandkids in the way that I have had if I had not gone back to college.
Q.) What is the thrust of your Twitter platform?
A.) Oh Twitterverse, I went to Twitter because I heard it was a great way to connect with other educators, to collaborate and share ideas. I started two accounts because I found myself worried about having “educator” in my bio and then getting drawn into all the political discussions. But then, I got to the point where I said, No, I am who I am and I shouldn’t have to seperate my political views from my “teacher views.” They are one and the same.
Q.) What’s the best novel ever written?
A.) I’m going to say everything and anything by Agatha Christie. As a kid I was a voracious reader. I’ll admit, I didn’t read as many of the classics that are considered to be the cannon of great literature, but as a young kid I read everything she wrote.
Q.) What is your greatest accomplishment?
A.) Greatest accomplishment, personally it is my family, we’re all a bit dysfunctional like any family but we’re good. My husband and I are both on our second marriage so we had a blended family and everyone survived it. Of course the kids all wrote different life stories or chapters of their lives their way, on their terms and they are good people who do great things that make us proud. Professionally, my greatest accomplishment has been my teaching career. It’s where I met my husband, it’s what provided me with the life I live and I’d like to think I’ve made my own parents proud of the chapters I’ve written. I think I planted a lot of good seeds along the way in the minds of young people and if nothing else I made a lot of kids laugh and smile during class. I would also throw in being elected to the city council as a big accomplishment. We were able to do some pretty good things for our community economically and I think any time you give up your own time to serve the interest of others in the capacity of “Public Service” well that’s a big deal.
Q.) If you could have a gigantic billboard anywhere in your hometown with anything on it, what would it say?
A.) Love one another.
Q.) What has inspired you to become such a strong advocate for Leonard Peltier?
A.) Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. I couldn’t do anything for Anne Frank, or the millions of other people persecuted under Nazi Germany, I wasn’t there. I couldn’t right the wrongs of my own country for the sins of slavery or genocide against Indigenous people who were here long before Western Europeans. I wasn’t here. I was too young to understand let alone participate in the Civil Rights Movement. Yet I teach about these historic times, I always wondered who I would be , and of course I answer myself with, I would be the one to hide a Jewish family. I would be part of the Underground Railroad. I would speak up on behalf of broken treaties. Well Leonard Peltier is still here. The events at Pine Ridge isn’t old history, it’s an example of yet another miscarriage of justice and this time I can do something!
Everyday I say the pledge in class with my students…”with liberty and justice for all.” Those words can’t be just words that we say and then go about our daily lives. To not fight for Leonard Peltier is to allow the sins of the past to be carried into the future, to perpetuate more injustice, and it means to shoulder the blame. Life is precious, everyone’s life has value. I deeply care about my fellow mankind, we are all in someway connected and not to act, not to care, not to speak up on Leonard’s behalf would be contrary to everything I feel in my soul about how we should treat each one another. What our country did to Mr. Peltier is unconscionable and as long as we’re both alive, I will continue to advocate for his release and educate others in hopes that they will as well.
Leonard Peltier’s life matters.
Q.) When did you first learn of Leonard Peltier’s story?
A.) I learned about Leonard Peltier from a Stevie Van Zandt post. I have the most profound and deepest admiration for Mr. Van Zandt. He is one of the most brilliant people I have ever met. His activism inspires me because those are the kind of people I like to associate with. People who care about humanity and the dignity of others. People who want to stand up against injustice. So when he tweeted something about Leonard Peltier I had to go learn the story, woah, what can I say, my eyes were open and my heart on fire to do something to make this right.
Last question…
Q.) You’re at the bakery and the baker tells you he only has two cakes left; Lemon or Strawberry, which one do you purchase?
A.) Lemon, but then I ask him why’s always out of chocolate!
Thank You-Kathy, this was fun.
You can follow Kathy on Twitter
@NanaTeacher22
Charles Micheaux
Atlanta
MICHEAUX PUBLISHING 