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"Rolling with Difference",,"The image I chose for my humanities moment is representative of how I have come to understand myself, society and the cities around the world. While many might see poverty and struggle in Africa, this man is a waste-picker (recycler) in Johannesburg who plays a critical role in the overall sustainability of the city. After my early career as an urban planner in South Africa thinking through many ways of reducing urban poverty I have had to unlearn the developmental approach to cities in the 'global South'. This image is representative of the shift I believe urban specialists need to make. That is, following normative global trends in urban design, policy and planning is not always the most appropriate change to make in a particular context due to its situated differences. In Johannesburg a waste-picker's lane or a shared bike/waste-picker's lane would address environmental and economic sustainability more holistically. In a postcolonial world teachers and researchers of urban-related disciplines need to be critical of extant theories and practices that disenfranchise cities through entrenched mechanisms of spatial violence.
More personally, this relates to a life-long journey of understanding 'difference'. As I white child born at the end of the Apartheid era, having anti-racist liberal parents but also born into an Afrikaans family, I am exposed to stark identity juxtapositions. Being sent to one of the first multi-racial and multi-cultural schools in South Africa I grew up fortunate enough to build strong, life-long relationships across social borders. Without knowing it, from a young age I embarked on a process of unlearning unjust, societal norms. In my career and personal life I continuously work to understand differences that exist within me; those that are and that which is different to me.
My doctoral research delves into understanding and articulating the tensions that exist from stark differences found in urban space and how this may change the meaning making and conceptualization of 'place'. ",,"Walking through the busy streets of Jo'burg, South Africa - my home city.",,"Summer 2018","Lené Le Roux, 34, Urban planner, Urban Geography PhD candidiate, South African",,,,,,rolling-with-difference,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,"National Humanities Centre","Geography,Interdisciplinarity,Johannesburg, South Africa,Poverty,Race Relations,Sustainability,Urban Planning",http://humanitiesmoments.org/files/original/15/325/Waste_collector_HM_option_2.jpg,Text,"Graduate Student Summer Residents 2019",1,0
"Broken Glass and the Path to a Career in Education",,"In 2003, while deployed to Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom, I went on various convoys and used to see many children in small towns and neighborhoods running around barefoot playing with their friends. One thing I noticed is that there was a lot of loose trash and broken glass. I noticed that many children did not have shoes on. I also wondered if these children in this war-torn nation were not going to school and the adverse impact it can have on their future. This imagery of children in poverty running around with broken glass barefoot has stuck with me.
As I reflected on my time while deployed it made me realize that I needed to make a difference and make an impact on people who are in poverty and in most need. My grandmother and mother were both educators, so I could not think of a better calling than to become a teacher myself. I intentionally only interviewed at schools where I could make the most difference. Teaching in a setting where many students were economically disadvantaged and had faced trauma really allowed me to gain more empathy for the challenges many of our community members face.
As a policy maker I keep the stories of my students and those images from my time in Iraq in my mind, which remind me that there are a lot of folks living in high concentrations of poverty. These memories are a constant reminder that I should not be complacent. Instead, I take pride in being assertive and intentional about helping, respecting and being empathetic to as many vulnerable children and adults as possible.
Prior to his appointment as Governor Northam’s Secretary of Education, Atif Qarni taught at Beville Middle School in Prince William County, leading courses in civics, economics, U.S History, and mathematics. He also served as a GED Night School Instructor. In 2016, Atif was recognized as the Dale City Teacher of the Year.
In addition to his work as an educator, Atif is a former Sergeant of the United States Marine Corps, and was deployed to Iraq in 2003 during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He has also served at the state level, having been appointed by Governor Terry McAuliffe to the Small Business Commission in 2013.",,"Operation Iraqi Freedom",,2003,"Secretary Atif Qarni, Virginia Secretary of Education",,,,,,broken-glass-path-career-education,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,"TAC member referral","Education,Iraq War (2003-2011),Military Service,Poverty,Teachers & Teaching",http://humanitiesmoments.org/files/original/359/broken-glass-1996990_640.jpg,Text,,1,0