“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
This quote by Nelson Mandela reminds us, as educators, that we bear a great responsibility. Our students and families need us to dismantle systemic racial barriers which impede their success, while also cultivating a passion for learning. We have pulled together some resources that can help you on this journey and want to remind you to engage with a sense of urgency. Utilize the following resources to educate, inspire, and bring to the forefront the narratives which are often absent in the educational setting. Information is power, and we hope you use this power to act, not just absorb.
White privilege has a powerful impact on systemic inequities in education. The resources below help shine a light on that issue but also provide some general awareness for your own personal development. We recommend that you complete this challenge with friends, co-workers, family, or others so that you can share the impact and your “aha!" moments. If you choose to do it individually, make sure to find a way to connect with others in order to process your learning. Feel free to utilize the 21 Day Challenge Facebook page as well.
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Thank you for your commitment to work towards educational equity and create antiracist and bias free environments for students and families. Let’s go!
READ
Why Some Parents Don’t Come to School
Margaret Finders and Cynthia Lewis
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
READ BOOKS & GUIDES
Read the guides online. Where to find the books?
Check your local library. Borrow from a colleague, friend, or school. Or purchase from a local independent bookstore. You can also use these online options to source your selections.
Click here to find Black-owned bookstores by state that have online shopping.
We Want to Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom
Bettina L. Love
The Guide for White Women Who Teach Black Boys
Eddie Moore Jr.,
Ali Michael, and Marguerite W. Penick-Parks
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Case Studies on Diversity and Social Justice Education
Paul C. Gorski and Seema G. Pothini
We Got This
Cornelius Minor
So You Want to Talk About Race
Ljeoma Oluo
Racism Without Racists
Edwardo Bonilla-Silva
Pushout, The Criminality of Black Girls
Monique W. Morris
Waking Up White and Finding Myself in the Story of Race
Debby Irving
Evaluating American Indian Books & Resources for the Classroom
Indian Education for All – Montana Office of Public Instruction
YOUNG ADULT & CHILDREN'S BOOKS
Great for you to read and share with students.
Click here to find Black-owned bookstores by state that have online shopping.
Warriors Don't Cry
Melba Pattillo Beals
When We Were Alone
David A. Robertson
I’m Not Dying with You Tonight
Kimberly Jones
Harbor Me
Jacqueline Woodson
American Born Chinese
Gene Luen Yang
The Proudest Blue: A Story of Hijab and Family
Ibtihaj Muhammad with S.K. Ali
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You
Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynold
Just Ask
Sonya Sotomayor
LISTEN
Access most where you listen to podcasts
Dreams of Black Wall Street Podcast
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Nia Clark
WATCH
NOTICE
Once you deepen your understanding of white privilege and barriers in our educational system for youth who identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, or Person of Color) you will start to notice inequities everywhere. We hope you look at your spheres of influence and take time to notice.
Notice Questions:
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• Who is included?
• Whose voice is missing? • What barriers to participation might exist? • What is shown as being valued?
• What assumptions of knowledge are made?
• Is only racial harmony stressed or are challenges recognized as well?
• Is it a celebration of diversity or an insistence on equity?
Aspects to Examine:
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Classroom & Hallway Walls
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Interactions with Staff of Color
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District Website
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Social Media Posts and What People Are Not Saying
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Curriculum & Student Books
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Parent/Caregiver Interactions and Perceptions
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School Calendar: Holidays and Annual School Events and Celebrations
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PTA/PTO/ or Other Volunteer Groups That Help the School
9. Virtual Learning & Interactions
• How do staff video messages to students highlight privilege, even if unintentionally?
• What assumptions are made based on student participation in video calls? • What message is sent to other students as to the absence of some students?
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10. Professional Development Opportunities
• Are words like privilege and racism used or words like culture and differences?
CONNECT
SOCIAL MEDIA
Follow racial justice activists, educators, organizations, and movements on social media. (You can explore posts without having an account.) Consider connecting with any of the people or organizations you learn from other actions.
Pro Tip: Check out who these organizations follow, quote, share, and retweet to find more people and organizations to follow.
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Anti-Racism Calendar (developed by a student)
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Cornelius Minor - Twitter & Facebook
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ENGAGE
Engagement can be the hardest part for people new to racial justice work. Engaging in racially mixed settings can trigger age-old power and privilege dynamics. The goal is to be a learner, more than a know-er, exactly the opposite of what dominant US culture teaches us to be.
Participate in staff development opportunities:
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Online
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School or District
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Regional
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National
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Book Clubs
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Explore the website and link to the social media platforms each person/organization uses:
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Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ)
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ACT
Though many people believe they need to wait until they better understand privilege and racism before acting, please know that your students cannot afford for more time to pass without you exhibiting some advocacy.
ACTION IDEAS
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Name your commitment to learning about anti-racism to your friends, family, and on your social media posts.
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Convey to all in your circle that the point of racial justice is not to hate on white people, it’s to create a more loving and humane world for ALL. We can’t fix the problem if we don’t name the problem.
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Sign up to Join Teaching Tolerance’s community. Browse the thousands of resources.
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Research a policy in your district/campus that targets or alienates BIPOC youth (hoodie policy or use of racial slurs). Reach out to school board to seek clarification.
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Prepare yourself to interrupt racial jokes. Click here for some advice about how.
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Learn how to be an ALLY for racial equity. Watch this video and share it with a colleague and discuss how you can be a better ally for staff who identify as BIPOC.
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Research candidates running for local office (city council & school board). Ask them questions about how they have disrupted racism in the past and what their plan is to dismantle systemic oppression, or what issues in the BIPOC community concern them the most. (We can only imagine how surprising this question might be!)
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Reach out to students and families who are underserved by doing a home visit with a simple, positive message like, “Thank you,” or “You are Missed.” Let them know their voice matters as you go through the school year and as decisions are made. See what you or the institution can do to better help them share their input (don’t tell them what they need to do).
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Check out this resource regarding social justice standards by grade level. Choose one standard in the “Justice” category and create a lesson to use with your students immediately.
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Solicit input from colleagues about antidotes students, staff, or families have shared regarding racism or lack of inclusion in your educational setting. Perhaps these are microaggressions but gather these antidotes so that the work you do is personal and local. Often times, educators are not even aware that exclusion or racism is an issue in the educational setting.
Let people know you are not neutral!
REFLECT & STAY INSPIRED
WHY REFLECT
Difficult emotions––such as shame and anger––though uncomfortable to feel, can guide you to deeper self-awareness about how power and privilege impacts you and the people in your life.
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Reflecting and journaling enhances learning. By using a 21-Day Reflect tool each day, you discover how much you are actually understanding and making meaning. It helps you to transform your personal experience into a learning experience, and thus build your racial equity habits.
WAYS TO STAY INSPIRED
Disrupting white supremacy, white privilege, and other forms of oppression can be emotionally taxing and exhausting. You will need to fuel up to stay in the work. We offer ideas to explore through the link below.
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Helpful Articles:
Education Edition Inspiration Songs:
Tufawon / Sagepatch Kid
U.N.I.T.Y. / Queen Latifah
Public Enemy / Fight the Power
Tracy Chapman / Revolution
The Beatles / Revolution
The Impressions / People Get Ready