Roberto Germán [00:00:01]:
Welcome to Our Classroom. In this space, we talk about education, which is inclusive of, but not limited to what happens in schools. Education is taking place whenever and wherever we are willing to learn. I am your host, Roberto Germán, and Our Classroom is officially in session. I wrote a poem called Anger because too often we're caught up and we're taught that anger is dangerous, especially for certain people. We're told to calm down and be reasonable, to not take things personally. But what if anger is actually information? What if anger is the body and spirit saying something here is not right? That's what I want to sit with in this episode. Not how to eliminate anger necessarily, but how to understand it, especially in this moment we're living in.
Roberto Germán [00:01:08]:
Anger doesn't show up randomly. It shows up when dignity is violated, when boundaries are crossed, when power is misused. Anger is a response, not a defect. And right now, a lot of people are angry, if for real reasons. When we see ICE detaining people without due process, separating families, operating with impunity, the anger that rises in people isn't irrational, it's human. It's the response of watching harm unfold and being told to accept it as normal. So I want to ask you gently, what makes you angry right now? And why do you think it makes you angry? Here's something we don't talk about. Enough anger is policed.
Roberto Germán [00:02:00]:
Not everyone's anger is treated the same. Let's be real. Some anger gets labeled righteous. Other anger gets labeled dangerous. Some people are praised for being passionate. Others are warned that they're being aggressive. Embrace status and power play a huge role in who gets which label. When communities of color express anger about ICE raids, abuse or fear, it's often framed as hostility, threat, overreaction.
Roberto Germán [00:02:41]:
Meanwhile, institutional violence gets framed as policy, as procedure, as just the way things are done. So let's be honest. Whose anger is taken seriously in this country and whose is criminalized? One of the most effective tools of control is telling people not to. To feel what they feel. Don't get political. Don't cause trouble. Just comply, stay professional. Those phrases sound neutral, but they often function to protect systems, not people.
Roberto Germán [00:03:27]:
When anger is suppressed, injustice gets room to breathe. And it doesn't just happen nationally. Right. It happens in classrooms, it happens in workspaces, it happens in families. Silencing anger harms intact. It keeps harm intact. Silence and anger keeps harm intact. Yes, that's what I'm trying to say.
Roberto Germán [00:04:04]:
So. So here's the question. All right, I. I want to pause or slow down. I. I wanna. I Want us to. To wrestle with this a little bit.
Roberto Germán [00:04:17]:
What happens when people are forced to swallow their anger? You know what I'm saying? When you have to contain it, when you are suppressing that anger, when it's all up in here, all up in your chest, who benefits from that silence? Anger rises most fiercely when people are reduced to less than human, to numbers, to labels, to cases. That's why language matters so much. I subuse is authority. Let's just get. Get that out the way. I subuses authority. And most easily when people are talked about as illegals instead of parents, children, workers, neighbors, human beings. Dehumanization makes cruelty easier to justify.
Roberto Germán [00:05:18]:
And this is where poetry enters the conversation. Poetry exists to restore humanity, to SL us down long enough to feel the weight of a life. Anger and poetry actually sit close together. Both refuse to let harm be abstract. So ask yourself, how does language shape the way violence gets justified or resisted? We need to make it clear. Let's make this very clear. Anger is not violence. Anger is an emotion.
Roberto Germán [00:05:58]:
Abuse of power. That's violence. Even when it's legal. Those two things are often intentionally blurred, can't see straight. And feeling anger at injustice is not the same as using force to intimidate, cage, or dehumanize people. And yet anger from the margins is often treated as more dangerous than state power. I'll ask it plainly. Why do you think anger from people without power is framed as a threat, while harm from those with power is framed as order? A question for us to consider.
Roberto Germán [00:07:00]:
Want to foster conversation here? And this conversation doesn't start in adulthood. It starts early in schools. Anger is often punished instead of understood. I know I've experienced it both as a student, I've experienced it as an adult. I've been one to perpetuate the system. I'm being honest. I've had moments where that has manifested in that way, and I've had to reflect on that. I have the name that I have to correct that right.
Roberto Germán [00:07:36]:
Where it was managed instead of named and removed instead of guided. Kids learn quickly that anger equals consequences. And when kids learn that expressing anger gets them punished, they grow into adults who don't know how to challenge authority. Even when authority is wrong and sometimes authority is wrong. I've been an authority figure, and at moments I've been wrong. And that's not an accident. It mirrors how society wants people to respond to injustice quietly. So let me ask you something personal.
Roberto Germán [00:08:14]:
How were you taught to deal with anger growing up? Were you taught discernment or suppression? Here's the reframe I want to offer. Anger doesn't have to lead to discernment destruction. Anger can lead to protection, to advocacy, to solidarity. The goal isn't rage. The goal is responsibility. Anger is often the first step towards saying this is not okay. And sometimes it's the thing that pushes us to show up for families being targeted, for students being silenced, for communities being erased. So instead of asking how to get rid of anger, maybe we should be asking what would it look like to let anger lead to care instead of harm? I want to leave you with this thought.
Roberto Germán [00:09:22]:
Anger doesn't mean we've lost our humanity. Sometimes it means we're holding on to it when systems are trying to strip it away. As you sit with this episode, I'll pose another question, not to answer right away, but for us to carry. What is your anger asking you to protect? Hey, I'm grateful for y' all listening. And I'm grateful for you staying in tune to your own humanity. Stay in tune to your own humanity while acknowledging and being in tune to the humanity of others. Until next time, keep leading, keep loving, keep learning. As always, your engagement in our classroom is greatly appreciated.
Roberto Germán [00:10:23]:
Be sure to subscribe, rate the show, and write a review. Finally, for resources to help you understand the intersection of race, bias, education and society, go to multiculturalclassroom.com Peace and love from your host, Roberto Germán.
