A Guide to Equity and Antiracism for Educators
Teachers shaken by recent events and wondering how to work for change in our society and schools can start with these lesson plans, videos, and other resources.
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Recent events have shaken me to my core, and the nationwide protests over the killing of George Floyd suggest聽that people across the country are similarly shaken. These are dark times, but if there鈥檚 anything that seems like a glimmer of light to me at the moment, it鈥檚 the fact that so many teachers are reflecting on how to fight racism:
- 鈥淚鈥檓 a White educator, where do I start?鈥�
- 鈥淗ow can I help?鈥�
- 鈥淲hat if I get it wrong?鈥�
For me, a Black educator and mother to a Black 16-year-old who has reached the appearance if not the legal age of manhood, these questions stir hope. Folks who don鈥檛 look like me are embracing the idea that the fight for equity has to be everyone鈥檚 fight. But fighting racism is a big job, and when the fires of outrage cool, we teachers will be confronted with the reality of planning deadlines, testing schedules, and another hundred things that are all in a day鈥檚 work. The difficult work of equity may become just another item on a desk crowded with to-do lists.
What Can Teachers Do?
The answer, an old joke: How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time, of course鈥攁nd achieving equity is no different. Take small bites that can have big impact and don鈥檛 worry about getting it wrong sometimes, as you inevitably will. If you keep going, you can do something that brings about change.
Reading: Even if you only have 10 minutes, you can learn something to help you create a more equitable classroom. Websites like , the NEA鈥檚 , and KQED鈥檚 feature resources for lesson planning as well as lessons for you as a teacher. Teaching Tolerance is the perfect place to start, whether you want to use to through reading with young learners or plan a聽 with high school students.
In addition to a rich collection of K鈥�12 classroom resources, the website features self-guided PD, on-demand webinars, and podcasts that may enable you to earn a certificate鈥攃heck with your administration first. Those can easily be broken up into small chunks of time. And note that many of聽the site鈥檚 list recommended actions at the bottom.
If your goal is to understand the Black community better, sites designed for Black audiences like , , and Huffington Post鈥檚 are good places to start. These non-mainstream media outlets feature content by minority and minority-supporting journalists. You鈥檒l find content on topics not covered in mainstream media, like coverage of , news about Black brands and influencers, and stories like this one on in its 159-year history. If you鈥檙e teaching Black children who are generally inundated by media that does not reflect them, these are priceless ways you can enrich your current events and show-and-tell circles.
Watching: You can improve your cultural competence and learn about Black Lives Matter by watching 鈥溾�� on YouTube, which will answer quite a few questions on social justice issues, probably including some you didn鈥檛 even know you had. And if you want help in having real discussions on complex issues with young children, the YouTube show will lead you through conversations on being Black, politics, pride, and even death and the afterlife鈥攖ry the episode 鈥溾�� for starters.
If you want entertainment with a cultural component, has a host of shows that cater to a Black audience, as well as original content that regularly features diverse character lineups. Hulu has not only a small curated selection of but also six seasons of the binge-worthy, socially conscious Black-ish and its spin-off prequel Mixed-ish. While Black-ish might be a little campy, it tackles real issues surrounding racism, bias, and social justice issues that arise within the Black community.
Scrolling through social media: This can also be a high-yield way to learn more about Black culture, antiracist strategies, and teaching through a socially conscious lens. Following organizations like and hashtags like and will yield content from educators who either teach people of color, are people of color, or both. And consider visiting a Black church, which you can do even now online: , for example, is an educator who regularly addresses social issues. Even if religion isn鈥檛 your thing, the Black church is a good place to go to gain culturally relevant perspectives.
Taking action: For the civic-minded, the Kellogg Foundation has put together a website that lets you to support, donate, or volunteer in the way you find most relevant. This site can help you focus your attention on one or two civic tasks with broader impact.
Social action is also a great way to involve students, which multiplies your impact. You can teach students how to write emails or letters by asking them to write to your local government in favor of policy changes banning the eight most deadly policing strategies listed at , which has ideas on how to call or email your government yourself鈥攖here鈥檚 a script you can use or adapt.
Looking within: Finally, and perhaps most importantly, take inventory of your feelings. It鈥檚 normal to be most comfortable around people who are like you. It鈥檚 just not good when that makes you and those like you an 鈥渦s鈥� and those who aren鈥檛 like you a 鈥渢hem.鈥� Use a journal to sort through your personal feelings on racism or read on systemic inequities and bias. These long-haul strategies will produce change in you while you take more immediate action in other ways.
The devastating events of the last days have left me shaken. I have felt anger, fear, grief鈥攕o many emotions. But I have also felt buoyed by the great outpouring of support from my less melanated colleagues who want to listen, learn, and find out how to do better. So many of them are already doing amazing things with diverse students. This piece is dedicated to them. They give me hope that this time, we will fight racism together and bring about lasting change.
Don鈥檛 stop now. How do you eat an elephant? One small bite at a time.