Equitable Practices

We encourage you to take this time to read, reflect, and engage in conversation with teens and adults on how we can confront racism everyday. During these conversations, we must put humanity first and engage in learning. We all must do the work to act equitably and show up for our BIPOC students and community members.

Thinking about Race

The following are some guidelines provided by the American Psychological Association to help you with difficult conversations.

Engage. Parents often avoid talking about hard subjects (including sex, underage drinking and discrimination) because they are personally uncomfortable. Keep talking anyway. The discussions get easier over time.

Learn to respond to your child’s questions about differences and bias as they come up naturally. Help children feel that their questions are welcome, or they might come to believe that discussing differences is a bad thing.

Help teens learn how to deal with being a possible target of discrimination. Plan ahead by developing healthy responses to hurtful discriminatory statements. Talk to them about being safe in the community.

Stop hurtful statements. If you hear teens or adults say something discriminatory, use the opportunity as a conversation starter to address their fears and correct their misperceptions.

Challenge your own assumptions and behavior. Do you laugh at racially insensitive jokes? Do you cross the street to avoid passing people of a different ethnic group? Teens learn from your actions as well as your words.

Broaden their world view. Think about the diversity of your own friendship and parenting networks and the places where you spend time. When teens are exposed to people from diverse backgrounds, they have more opportunities to learn about others and discover what they have in common.

The 8 R's

Say Their Names. George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and the countless others that came before.

If you are planning on talking to your students or children about the recent racial violence or civil disobedience, please first read “Don’t Say Nothing” by Jamilah Pitts. This piece illustrates how vital it is to engage young people in conversations about race and racism.