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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Sandra Mitchell, Chaplain
6:46:23
·
4 min
Sandra Mitchell, a chaplain and former public school student, delivers an impassioned testimony about the importance of education and the impact of teachers. She praises the city council for their leadership and shares personal experiences that shaped her views on education and racial identity.
- Emphasizes the need for engaging pilot programs in schools to improve student interest and attendance
- Shares a powerful childhood experience of challenging a teacher's racist statements, highlighting the importance of accurate representation in education
- Expresses gratitude to the council for inspiring her to return to school and pursue a teacher's license, despite facing disabilities
Sandra Mitchell
6:46:23
Blessings to you all.
6:46:25
I am so always flabbergasted when I stand before you because I've never seen a city council.
6:46:32
I've never seen leaders lead like this before in my sixty years.
6:46:37
Never.
6:46:37
You are awesome.
6:46:39
You're making things happen.
6:46:41
You are a legacy in the making.
6:46:44
Thank you.
6:46:45
My name is Chaplain Sandra Mitchell, and I am Harlem born Bronx raised single parent mother at 15 years old.
6:46:55
There were programs in place, pilot programs for middle schools.
6:47:01
We got to check got to check what programs we wanted.
6:47:05
They gave us the power to decide what classes we want.
6:47:08
We they did that because attention span was just nil, we weren't interested, we weren't engaged, and attendance was horrible.
6:47:20
So, we had classes like advanced algebra, calculus, humanities, and we got to learn about different people in different parts of the world and it was awesome.
6:47:32
Need to bring pilot programs back again.
6:47:36
My school I look at Pace University.
6:47:39
I love coming down here.
6:47:41
I love seeing you in your power exercising your power to make things happen for us, for me.
6:47:49
I will be returning back to school because of you.
6:47:51
It's your fault.
6:47:53
I'm going to get that teacher's license.
6:47:56
I had the chance to teach at Roberto Clemente Elementary School and Susan B.
6:48:03
McKinley School.
6:48:04
They were deemed as Bebe's kids.
6:48:06
You can't teach them anything.
6:48:07
You want to go and try?
6:48:09
I did.
6:48:10
And, the children they tried to give me hell, but I gave them love and respect.
6:48:16
I believe in our education system because I'm a public school recipient and my teachers let me know that I can do it.
6:48:25
My colleagues excuse me.
6:48:27
My colleagues have said everything that I wanted to say so I just wanted to tell you this leave you with this.
6:48:34
When I was 10 years old, my social studies teacher told us that all black and brown African Americans, people of color, children of color are descendants of savages.
6:48:50
He set the fire on me.
6:48:53
He should have never said that.
6:48:54
I went to mama.
6:48:55
I said, mama, you gotta tell him a piece of your mind.
6:48:58
She said, no.
6:48:58
You're making a big thing out of something.
6:49:00
Just wanted me to cool it down.
6:49:02
And I tossed and turned.
6:49:04
We didn't go to church.
6:49:05
We didn't have a bible, but I said, God, if you're real, just tell me what to say to that man.
6:49:10
So, I cross examined him and I said, the picture that you have of village men and it's a 20 degrees in the shade.
6:49:18
That's why they have on their bathing suits.
6:49:20
He says, it's not bathing suits, it's loincloth.
6:49:23
And he started to get angry.
6:49:25
But I cross examined him.
6:49:26
I said, it's a 20 degrees in the shade.
6:49:28
They put on their loincloth and they have their spears and they're going out into the vast jungle to find food for their village.
6:49:36
I am not a savage and neither are my classmates, but we are descendants of brave warriors.
6:49:45
He was finished for the year and I'm still doing that.
6:49:50
I wanna say that you give me power as a person now with a disability.
6:49:54
I'm not disabled.
6:49:56
Chaplain, you're gonna get some tees and I'm going to really work out on this body, but I'm going back to school because of you because you have given me the courage where I was feeling kind of how can I do this?
6:50:09
But you do this each and every single day fighting against the opposition and winning.
6:50:15
So I wanna thank you for your heart.
6:50:17
Thank you for your courage.
6:50:18
Thank you for doing this every day, and thank you for giving the the students hope, but really a hope that's gonna manifest.
6:50:26
Thank you.