If this is your first year doing this series, we recommend starting with the August 2018 materials and following the 2018-19 Inquiry Series 1 Discussion Guides. Here is the March’s series 1 guide. 

Don't forget to give us feedback!

Overview

While we often focus on the impact of white supremacy and racism on students of color, these factors also impact educators of color. Last month we looked at the need for more teachers of color in this country. While there has been a recent increase in the number of educators of color entering the profession, they are also more likely to leave teaching than their White counterparts. There are many factors that impact this departure, including the culture that exists in school leadership and among White teachers that can push their Black colleagues out. This month, we investigate how to be better allies and collaborate in confronting racism in our professional relationships.

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Primary Article

​Guiding Questions

  • How can we support colleagues of color and build antiracist work environments?
  • Can you identify factors in your context that might be placing an extra burden on educators of color?
  • In what ways could you work to “manage white fragility” in yourself and your colleagues?
  • How can you open yourself up to really hearing about racism in your setting without getting defensive?

Additional Resources

Facilitation Information

  • Set a day and time for your group to meet - Make sure to send reminders. Also, snacks are always a good idea!
  • Send this month’s Primary Article to your group. Look through the additional readings to see if there is another reading that might be better suited to your group and its interests.
  • Prepare yourself to facilitate by reading through our Norms and Discussion Protocol.
  • Pass the Hat and collect donations for Erase Racism this month.
  • Complete the Feedback Form.
  • Prepare yourself for April by setting a date and time, inviting colleagues, and looking out for our next Discussion Guide on April 1st.

Feedback Form

We hope that one person in your group can take a few minutes to fill out our feedback form to let us know how it went.

Here are a few takeaways from previous meetings:
  • “We talked a lot about student and family voice...how can we be more intentional about reaching out to and really listening to our students, families and colleagues of color and using what we hear to take some next steps both individually and as a staff?”
  • “Participants read the U-Chi Lab School letter, especially the five requests the students made of the school. We then had discussions based on those demands, with questions like, ‘What would it look like for such a thing to occur in our school community? Do you feel that we have accomplished this already or not? In what ways?’ “
  • “We focused on what we (our institutions and our community) are doing to organize and show support for BLM@school Week of Action. Our conversation focused on the ways that some members have navigated pushback and what is currently planned based on the ‘racial justice detours’ we encountered.”

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 encourage you to donate to Erase Racism, a Long Island based organization working for racial equity through initiatives on inclusive housing, educational equity and civil rights monitoring.This organization was suggested by a BARWE member from Long Island. If you have a local organization you would like to support through our Pass the Hat section please share suggestions with us! 

If you are looking to buy refreshments for your session, we recommend supporting businesses owned by people of color, especially Black-owned businesses, if at all possible. In Philly, we recommend Amalgam Comics & Coffeehouse, Franny Lou’s Porch, and Uncle Bobbie’s Coffee & Books.