We Want to Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom

Give them Hell

Chapter 3 begins with an anecdote about Love’s mother, who advised her to “give them hell” (43) every morning before school. The combative phrase reinforced her mother’s politics of refusal, a key component of activism and abolitionist teaching. Love’s mother taught her to guard her dignity. She also stressed the importance of common sense and authenticity, instilling confidence and pride in her daughter.

Irrelevancy

Love describes her experiences as a student at a Rochester Catholic school. The teachers were kind and held the predominantly Black students to high academic standards. However, the curriculum was far removed from Love’s history and community. No one explained why guns and drugs were becoming increasingly prevalent in Rochester, nor did they address important issues, such as the high unemployment rate and economic instability. The 1965 Moynihan Report blamed Black families for not assimilating into mainstream American culture, referring to urban Black culture as “a subculture of violence” (46). By the 1980s, large swaths of the Black population had been criminalized by President Ronald Reagan’s War on Drugs. In many corners of political discourse and popular culture, Black Americans were depicted as unruly, lazy, and promiscuous.