Now more than ever, educators are being asked to speak up, take action, and educate themselves, their colleagues, and their students. I have learned so much over the past day how far I need to grow and learn. Here are some of the voices I am listening to and a roundup of some advice from social media along with some resources and guidance to read, watch, and act. This is not an exhaustive list but it is a place to start.
As a white person of privilege, I am committed to this work and will continue to learn and grow and listen as I explore.
Create time and space to attend to the interior lives of your Black students and allow them the space to process their Black pain and suffering.
Be real. Talk to our students about what they hear on the street, at the dinner table, and on the playground. And don’t stop there, talk to them about their differences. We are not the same. The world has tricked us for far too long with sweet thoughts and words wrapped up in kindness boxes about us being the same. We need our children to recognize the differences and respect them. This is a lesson in humanity and a failure to talk about their own responsibility as a human being is not just a mere missed opportunity, but rather a disservice to humanity – itself.
We’re not asking you to have the perfect response or the perfect words. We’re not asking you to make everyone 100 percent comfortable or make everyone 100 percent uncomfortable. Every person has a role to play and we are just asking you to think about the impact of doing nothing and allow that to shake you to your core. We have to do something.
Mirko Chardin, Artist, Educator, Leader, Author, Friend
Openly discuss race, rather than avoid it, as it arises in the current news cycle, recent research or lived experiences, and ensure safe space for discussion and even healthy conflict with deep mutual respect for one another.
Seema Thomas, Adjunct Professor of Urban Sustainability at UDC
Educators can start by committing to educating themselves on the history of racism in the US, centering diverse voices in whatever they are teaching, and building authentic relationships outside their own racial group. The power of genuine inter-racial friendships can’t be overstated.
Homa S. Tavangar, Author and Co-Founder, BigQuestions.institute, OnenessLab.com, GrowingUpGlobal.net
Recommend stories and poems that creatively explore the themes of racial prejudice.and social injustice. I particularly recommend beautifully-written books like Yaa Gyasi’s Homegoing, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Americannah, Richard Wright’s Black Boy, and Maya Angelou’s I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings. People grasp ideas and concepts more easily when they are encapsulated in well-written stories. Because racism is such a sensitive subject, educators are more likely to draw the attention of their peers if they recognize and utilize the power of storytelling.
Chioma Iwunze-Ibiam, Remote Educator, tutor, and founder and editor of Creative Writing News.
What you do today dictates what tomorrow will look like. I am confident that racism will be fought with everything that we have because of the seeds we plant.No spark is too small to start a wildfire.
Andratesha Fritzgerald, Education Consultant, Online Course Instructor, Virtual Module Content Provider
Resources for you and to share with your communities:
Read
- What is white privilege
- A Timeline of Events That Led to the 2020 ‘Fed Up’-rising
- The Powers of Teachers to Transform an overview on how a pedagogy based on racial justice can help end systemic oppression and fulfill the promise of education for all
- Books to Help Explain Racism and Protests to Kids
- 15 Classroom Resources for discussing racism, policing, and protests
- Do This, Not That: A Guide on Talking About Racial Justice
Watch
- A short history on the history of Black Lives Matter
- Author and Filmmaker Raquel Cepeda explains how she has talked to her kids about race at different ages.
- Rachel Elizabeth Cargyle addresses the recent police brutality and racist incidents through her 3-pronged approach of Knowledge, Empathy, and Action
- A powerful video from Lauren Whitney
- Trevor Noah shares his thoughts current events, the dominos of racial injustice and police brutality, and how the contract between society and black Americans has been broken time and time again
Take Action
- Hold your employer accountable for racial justice: A template
- A great source for parents on Talking With Children About Racism, Police Brutality and Protests
- A list of 100 ways you can take action
- A free teaching activity that helps students understand the origins of racism in the United States and who benefits.
- #8CantWait: Data proves that together these eight policies can decrease police violence by 72%. Look up your city/town and then take action.
We are on a continual journey to listen, grow, learn, and have hard conversations to help to push our UDL community forward. Questions/Feedback? Connect with us education@novakeducation.com
