Welcome to the October installment of the BARWE yearlong inquiry series. In the past 2 months, we’ve heard from folks having these conversations in schools and organizations from Pennsylvania, California, Vermont, Ohio, Massachusetts, North Carolina and New Jersey!
If this is your first month, please start with Section 2: Facilitation Information.
If you have already participated in a previous month's discussion, we are glad you are continuing the work! Start with Section 1.
Information regarding norms, discussion protocol, and pass the hat can now be found in Section 3: Inquiry Tips & Information. Don't forget to give us feedback!
If this is your first month, please start with Section 2: Facilitation Information.
If you have already participated in a previous month's discussion, we are glad you are continuing the work! Start with Section 1.
Information regarding norms, discussion protocol, and pass the hat can now be found in Section 3: Inquiry Tips & Information. Don't forget to give us feedback!
Section 1: October Inquiry
Overview:
Implicit bias is something that all people have. We get messages from all areas of society about who is safe, who is good, and who to be afraid of. We also get messages from our schools and teachers. It is important that teachers explore their own implicit biases and work to challenge them in the classroom. As part of this inquiry series, we are particularly focused on how implicit bias ingrained in white teachers contributes to anti-Black racism in classrooms and schools. The first step of this process is recognition of our biases, and through critical reflection, over time and with support, we can work to change our actions to make our classrooms more just.
Primary Article: Bias Isn’t Just A Police Problem, It’s a Preschool Problem
Guiding Questions:
Additional Readings/Resources:
Implicit bias is something that all people have. We get messages from all areas of society about who is safe, who is good, and who to be afraid of. We also get messages from our schools and teachers. It is important that teachers explore their own implicit biases and work to challenge them in the classroom. As part of this inquiry series, we are particularly focused on how implicit bias ingrained in white teachers contributes to anti-Black racism in classrooms and schools. The first step of this process is recognition of our biases, and through critical reflection, over time and with support, we can work to change our actions to make our classrooms more just.
Primary Article: Bias Isn’t Just A Police Problem, It’s a Preschool Problem
Guiding Questions:
- Does the school you work at now have a similar demographic to the school you attended as a student? How might you be a different kind of teacher if you were teaching at a school that mirrored your experience?
- How have you noticed your own implicit bias play out in your classroom? How could you start to notice this more?
- How can you challenge these biases in the future? Or lessen their impact?
- How have you had success (or failure) when talking about your own biases with colleagues? What makes these conversation difficult? How might you start having them (or having them more often)?
Additional Readings/Resources:
- How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Discussing Race by Jay Smooth (TEDx)
- Test Yourself for Implicit Bias (Teaching Tolerance & Project Implicit)
- Substantial Racial Stereotyping Toward Young Children Of Color Found Among White Adults Who Work With Them (Harvard School of Public Health)
Section 2: Facilitation Information
If this is your first month participating in the inquiry series, welcome! There are a lot of materials in this email, but here are some quick tips that can help guide you through them:
- If your group is just starting this month - we recommend that you start with the August materials, and then pick up with the current month. Find all past month resources on our website.
- Set a day and time for your group to meet - during lunch, before school, after school. If you start with a group of 2, that’s great! If 20 folks at your school are interested now, even better! The goal is to grow our work.
- Send this month’s Primary Article to your group. You could even send this to a broader group of your colleagues - maybe it will pique someone’s interest!
- Prepare yourself to facilitate by reading through our Overview, Norms, and Discussion Protocol. If you have a large group, maybe ask a colleague to help facilitate.
- Pass the Hat at the end of your discussion and collect donations for Philadelphia Black History Collaborative Conference this month.
- Complete the Feedback Form.
- Prepare yourself for November by setting a date and time, inviting colleagues, and looking out for our next Discussion Guide on November 1.
Section 3: Inquiry Tips and Information
Norms:
As you facilitate this work with your peers, it is important to keep some norms in mind. You can open your sessions by reviewing these (and more, if you’d like to add) with your group.
This BAR-WE Inquiry series was designed with the understanding that it is not the sole responsibility of people of color to educate white people about race. White people must take responsibility for our own growth to be anti-racist educators and community members. It also matters how we approach this work, so please keep the following norms in mind while engaging in these discussions:
Suggested Discussion Protocol
In our experience, we have found conversations about racism and white supremacy to be most fruitful when primarily done in small groups (4 or fewer people). This makes folks more willing to share, and also gives each person more time to talk and process. We have also found it productive to use a protocol for these conversations - and have someone serve as a timekeeper during each segment.
Feedback Form
We want to know who is using these resources, what they find useful, and any recommendations for improvements in the future. 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 August and September meetings:
Thank you all for you 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 The Philadelphia Black History Collaborative Conference. This year is the third free-of-charge conference event that brings educators concerned about Black History in the region into the same space to explore specific issues related to the teaching and legacy of Black History in formal school settings.
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.
As you facilitate this work with your peers, it is important to keep some norms in mind. You can open your sessions by reviewing these (and more, if you’d like to add) with your group.
This BAR-WE Inquiry series was designed with the understanding that it is not the sole responsibility of people of color to educate white people about race. White people must take responsibility for our own growth to be anti-racist educators and community members. It also matters how we approach this work, so please keep the following norms in mind while engaging in these discussions:
- Please approach this inquiry series as a learner. We all have room to grow with our understanding of race in our schools and communities. No one is an expert who has come to explain race to others; we are striving to be in dialogue with one another to learn and grow collectively.
- The inquiry series does not take the place of anti-racism or diversity trainings that school districts can and should offer. When done well, such trainings are valuable. Nevertheless, we believe that any one-off training is inadequate, and this inquiry series is designed to encourage the ongoing reflection on race in our teaching and in our schools.
- As white people engaged in this work, it is important to maintain humility around the topic of race when in dialogue with our colleagues of color. The goal will never be to explain to a colleague how they should feel about race; rather, we want to learn how to be productive allies in the work towards racial justice in education and society.
- Keep the focus on RACE. It is easier to shift the conversation to colorblind versions of the topics; nevertheless, we must persevere through any discomfort to identify how race is central to our work and advocacy for justice in our schools.
- Finally, as you keep in mind the ongoing nature of this work, please expect and accept non-closure. It is OK to “hang in uncertainty” and not rush to quick solutions. We believe sustainable, meaningful growth will result from the commitment to reflection.
Suggested Discussion Protocol
In our experience, we have found conversations about racism and white supremacy to be most fruitful when primarily done in small groups (4 or fewer people). This makes folks more willing to share, and also gives each person more time to talk and process. We have also found it productive to use a protocol for these conversations - and have someone serve as a timekeeper during each segment.
- 10 mins - If you have the time, give everyone a chance to write and reflect on the article and questions at the start of the session. You can also ask people to do this in advance and bring their reflections with them. We don’t recommend starting without giving everyone time to reflect individually first.
- For the rest of the protocol, it is recommended that you split into groups of 2-4 people, so that everyone can have a chance to share and discuss. If you have limited time, use smaller groups.
- 3 mins - Person 1 shares their reactions and reflections on the article and questions
- 5 mins - others ask questions of Person 1 and Person 1 answers
- Key point: Other group members should limit their reactions to each Person’s reflection with ONLY questions, not statements. This can be hard at first, but we’ve found it to be a fruitful structure for conversation.
- Rotate through the group members following the Share-and-Question structure
- End with open discussion - however much time you have.
- If you have a larger group, this would be the time to bring the small group discussions back together.
Feedback Form
We want to know who is using these resources, what they find useful, and any recommendations for improvements in the future. 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 August and September meetings:
- “The structure provided (the reading, protocol, and additional resources) allowed us all to engage in a deep way vs someone trying to find this all on their own. So the facilitation support was critical for us - it is going to allow us to share the load of facilitation from meeting to meeting.”
- “I think the major take away for many of us was distinguishing between "celebrating diversity" in the classroom and actually doing work to dismantle racist structures in our society (and classroom). We agreed that our school does not understand this distinction and does not do nearly enough to actively work to be ANTI-RACIST and not just "pro-diversity".”
- “One big idea was the need to address and acknowledge race, rather than have a colorblind perspective. We connected this idea with ways we can address racist comments in our own lives, and give our students a space to discuss their own identities.”
Thank you all for you 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 The Philadelphia Black History Collaborative Conference. This year is the third free-of-charge conference event that brings educators concerned about Black History in the region into the same space to explore specific issues related to the teaching and legacy of Black History in formal school settings.
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.