Courageous Conversations about Race Racism and Being AntiRacist

Courageous Conversations about Race, Racism, and Being Anti-Racist (abbreviated) Judy Chiasson, Ph. D HRDE June 2020

Welcome! Your facilitators for today’s session are:

• We acknowledge and honor that you are here and want to support ALL students. • Having even just one supportive person can create a sense of safety for your students. • We come together as learners, teachers and healers on brave conversations about race and how we can best support our students. • This training may introduce some new concepts or terminology. Don't worry. We're all here to learn, and like any new skill, it may feel awkward at first and we may mess up. But practice makes perfect. • Thanks for taking on this opportunity. We're here to support.

We are here to continue our important conversations about race and racism. We come together in the spirit of mutual growth and listening. Remember - Finding someone to blame is not the same as finding a solution.

What will make this training valuable for you? Post your comment in the chat box.

Agenda I. Privilege and Prejudice a. b. c. Bestowed v. earned privilege Individual v. institutional racism White privilege, black tax II. Vicarious trauma III. Talking to children IV. Inclusive v. anti-racist teaching

Why now? • George Floyd was not the first Black man to die in police custody. There have been other calls for action. • Mr. Floyd’s murder was particularly gruesome and obvious. • It was recorded on video and posted for all to see, again and again. • It came in the middle of a pandemic and high unemployment • It was unprecedented last straw for people across all racial identities. "I want my children to be a part of this change - to be a turning point in their lives and many other peoples' lives. "

How People Are Standing With Black Lives Matter Around the World

The murder of George Floyd sparked outrage across the globe and critical conversations about race, racialized practices and institutional racism. Feelings run the gamut of anger, confusion, frustration, pride, shame, hopeless, hope, empowerment and helplessness. Our calling is to end the racism that limits our students’ futures. No excuses, no exceptions. Teachers are life-long learners. Today we’re learning together. Take a breath. It’s going to be great. We may hit a few bumps along the way, but it’s worth it!

Prejudice is like smog. • We can clearly see it on the horizon and feel its effects but are less clear to see how we each contributed to it. • We may dutifully separate our recyclables, however, no one has a zero-footprint. Neither do we in racism. • We all contribute to racism’s existence and persistence in ways we may not realize. • Similarly, we can actively participate in its dismantling.

What is privilege? • Bestowed privileges are the advantages of birth. Common ‘privileges’ are being white, male, financially secure, heterosexual, ablebodied, and Christian. The more privileges, the fewer barriers. • Earned privileges are acquired through individual efforts such as earning an advanced academic degree or professional growth in our careers.

STRUCTURAL INSTITUTIONAL SYSTEMIC RACISM • Institutionalized or systemic racism is the long history of racially distributed resources and opportunities that advantage one group to the exclusion of another. • Systemic racism is evidenced by the disparate outcomes on communities of color. • Today, Black individuals are less likely to take advanced placement classes, get call backs on employment applications, and become homeowners. They are more likely to be suspended, be victims of crime and police violence, and be wrongfully convicted.

Racism is death by a thousand cuts. Race-based discrimination has been banned for years. Why do we still have these problems? Laws alone don’t change attitudes that have been embedded through the generations. Microaggressions are tiny messages and acts of invalidation that have the cumulative effect of causing a person to feel that they are not valued merely because of their identity. Implicit Bias is the tiny decisions we make that advantage one group over another. The more one experiences microinvalidations, the more they brace themselves the next assault.

White Privilege Black Tax White privilege – life is just a little smoother. The wind is at my back. Black tax – everything’s just a little harder. Always peddling into the wind. What circumstances of birth have influenced your ride?

Identity Wheel The inner circle represents innate identities. The outer circle represents identities that can modulate our experiences.

Christian Cooper • Harvard graduate • Avid birdwatcher • President of Audubon Society • Biomedical editor • LGBTQ pioneer • Marvel Comics author • Black man

A white woman weaponized race when she called 911 with a false plea “Help! A Black Man is threating me!" Christian Cooper, like George Floyd, became identified by a single modifier: • Christian Cooper • • • Harvard graduate Avid birdwatcher President of Audubon society Biomedical editor Honored LGBTQ advocate • Black Man

Historical, vicarious, intergenerational trauma https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=vlqx 8 EYv. Rb. Q

Why “All Black Lives Matter”? Isn’t “All Lives Matter” more inclusive? • Not really. Saying “All Lives Matter” ignores pervasive anti-Black racism; “Black Lives Matter” highlights anti-Black racism. We must name it if we want to cure it. But isn't saying, “I don’t see color” more respectful? • Ignoring someone’s color can feel like you’re ignoring their full experience. People want to be recognized for the entirety of their identity, not just parts of it. What is “All Black Lives Matter”? • Black transgender women have the highest rates of victimization (89%). “ALL” calls attention this serious problem.

An injury to one is an injury to all • Group identity provides security and validation; UTLA members wear red as a sign of solidarity. • Something that happens to one member of the group is felt by everyone in that group. • Hate crimes uniquely reverberate to everyone in that community. • Thus the killing of George Floyd felt personal and close to home. • An Iowa mom wrote, “The Central Park incident confirmed that my kids won’t be safe anywhere. ”

What next? • White folks hesitate to talk about race because they fear they’ll make the kids racist. • Kids are not color blind, so don’t be color silent. • Parents of color don't have the luxury of choice; they must talk about race.

Positive racial socialization of Black children • Engage children in consistent affirmations. • Engage children in conversations. • Immerse children in experiences that represent the black diaspora. • Celebrate Black excellence all year, not just during Black history month. • Infuse stories of strength and liberation with stories of oppression.

Teach INCLUSIVE TEACHERS Ensure • their that people matter more than skin color 1 • That their class library is racially/ethnically diverse 2 Share • movies and shows featuring people of color Talk 3 Build • about privilege and what it means. 4 • positive awareness 5 Challenge Respect • stereotypes with positive representations • not pity. Awareness not fear. Prejudice not hopelessness. 6 Teach Inclusive • about allies and 7 resisters, not just teachers oppressors and victims.

Anti racist teachers go beyond. Skin color deeply affects how people view or treat us. Young children understand kindness and meanness, fairness and unfairness. Name whiteness. Kids notice difference, and it’s okay to acknowledge it. Say, “Have you ever noticed how white our community is? ” Celebrate Black excellence. Include books that go beyond slavery and the civil rights movement. Talking about oppression without talking about liberation can be harmful. Use Give Use media to point out racism and stereotypes. Give children contextual examples of their privilege, like not having racist assumptions made about them. Talking about oppression without talking about liberation can be harmful. Challenge racism, anti-Black sentiments and colorism

Managing teacher: student cultural mismatch • A positive teacher: student relationship has important immediate and long-term benefits. • Students tend to connect more with teachers who look like them, but we can’t look like all our students. What to do? • Identifying even seemingly trivial similarities with our students on a Get To Know You survey can leads to positive teacher: student sentiments and improved academic outcomes with Black and Latino students. Gehlbach, H. , Brinkworth, M. E. , King, A. M. , Hsu, L. M. , Mc. Intyre, J. , & Rogers, T. (2016). Creating birds of similar feathers: Leveraging similarity to improve teacher–student relationships and academic achievement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 108(3), 342– 352. https: //doi. org/10. 1037/edu 0000042

Be A Courageous Visionary • Admitting you may have racism is the first step to learning. • Look around the table. To the extent possible bring in all voices. • Address issues that are not being addressed, such as homophobia, transphobia, racism, islamophobia, ableism, economic and religious diversity. • Real courage is standing up for the ‘other’

The Starfish Story Thousands of starfish were dying in the sun. A boy tried to save them by throwing them back in the water. An old man who saw him said, “You can’t possibly save them all. There are thousands on this beach, and there are hundreds of beaches along the coast. You can’t possibly make a difference. ” Maybe so, said the boy, but “I made a difference to that one”

We can do this. We must do this.

What’s in your toolbelt?

Resources • www. Embrace. org • https: //achieve. lausd. net/human-relations • Teaching Black Lives Matter • Black Voices Speak Their Truth: What They Wish You Knew • Something Happened In Our Town • How to be an Antiracist by Ibram Kendi • Raising Anti-Racist White Kids by Jennifer Harvey • Witnessing Whiteness by Shelly Tochluk

• We hope you found this training valuable. Please click this link to give us your feedback: • We’d appreciate your feedback.