We Can’t Protect the Future by Erasing the Past

There’s a quote that’s been echoing in my mind lately:

“You can’t heal what you don’t reveal.” – Jay-Z

As a teacher, I’ve seen firsthand how powerful it is when students feel seen—when their identity, history, and voices are reflected in what they learn. But lately, I’ve noticed the winds shifting. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are under fire. They’re being labeled as distractions, “woke ideology,” or unnecessary noise.

But here’s what I know: DEI work is never about adding fluff. It’s about repairing fractures that have gone ignored for far too long.

When I speak to students and organizations through Getting to Know Grandpa, I talk about Fred Thomas, my grandfather—a Black Canadian athlete, veteran, and educator whose story went largely untold for decades. He flew planes for this country during WWII and still faced systemic barriers when the uniform came off. That silence around his legacy? That was the cost of a system that didn’t prioritize inclusion.

When I finally saw his story told on TSN, I felt pride—but also a deep sadness. Why did it take this long? Why did the burden fall on his grandson to make sure people knew he mattered?

That’s what erasing DEI does—it rewrites the history before it’s even fully told.

I get that conversations about race, identity, and systemic injustice can be uncomfortable. But discomfort is where growth lives. We don’t grow by pretending these issues don’t exist. We grow by doing the hard work of acknowledging them—and then acting.

Let’s be real: DEI doesn’t divide us. It prepares us. It helps us build classrooms, workplaces, and communities where everyone can thrive. That’s not about politics. That’s about humanity.

So when I hear politicians threatening to cut funding or silence diverse voices, I don’t just hear a policy debate—I hear a warning. Because once you start deciding whose stories are “too much,” you open the door to forgetting people like my grandfather ever existed.

And that’s something I can’t stay quiet about.