Anti-bias and Anti-racism in HUSD is not just a professional development training, it is an approach to education in general

AB/AR in Action in HUSD

IDENTITY

Dr. Rotonda Chapman was born in Sarasota, Florida and moved to California during her elementary school years with her parents and sister settling in Mountain View. Her family decided to move to California seeking better educational opportunities.

While attending a predominantly white middle class school in Palo Alto “with few who ‘looked like us.’ That’s when I became aware of race. We were made aware at a young age that we were 'different' from our skin color to the texture of our hair. She notes, “This is why I make sure that I celebrate student’s racial and cultural identities through books and historical events. I also provide opportunities for students to share their stories. So I plant the seed by telling every student that they are special and they will make a difference in the world.”

SKILLS

Dr. Chapman currently teaches 3rd grade at Eden Gardens. She believes this is a critical period for developing a positive sense of self. She regularly incorporates what she learns about her students’ backgrounds both academically and culturally into her lessons. For example, each year she has students work on cultural reports in which they get to spotlight themselves. She says, “You get to see their excitement and see their pride in sharing with their classmates.”

She often tells her own and invites students to bring in their stories as well. Dr. Chapman commented that, “We celebrate Martin Luther King Jr for example, but there are so many historical and present day figures that students are not aware of. I want to make sure that they know the vast array of the contributions of African Americans. There are so many unsung figures that have made important contributions to our society.”

INTELLECT

Dr. Chapman is currently involved in ILT, SBDM, the Deeper Learning Network, Equity Committee and is an AB/AR Facilitator. She first desired to enter into teaching after spending summers with her aunt who was also a teacher that many admired. She began to think, “Yes, this is something that I can do and enjoy.” She also had many sorority sisters that were also pursuing careers in education.

Some years back, she and some fellow teachers asked “What can we do to better support our black students? Especially our males? So they collaborated and developed extra curricular support for this target group. “The students returned with a sense of self-pride. They even carried themselves differently. These were wonderful programs that fostered positive racial identity.”

CRITICALITY

Dr. Chapman hosted informal clubs for African-American boys as well as co-facilitated with Ms. Dixon and Ms. Beavers a girls empowerment workshop around identity and hair which was headed by another amazing Hayward teacher Ms. Evangela Dixon!

Also, aiming to reach beyond her site, Dr. Chapman in collaboration with her sister, Felecia who also works in HUSD, and her nephew who studies Media, plan to publish a children’s book. This book will feature a young black girl who faces life with adventure and self love. She hopes that this book will inspire all children to love themselves and celebrate their uniqueness.

JOY

Dr. Chapman says, “As an educator, it is important that I ensure that all my students leave my classroom feeling loved, valued, and inspired. When we understand that all students carry culture and some form of identity throughout their educational journey then we understand how important it is to validate who they are.”