What a strange year 2020 has been. Certainly, none of us expected to experience the major curveballs thrown our way. It has been uncomfortable, scary at times, and eye-opening on many levels. Funny, last year we thought we knew what we were doing — with routines, schooling, parenting, work, and life in general. How quickly, and drastically, things can change. The past few months have really illuminated that fact.
The good thing is that we humans learn how to adapt. And while many of the obstacles we’ve encountered recently have required some serious adaptation, perhaps we’ve all by now found a tiny bit of balance amid the chaos — discovered new ways to navigate our current circumstances. This will be difficult, still, in the coming months. As I write this in mid-July, daily COVID cases continue to spike here in Memphis. Plans for schools reopening are precarious, at best. Remember that we are all in this boat, life rafts at the ready to support and encourage each other as best we can.
In our August issue, planned and written in the midst of confusing times, we’ve put together a few features that look at the possible landscape of education in the 2020-21 school year, though that landscape is changing even now.
A few things won’t change, though. Among them, the need for affordable, accessible childcare, which NEXT Memphis is working on here in our city. The organization’s director Chloe Moore discusses the benefits of early childhood education and why creating an improved network of services is crucial, especially now.
In this month’s installment of Dad Libs (“Meaningful Dialogue”), local father Jeff Hulett shares how he’s teaching his children — and himself — to be anti-racist, something I hope other parents are reflecting on, too, as long-standing injustices are being brought to the forefront to encourage positive change. It’s a good time to take a look at our own biases — intentional or not — and find ways to foster unity and equality.
As we move forward, I urge you to take a few quiet moments — take a walk and appreciate each blooming flower, admire your children playing and laughing, embrace the now as often as you can. The present moment is the only one you can control, and in that, you may find a glimmer of light and peace.
Shara Clark
Editor