UBUNTU

Ubuntu is a Zulu philosophy, also known as umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu, meaning a person is a person through their relationship with others. Essentially, I am because you are. If I diminish you, I diminish myself. A love for others and belief in the sanctity of life are the heartbeats of ubuntu. 

 

Ubuntu is nonviolence as both way of life and pedagogical practice. It is power born from our love of others. It is the song humanity craves and the song that makes our souls sing. Through Ubuntu, we learn how to practically transform our lives and our students’ lives while positively impacting our schools, communities, and the world. Ubuntu is a framework, not a formula. The basic components are free and can be found on this site. In-person training sessions are also available. These sessions guide teachers through the practical application process and provide training in mindfulness and cultivating student voice through music, poetry, and prose. 

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Cesar Chavez once said, “Real education should consist of drawing the goodness and the best out of our students. What better books can there be than the book of humanity?” (United Farm Workers, 2022, para. 29). Our students are in desperate need of Chavez’s real education, and the incorporation of Ubuntu is a step in that direction.

 

The Ubuntu symbol, a circle with three dots outside the circle, represents three people, arms outstretched, connected, and united. Humanity as it should be.

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Celebrating a civil rights giant. (2015). Stanislaus State. https://www.csustan.edu/news/celebrating-civil-rights-giant