*If this is your first time doing a BARWE discussion group, we recommend starting with the August 2018 materials.

Don't forget to give us feedback!

Overview

In Inquiry Series 1, we began by asking, “Why do white teachers need to talk about race?” We acknowledged that if we are striving for classrooms and schools to be equitable places, then we have an obligation to fight racism. As we worked through last year’s inquiry series, we dug into issues such as unfair discipline practices, hiring Black teachers, and culturally relevant teaching. Following up on this work, our first Series 2 essential question is, “What does it mean to develop an anti-racist identity as a white educator?” We have chosen a recent interview with Ibram X. Kendi as one of our primary readings. Dr. Kendi points out that many Americans have both racist and antiracist ideas; the goal is to “recognize those racist ideas, get them to essentially get rid of them and essentially strive to be antiracist.” We also chose a conversation on white anti-racism, which highlights some of the hurdles and hiccups that occur when attempting to do this work.

Primary Articles

​Guiding Questions

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  • What does it mean to be anti-racist? How can you incorporate anti-racist ideas into your teaching?
  • Where do you find yourself still upholding racist ideas? How can you work to get rid of them?
  • What does giving up your privilege look like in your classroom and in your school?
  • What action will you take after this meeting that will lead to anti-racist changes in your personal life, school, or community? [Please read our Series 2 protocol for more discussion on committing to action.]

Additional Readings

Facilitation Information

  • Set a day and time for your group to meet - during lunch, before school, after school, whatever works best for participants. Make sure to send reminders. Also, snacks are always a good idea!
  • 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! Also 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. Choose the protocol that works best for your group in this month. 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 the Melanated Educators Collective this month.
  • Complete the Feedback Form.
  • Prepare yourself for October by setting a date and time, inviting colleagues, and looking out for our next Discussion Guide on October 1st.

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 is some feedback we received at the end of Inquiry Series 1:

  • We were glad that we did this every month and valued having set aside time each month to dedicate ourselves towards thinking about racial justice. We took away concrete plans from the readings and discussions.
  • There's no such thing as a "good" white person, really - the work is never done and all of us can be the cause of racism impacting a person of color, despite our intentions.
  • We also are supporting the starting of a Students Organizing Against Racism (SOAR) group and building leadership.

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 Melanated Educators Collective (MEC). MEC is working to “unify and empower educators of color in the Philadelphia and Greater Philadelphia communities.” MEC is “moving the needle forward in terms of demanding recruitment for Educators of Color, retaining Educators of Color, as well as creating conditions in schools that will facilitate learning for children of color and all children in the Philadelphia area and beyond.” MEC is hosting their 2nd annual conference for teachers of color on September 21st. Donate here to support their important work. 

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.