The Equality Now Project aims to amplify and uplift diverse voices. In the spirit of achieving this, we’ve conducted four student interviews with authors from this project.
In this interview, we were given the chance to speak with Ebony Hardnett, author of the piece “Utopia,” and she expressed her desire for change within her community.
Author Ebony Hardnett
How did you feel returning to school? What challenges have you faced in getting your GED/HSED?
At first, I struggled with it. I was going back to school at 36, a full-time single parent, so I struggled at first. But then I just figured I had to complete it because I have children that are looking up to me, and I have to be about it. And it’s not so much just saying you have to finish school; I have to show them that I could do it too.
What led you to your essay topic?
I feel like we need to be more united as a whole within the community and things. So I feel like if I talk about it, I could be about it, and then more people will start doing it.
How has the Literacy Services of Wisconsin helped you since you finished?
It helped me a lot knowing that I had people who cared about my education as much as I cared about it. [I had] someone looking up to me and knowing that I can do it; it was really exciting.
What is the key takeaway you want the audience to understand about your piece?
We need to be more united. It starts at home, so when you build unity within families, then you can reach out and go and build it within the community because everybody is family in the communities, the schools, your household, we are all family.
Excerpt from Ebony Hardnett’s Student Biography
What does school mean to you? What would you say to someone who is considering going back to school for their GED/HSED, but might be hesitant?
It’s never too late to go back to school; you can always keep learning, no matter how old you are. It’s never too late. You can always keep going and learning.
Does getting published here encourage you to continue writing?
Yes, it does. It encourages me to do more.
Why do you feel it’s important to give back to the community?
It’s important because somebody gotta start doing it. It’s just not the same or being the same as how I grew up; it’s just nobody working together, we are too divided. So I feel like if I am about it, instead of talking about it, we can get more people to be united.
Why do you think not as many people do give back to their communities?
I’m not sure. I don’t think they do because they don’t really care too much, or they don’t feel like other people care. We don’t spread enough love throughout the community for people to even want to give back to the community.
What would you say to encourage people to be more active in giving back?
Somebody has to start spreading the love somewhere; why not start here? You just got to start; we just gotta start. I don’t know how to tell somebody to spread the love or share it because if they start seeing more people doing it, they’ll probably do it, too. If they see more people spreading love, they’ll jump on the wagon.
Cover of “Equality Now Project”
This interview was conducted by Press intern Charlotte Silverwood and edited for clarity by Publicity Director Allie Wendricks.
The Equality Now Project is on sale now (click here to purchase).
For more updates about this book, be sure to head over to its homepage on The Teaching Press Blog, found here.
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