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We facilitate racial equity, social justice and anti-oppression conversations daily. Sometimes these are one-on-one conversations (even with family or friends), professionally they are most often large group conversations. In the big picture, we feel compelled and fortunate to be equity facilitators. But it is a mixed bag: equity facilitation work is motivating, exhausting, and honestly…

This poem was written to give voice to the stories, feelings and perspectives that multiple Black students shared with me about their experiences in one teacher’s class. Sadly, the poem also reflects the stories and feelings I have heard from my Black students across nearly a decade of teaching as a Black educator. I am…

“What we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect.” Chief Seattle Restorative Circle Keepers in schools are likely to encounter situations that require them to be leaders in the work of antiracism. Restorative Justice (RJ), in its modern iteration, was brought into criminal justice systems around…

“Oh, didn’t you know?  We don’t say that anymore?” is often followed by embarrassment, shame, guilt, maybe even frustration.  We might find ourselves in this position.  Or maybe we’ve been a part of an uncomfortable verbal exchange regarding race, religion or other personal identities, not wanting to be the “linguistic police,” but also cringing at…

It reoccurred to me the other day that the more time American people spend in activities that are polarizing, the less time there is to spend on activities that build our collective future. As educators we have a distinct responsibility and the special privilege of helping build our collective future. If we don’t invest in…

As a teacher who tries to root her pedagogy in educational equity, last spring’s experience of distance learning was challenging and draining. It became apparent to me (and many, many others) that the distance learning model was underserving Black and Brown students even more than traditional school has been for decades. Relationships, collaboration with families…

Every day for white educators like myself, there are countless things to do in working toward becoming more anti-racist. Listening to and reading the words of Black people and other members of the global majority. Donating financially to support communities and initiatives of color. Monitoring and editing our social media feeds for knowledge and escaping…

In my anti-racism and educational equity work with schools I regularly encounter instances of students posting racist content on social media and then the school having to address the fall out. Schools often feel that the incidents and the solutions are out of their control or sphere of influence and that an unexpected (and somewhat…

A local school district’s response to police brutality and public demands for justice is critical. Schools are centers for thought, information, and community building. On the topics of policing and legal system justice, schools have a particularly pivotal role to play. For many of our students their first encounters with systemic authority and “policing” comes in school in the form of student discipline policies and practices. First experiences may come as early as elementary school, often as a result of adult responses to or discomfort with student behaviors in the classroom. Policing students comes from teachers, principals, counselors, and other adults with whom students are intimately connected and reliant upon for their education. Sadly, in my work with districts that are trying to become more equitable I have seen many persistent inequities. Inequities in all facets of the school day, but particularly in student discipline. All too often student experiences of policing and discipline in school mirror the racial inequities, disregard, and harm that we see within the larger societal policing and justice systems. Sometimes school discipline and policing lead a student directly into the web of the legal system. School discipline data consistently show disproportionately punitive and sometimes aggressive consequences for black and brown students in comparison to white students. This is unacceptable. Black Students’ Lives Matter.

We at the Equity Literacy Institute and Due East Educational Equity Collaborative have been blown away by how educators have responded to the COVID-19 crisis. Adapting to unexpected conditions is no small task. We appreciate the challenge of coping with our own stressors while also attempting to do our best for each student and family.…