For many of the kids there, the school was a respite from the rest of the world. It’s where they knew they’d be warm. It’s where they knew they’d get two hot meals. It’s where they knew they’d have structure and routine, even if some of them fought against it. It’s where they knew they’d be (relatively) safe for eight hours a day. It’s the only place some of them would encounter adults equipped with the energy and resources to help them. And me knowing this and still seeing them how America saw them and wanted me to see them was an act of violence.
"There" is Wilkinsburg Junior/Senior High, where he was a substitute teacher.
