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Current Year: '25-'26 School Year
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- September: What is keeping us together, focused, and motivated to do this work in 2025?
- October: Revisiting the Helms White Identity Model
- November: Learning from White Anti-Racists of the Past
- December: How can we identify and challenge white supremacy culture in ourselves and our institutions?
- January: How can we create classroom culture that resists white supremacy and that nourishes Black joy?
- February: How can we co-create joy with students?
- March: How can we prepare our schools to support students in the face of ICE terror?
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Current Year: '25-'26 School Year
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It’s the end of another school year so we are looking back and forward. This email contains the guide for an end-of-year reflective BARWE meeting below, but first our own reflection on the year, an invitation to the #TeachTruth Day of Action and an important call for feedback!
Looking Back:
This year’s Inquiry Series featured a variety of topics, with a common thread of finding ways to overcome overwhelm and to use our voices and actions to support those facing pushback when speaking out against injustice. We took some time learning from past and present white antiracists to learn more about our own barriers and privileges.
For the past three summers, teachers rallied across the country at historic sites to speak out against anti-history education bills and to make public their pledge to teach the truth. The teacher-led rallies received national media attention, providing a valuable counter narrative to the oversized coverage of the well-funded anti-CRT movement.
Once again, we invite educators, students, parents, and community members to rally across the country and pledge to #TeachTruth and defend LGBTQ+ rights on June 8, 2024.
Please check this map to find planned Teach Truth Day of Action events near you! We encourage you to join or plan an action in your city! This slideshow is full of ideas and examples from past events. You can also fill out this form in order to receive resources and support from the Zinn Education Project.
Looking forward: Please give us feedback!
Last year, we ended the year asking for feedback to help guide us in our work going forward, and we’re doing the same this year. As an organization we are always considering how to evolve and your feedback helps us make those decisions. The more we hear from you, the better! This feedback form is short and straightforward - we would greatly appreciate you filling it out, whether you meet with a BARWE group regularly, or simply skim this email every month.
Overview:
As you close out the school year, we encourage folks to have a BARWE meeting with your school or organizational group to reflect on your work this year. As you meet with your group to close out the year, we’re asking you to look back, as well as to look forward. Instead of having a resource to discuss, we invite you to reflect on your work together using our guiding questions.
Guiding Questions:
Facilitation Reference Guide:
Thank you all for your feedback so far, please keep it coming!
Pass The Hat:
In addition to being accountable to our colleagues and students of color, we believe it is important to be financially accountable to people of color who are doing this work on a daily basis. Each month, we will recommend an organization led by people of color, in education and beyond, doing the work of pushing for justice.
At the end of each monthly discussion, pass a hat (or a box) and collect donations for the designated organization. You can then have one group member go online and donate in the name of your school. If you want, you can add “Building Anti-Racist White Educators” after your school name.
This month we are suggesting donations for Zinn Education Project’s Teaching for Black Lives Campaign. As the campaign says on their website, “Teachers around the United States face the challenge of how to teach in the midst of the pandemic and with daily news about threats to Black lives. The Teaching for Black Lives campaign of the Zinn Education Project (coordinated by Rethinking Schools and Teaching for Change) supports teachers with free lessons for teaching about racism and anti-racist struggles, distribution to school districts of the book Teaching for Black Lives, teacher study groups, a podcast, online classes for teachers, and more.” Donate here and make sure to indicate that your contribution is for the Teach the Black Freedom Struggle campaign.
Looking Back:
This year’s Inquiry Series featured a variety of topics, with a common thread of finding ways to overcome overwhelm and to use our voices and actions to support those facing pushback when speaking out against injustice. We took some time learning from past and present white antiracists to learn more about our own barriers and privileges.
For the past three summers, teachers rallied across the country at historic sites to speak out against anti-history education bills and to make public their pledge to teach the truth. The teacher-led rallies received national media attention, providing a valuable counter narrative to the oversized coverage of the well-funded anti-CRT movement.
Once again, we invite educators, students, parents, and community members to rally across the country and pledge to #TeachTruth and defend LGBTQ+ rights on June 8, 2024.
Please check this map to find planned Teach Truth Day of Action events near you! We encourage you to join or plan an action in your city! This slideshow is full of ideas and examples from past events. You can also fill out this form in order to receive resources and support from the Zinn Education Project.
Looking forward: Please give us feedback!
Last year, we ended the year asking for feedback to help guide us in our work going forward, and we’re doing the same this year. As an organization we are always considering how to evolve and your feedback helps us make those decisions. The more we hear from you, the better! This feedback form is short and straightforward - we would greatly appreciate you filling it out, whether you meet with a BARWE group regularly, or simply skim this email every month.
Overview:
As you close out the school year, we encourage folks to have a BARWE meeting with your school or organizational group to reflect on your work this year. As you meet with your group to close out the year, we’re asking you to look back, as well as to look forward. Instead of having a resource to discuss, we invite you to reflect on your work together using our guiding questions.
Guiding Questions:
- How will your work this year move your BARWE group towards being more engaged locally and beyond to stand up for those fighting for justice?
- What clear practices and strategies will now be included in our collective and individual practices?
Facilitation Reference Guide:
- Set a day and time for your group to meet. Make sure to send reminders.
- Prepare yourself to facilitate by reading through our Norms and Discussion Protocol.
- Pass the Hat and collect donations for Zinn Education Project’s Teaching for Black Lives Campaign this month. Please be sure to indicate that your contribution is for the Teach the Black Freedom Struggle campaign.
- Complete the Feedback Form - end of year special feedback form this time!
Thank you all for your feedback so far, please keep it coming!
Pass The Hat:
In addition to being accountable to our colleagues and students of color, we believe it is important to be financially accountable to people of color who are doing this work on a daily basis. Each month, we will recommend an organization led by people of color, in education and beyond, doing the work of pushing for justice.
At the end of each monthly discussion, pass a hat (or a box) and collect donations for the designated organization. You can then have one group member go online and donate in the name of your school. If you want, you can add “Building Anti-Racist White Educators” after your school name.
This month we are suggesting donations for Zinn Education Project’s Teaching for Black Lives Campaign. As the campaign says on their website, “Teachers around the United States face the challenge of how to teach in the midst of the pandemic and with daily news about threats to Black lives. The Teaching for Black Lives campaign of the Zinn Education Project (coordinated by Rethinking Schools and Teaching for Change) supports teachers with free lessons for teaching about racism and anti-racist struggles, distribution to school districts of the book Teaching for Black Lives, teacher study groups, a podcast, online classes for teachers, and more.” Donate here and make sure to indicate that your contribution is for the Teach the Black Freedom Struggle campaign.