Why we need to redefine "BETTER" for the next generation | Shanera Williamson | TEDxNashville

A New Definition of Better

• The term "better" is elusive and difficult to define, as it is a comparative term that is often used to compare something to something else (6m37s).
• The speaker's parents, who grew up in the Jim Crow South, experienced severe underresourcing in their schools, including outdated textbooks and limited access to resources (7m16s).
• The speaker's generation owes a lot to their parents, who lived through difficult times, and they want better than what their parents had (8m20s).
• However, the speaker's parents' definition of "better" is no longer sufficient, and a new definition is needed for the next generation (8m36s).

The Three Essential Ingredients

• The speaker has identified three essential ingredients for a better life: belonging, safety, and truth (8m51s).
• The pursuit of better is no longer just about accessing places that were once excluded, but about finding a sense of belonging and more (9m8s).
• Belonging is a key aspect of better, and it is something that needs to be looked for and cultivated (9m21s).
• Maslow's hierarchy of needs places the need for meaningful connections with others in the middle, indicating it is a fundamental human need (9m25s).
• Researcher John Balby found that people are hardwired to pursue meaningful connections, and if this need is not met, it results in loneliness and mental distress (9m31s).
• Educational psychologists have built on Balby's research, suggesting that a sense of belonging is a necessary component for students to perform well academically (10m8s).

Belonging

• A personal experience of the author's daughter being the only black girl at a sleepover and being told "I don't even think of you as black" highlights the challenges of belonging in predominantly white environments (10m31s).
• Another personal experience of the author's daughter being asked to speak for her entire community in an economics class demonstrates the difficulties of belonging in academic settings (12m38s).
• To address the lack of belonging in schools, the author took steps to create alternative spaces for her daughters, such as joining a black church and a black social club for moms (13m17s).
• Belonging is not something that happens naturally, but rather it is something that needs to be intentionally created and nurtured, particularly in schools (13m35s).

Safety

• Safety is not just about physical protection, but also emotional well-being, which is crucial for a child's growth and development (13m47s).
• A personal experience with a Christian school revealed that even in a seemingly safe environment, racial insensitivity and jokes can still occur, affecting children's emotional safety (14m26s).
• An incident involving a math teacher discussing a current event about Henry Lewis Gates Jr. being detained by police due to racial profiling, led to a defensive response from the teacher when a 12-year-old student disagreed with his perspective (15m46s).
• The student's reaction, filling up with tears and eventually acquiescing, is an example of a "Fawn response" to racial trauma, which can elicit fight, flight, or fawn reactions (17m18s).
• Physical safety is not enough; children need a place where they feel emotionally safe as well as physically safe to thrive (17m39s).

Truth

• An accurate and complete telling of history is also necessary for children to thrive, as it can help them understand and navigate the complexities of the world (17m59s).
• The educational system in the United States has failed to provide a complete and accurate story of American history, with history either being rewritten or erased altogether, which is robbing kids of what they need to understand their lives today (18m22s).
• The reason for studying history is to understand what happened and how it relates to life today, but if the truth is not told, kids cannot apply it to their real lives (18m48s).
• Truth is a necessary part of the equation, along with belonging and safety, in order to provide a complete and accurate version of history (19m4s).
• The United Daughters of the Confederacy created a statue and an entire curriculum for after-school kids that told the Lost Cause narrative, which was later implemented in textbooks and shipped out all over the United States (19m49s).
• The Lost Cause narrative still infects schools today and is not just limited to one place, but has spread throughout the country (20m25s).
• The Lost Cause narrative was found in a recent assignment given to a child about family origins, which asked about the country of origin, when the family came to the US, and the circumstances of their arrival (21m2s).
• This type of assignment can be problematic for descendants of enslaved people and can perpetuate the idea that slavery wasn't that bad, which is not an accurate representation of history (21m24s).
• It's essential to accurately put slavery in context and discuss it with kids when they're ready, rather than throwing it in as a casual conversation topic (21m42s).
• Saying that "we're all immigrants" can be exclusionary to indigenous people and those who trace their lineage through the enslavement period, and it's essential to provide an accurate and complete version of history (22m2s).
• The essential things that kids need have been identified as universal, regardless of their background, and these include belonging, safety, and truth (22m42s).
• Belonging is necessary for all kids, and it should be the kind that is not taken away from them unexpectedly, providing a sense of security and stability (22m56s).
• Safety is also crucial, encompassing not only physical well-being but also emotional care, to ensure kids feel protected and supported (23m7s).
• Truth is vital for kids to understand who they are, including the good, the bad, and the uncomfortable aspects, which helps them develop a sense of identity and self-awareness (23m15s).

The New Picture of Better

• When belonging, safety, and truth are all present for kids, it creates a new picture that redefines what "better" means, and this is where the concept of "better" can be found (23m54s).