I acknowledge that
mine is probably not the voice Michigan teachers and students need to hear in
this moment.
But White silence, and especially the silence of White teachers is
not acceptable, either. So since I have been given this platform, I will use it
to make sure every teacher and every student knows where I stand.
Teaching is, and always has been, inherently political—not
partisan, as some would try to make it seem, but political—and teachers make
decisions every day that impact our students’ learning in political ways.
Students are watching us; they see the decisions we make about the
books they are asked to read, and the history we choose to present. They notice
the people, ideas, and events we present as “important,” and those we choose to
leave out, intentionally or not. And they see when we choose not to talk about
current events like the murder of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery,
and so many others because “it’s too political.” Guess what—NOT talking about
them is a political choice, as well.
My district—and many others—often say that, in education, “all
means all.” And I do believe it is every educator’s responsibility to show up
and stand up for all of our students.
But right now our Black students need us to be better. They need
us to do the work and to show up for them. They need us to see them and hear
them and say—out loud—that yes, Black Lives Matter. Because all can never mean all until the lives,
experiences, and bodies of our Black students matter.
So as a White person and educator who can never understand the
experience of living as a Black person in this country, I promise to continue
to read and to learn. I promise to listen more than I speak, and speak when my
voice is helpful to ensure that alongside our calls for diversity and equity,
we also seek justice for our students and communities.
I would like to use the rest of this space to amplify messages and
voices I have been following and reading for the past few years in my own
journey to become anti-racist. I hope you find them helpful.
Dr. Ibram X. Kendi @DrIbram, author of How to
Be An Anti-Racist
Ø This is the book I read, but I am also currently reading Stamped:
Racism, Anti-Racism, and You because it is
written for young adults.
Ø Recently Dr. Kendi was on Brené
Brown’s podcast, Unlocking Us.
Robin DiAngelo, author of White Fragility: Why it’s so Hard for White People to Talk
About Racism
Ø I read this first because it came recommended and I didn’t know
where to begin. I just knew I had to begin.
Michael Harriot, @michaelharriot has taught me so much history I
didn’t know, and added context to the
history I thought I knew.
Bettina Love’s We Want to do More than Survive:
Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom speaks directly to the heart of what it means to be a
teacher.
Season 2 of the podcast, Scene
on Radio called “Seeing White,” helped me see the deep through-lines from the roots of
racism to what is happening in America today.
The 1619
Project podcast is an oral telling of the project
itself. You can also read it here. This series helped me to see the deep history of how
racist thinking and racist policies infect every part of our country’s
governance, education, healthcare, city planning, and, of course, policing.
Paul Gorski’s work at the Equity
Literacy Institute should be required teacher PD, but let’s just start with
this piece entitled Avoiding
Racial Equity Detours. You will see yourself, your school, and your
district in these “detours,” and it will blow your mind. Paul solidified for me
so much of what I couldn’t figure out how to name.
I discovered Val Brown @ValeriaBrownEDU on Twitter, and I have
become a little obsessed with her wisdom, humor, and deep understanding of what
needs to change in our schools. The chat #ClearTheAir (@ClearTheAirEDU) is
where I have learned what to read, what questions we need to be asking, and how
to find allies in this work. Full honesty—I’m not great at jumping into the
chats, but the books they have discussed have made me better. One example: The
Essential Conversation: What Parents and Teachers can learn from Each Other,
by Sara Lawrence Lightfoot, which I’m planning to re-read before school starts.
There are countless other pieces and people I could add, but this
is the work we can all do. To close, this piece by Cortney Ariel for Sojourners sums up a lot of my own
learning, and would be a good place to start if you are just leaning into this
work: “For Our
White Friends Desiring to be Allies.”
Black Lives Matter, my friends. Our students need to hear us say
the words.
