Diversity, Equality and Inclusion at ISL

Resources

To support your inquiry

ISL EVIDENCE TO CONSIDER:

Understanding where we are to help us plan our way forward

The High 88How the school responds to the COVID situation, plus a foreign correspondent reports from Shanghai and Seoul. Climate change and going plastic-free, internationalism, teacher diversity... and of course, Puff the Porcupine.

The High Articles

-Thank you, Rafa

Issue 76 (October 2018): "White History Year" (Pia Tiwari and Heloise Coubat, page 6), and "This is not Lit" (Suhasini Mehra, page 9)
Issue 77 (November 2018): Letter to the Editor (Jeremy Lloyd, page 4) . "Fifty shades of white" (Khwaish Vohra, page 5). "Colour Films" (Salim Markabi, page 11)
Issue 78 (December 2018): "Humans don't swarm" (Mark Besson, page 7). "When the screen does not reflect you" (Suhasini Mehra, pages 10-11).
Issue 80 (March 2019): A debate on International Day (Elif Civelekoglu and Pia Tiwari, pages 10-11)
Issue 85 (November 2019): "That is racist" (Cloe Uzoukwu, page 3)
Issue 86 (December 2019): "The N-word" (Mark Besson, page 8)
Issue 88 (March 2020): "#StaffSoWhite" (Tanvi Anand, page 3)
A few articles in our online edition, High Fever: What it is like to be a person of color in this world today (Khwaish Vohra); Racism at ISL (Carlijn van der Weijst)

PODCASTS:

Listening in on important conversations to build our understanding and awareness

Podcast: The Shocking Truth About Racism in British Schools

When a teenage activist sent a callout on social media for examples of racism within schools, he was deluged with responses. Aditya Chakrabortty began to investigate. Thank you for the podcast, Herve

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Thank you, Daniel Johnson for the following Podcasts

In Conversation with Robin DiAngelo and Resmaa Menakem - This is a challenging but crucial conversation for people in white bodies to listen to and grapple with. While it is centered on the American context, it gets to the heart of the work that white people need to do to actually take strides towards building a culture that is not founded on racism.
Resmaa Menakem - ‘Notice the Rage; Notice the Silence’ - The science of trauma (both personal and generational) and practical steps to start to heal our bodies, minds and spirits. He has a free online course on his website here
Jason Reynolds - Fortifying Imagination - Great starter for teachers on getting introduced to Stamped: Racism, Anti-racism, and You, his book for young adults on the history of racism.
Eula Biss - Talking About Whiteness - Conversation from 2017 based on Eula Biss’s 2015 article in the NYTimes, “White Debt.”

Jacqueline Novogratz - Towards a Moral Revolution - Not focused on race, but the ideas and work of Jacqueline Novogratz could be an important step towards developing a moral imagination that will show us the way towards changing practice and policy for a more just and peaceful world.

Merci, Grégoire !

ARTICLES:

Building our knowledge base to develop common understanding

Decolonise IB: How international school alumni are mobilising to diversify the expat curriculum- By Xoài David

10/8/2020 Update: Decolonise IB has changed its name to Organisation to Decolonise International Schools (ODIS) to include international schools that teach programs besides International Baccalaureate. Our website provides links to our latest podcasts, panels and articles.

International schools — the postcard of an idealised education. Well-lit classrooms with smartboards; readily available equipment still fresh in its packaging; selected teachers with frequent professional training and stimulating salaries; students of all colours from across the globe, children of the world’s elite--- READ MORE

from a CIS webinar on racism- Thank you, Yvonne Secker

An Open Letter to the International School Community: Our Role in the Black Lives Matter Movement and Anti-Racism Work

International school communities in the Global South are connected through the curiously unique experience of attending or working at an international school. Many of us find it difficult to explain our very nuanced experiences as students or teachers in said communities, and often find friendship in other individuals who have had similar experiences, who may understand. For reference, an international school can be defined as an educational institution which adopts curricula differing from that of the host country’s, with an emphasis on global citizenship.-- Read More

Thank you to the many people who shared this article: Soukeina, Heather, Hannah, and Yvonne

13 Smart Ways to Respond to Constructive Criticism Before you get defensive, get curious.- Thrive

Receiving feedback without becoming defensive is a skill that can help you win in work and in life. While you might not have control over the feedback you hear, you do have control over how you react. So we asked members of the Thrive Global community how they’ve learned to receive constructive criticism gracefully — and use it to boost their success. Read More

Othering & Belonging --by Awakin Call Editors, syndicated from servicespace.org, Jul 18, 2020

John a. powell is one of the foremost public intellectuals in the areas of civil rights, racism, ethnicity, housing and poverty. Despite a distinguished career, powell spells his name in lowercase on the simple and humble idea that we are part of the universe, not over it. He has introduced into the public lexicon the concepts of “othering and belonging.” For powell, "othering" hurts not only people of color, but whites, women, animals and the planet itself, because certain people are not seen in their full humanity. Belonging is much more profound than access; “it’s about co-creating the thing you are joining” rather than having to conform to rules already set."

What follows is the edited transcript of an Awakin Calls interview with powell. You can listen to the call in its entirety here. -Read More

"It’s hard to understand antiracism without understanding what it means to be racist." Ibram X. Kendi

"The only way to undo racism is to consistently identify and describe it — and then dismantle it,” writes professor Ibram X. Kendi. That is the essence of antiracism: the action that must follow both emotional and intellectual awareness of racism. Kendi sits down with journalist Jemele Hill to explore what an antiracist society might look like, how we can play an active role in building it, and what being an antiracist in your own context might mean"

-More from Kendi on How to Be An AntiRacist at the Aspen Festival

Tiffany Jewell talks about "This Book is Anti-Racist" as part of the Virtual Book Festival for Kids & Teens, in partnership with The DoSeum.

Want To Have Better Conversations About Racism With Your Parents? Here's How : Life KitFor some, talking to your parents and elders about racism can lead nowhere, or even backfire. Ijeoma Oluo, author of So You Want To Talk About Race, offers tips to make that conversation less confrontational and more constructive.

Talking to your kids about racismWhile there is no one-size-fits-all approach, the earlier parents start the conversation the better.

Talking to Children About Racial BiasParents may better face today's challenges with an understanding of how racial bias works in children, as well as strategies to help them deal with and react to racial differences.

évaluer leurs privilèges et leur partialité et en être plus conscients (voir Racisme, sexisme et homophobie, et Réflexion : Exercices et exemples/Exercices de réflexion personnelle);
encourager leurs collègues à explorer ces problèmes et à en parler;
faire cesser les actes de nature sexiste, raciste et homophobe chaque fois qu’ils en sont témoins. (Voir Stratégies d’action positive/Stratégies réactives.)

Comprendre le sexisme, le racisme et l’homophobie

Certains milieux scolaires sont très homogènes et il se peut que nous entendions rarement parler de situations de violence. Nous pouvons donc conclure qu’il n’est pas nécessaire de parler des problèmes liés à l’équité et à l’inclusion avec nos élèves. Mais les apparences sont parfois trompeuses.

En réalité, tous les membres d’une communauté scolaire peuvent se sentir exclus ou subir des injustices – les élèves, les parents, les collègues et le personnel d’administration. Mais plusieurs différences peuvent être camouflées ou censurées dans une école où les personnes ne se sentent pas en sécurité.

Understanding Sexism, Racism and Homophobia

If our school environment seems fairly homogenous, if we rarely hear of violent incidents in our school, it may be easy to assume that we do not need to address issues related to equity and inclusive education with our students. Appearances, however, can be deceiving.

In a school that is not socially safe, many differences may be camouflaged, or muted, with repercussions for the individuals who must live with secrecy. Young people growing up in environments with less diversity may have fewer naturally-occurring opportunities to develop the tools and awareness that are needed to create an equitable and inclusive school environment.- Read More from Safe Schools

Thank you for the padlet, David, Simon, and Emilie

Thank you for sharing the following Padlet, Ann

LOCAL CONNECTIONS:

Building relations in our local community to dismantle racism

Diversity and coexistence

1915-1900.pdf

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT MATERIAL

There is always more to learn...

Explorations in inclusion, diversity, gender equity and innovation in UNHCR

“There is a responsibility on part of the organisation to ensure that we put in place checks and balances around gender equity, and that we have processes and policies. But I would say first and foremost it has to start with each of us at a very individual and personal level.”

Excerpt: In this project, we took some time to reflect on the most latent of innovations. We believe the quest to discover and discuss inclusion, diversity and gender equity will improve our work environments and, crucially, our services to Persons of Concern. We wanted to dig beneath the surface of our conversations around diversity and inclusion to help paint a picture of the changes UNHCR wants to see. To this end, we have collated written explorations of pressing diversity challenges in the organisation, extended recorded interviews with colleagues who have experienced the difficulties of exclusion and merits of inclusion, and an artistic examination of the visual landscape of human interactions and systematic bias formation.

UNESCO Resources for Combatting Racism:

Racism, xenophobia and intolerance are problems prevalent in all societies. But every day, each and every one of us can stand up against racial prejudice and intolerant attitudes. Be a human rights champion, #fightracism and #Standup4humanrights.

International human rights law-

The principles of equality and non-discrimination are enshrined at the heart of modern international law, including in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in the Charter of the United Nations. They also permeate the two key international human rights Covenants, on Economic Social and Cultural Rights, and on Civil and Political Rights, as well as dozens of conventions, treaties, declarations and other important international legal instruments.

The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) is the most comprehensive instrument concerned with combating racial discrimination. It was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 21 December 1965 and entered into force on 4 January 1969.

Other international instruments aim to protect vulnerable groups:

United Nations Celebrations

International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (21 March)
International Day for Tolerance (16 November)
International Decade for People of African Descent (2015 -2024)

-Read More here

Thank you to everyone who has passed resources along to support our work. Those resources have been shared here. If you have more that you would like to share, please send them to Erin Threlfall .

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