Anti-Racist Education

What does it mean to be an anti-racist educator? The article "Anti-Racism is a Verb" (Rembert, Harris and Hamilton, 2019) states:

As our nation seems to grapple with acts of hatred more frequently, we, as educators, must consider our actions. We need to consider where we’ve spoken and where we’ve been silent in terms of quelling the growing violence our country faces. These perpetrators were once students. Our teaching must therefore be an act that addresses, challenges, and dismantles racism in all its forms.

Anti-racist educators actively confront and challenge racism.

Are you racist? No isn't a good enough answer.

Watch the video to find out more.

James, M. (2016, January 13)

Anti-racist educators "confront the harm of racism" (Simmons, 2019). In her article, "How to Be an Anti-Racist Educator," Simmons outlines steps for engaging in this work. She calls on educators to engage in "vigilant self-awareness" to understand how power and privilege influence perceptions and decisions about students. Acknowledging and accepting the social constructs of race and racism, and white supremacy culture, set the stage to strive for solutions. Studying and teaching representative history helps us understand (and helps students understand) how our current education system perpetuates inequities. Engaging young people in conversations about race teach them that we all have a role in ending prejudice and that all people are valued equally in the classroom. Finally, she urges us to address racism when we see it. From disrupting microaggressions to identifying curriculum, policies, and procedures that perpetuate stereotypes, we all have a role to play in combating racism. The resources below provide additional information and specific resources to grow educators' knowledge on the topic.

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