Barricades on the Road to Freedom

While watching the newly released Selma, the movie, believe it or not, I thought about school. Last week we began our unit study/gamification on all sorts of rights. Our unit includes human rights, civil rights, migrant worker's rights, women's rights, children's rights (and child labor laws), etc. Our unit also includes what happens when those rights are ignored or even snuffed out: genocide, Nazi treatment of Jews and minorities, America's seldom-mentioned Japanese internment, Native American atrocities, et cetera. I have also included amazing activists for students to learn about.  

It took me months of mulling the idea over and over and around before boiling it down.  During the movie I had an insanely strong urge to jot down a note so as not to forget it. Thankfully, hours later, I was able to remember!   

So. Back to Selma, the movie. 

It dawned on me the reason all people want and deserve the rights that have been fought for...we all deserve to be free. 

There have been many things keeping the human race from arriving at freedom. There have been many things blocking the road to freedom. It could be that the road to freedom is the way it is because elder generations haven't known any other way. It could be that changes come and we don't see it happen. Change never comes easily to our species. Regardless of our history, future Homo Sapiens deserve FREEDOM from all forms of bondage:

F aith 

R ace

E ducation 

E levation

D ifferences 

O rigin 

M orality 

If all men and women were created equal -- truly equal to all others -- then why do we have so many speed bumps and barricades on the road to freedom?

What are the speed bumps or barricades on your road to freedom?