Recognizing one's cultural, gender identity, and racial influences

Attribute Key Definitions

Culture

A social system of meaning that is developed by a group of people to assure its adaptation and survival. These groups are distinguished by a set of unspoken rules that shape values, beliefs, habits, patterns of thinking, behaviors and styles of communication.Source: Institute for Democratic Renewal and Project Change Anti-Racism Initiative. A Community Builder's Tool Kit.

Gender Identity

One’s internal sense of being male, female, neither of these, both, or another gender(s). Everyone has a gender identity, including you. For transgender people, their sex assigned at birth and their own internal sense of gender identity are not the same. Source: Trans Education Resource Center

Race

A social and political construction created to concentrate power with white people and legitimize dominance over non-white people. Source: OpenSource Leadership Strategies, Some Working Definitions

Resources

“The Complexity of Identity: Who Am I?” by Beverly Tatum.

This article by Tatum provides an overview of the concept of identity as created in the US and Western societies including an exploration of the way multiple identities or experienced by people in dominant and non dominant social groups. This article could provide a short introduction to identity, power, domination and subordination before or after a whole group activity.

"Chapters 2 & 3" from Culturally Relevant Teaching and the Brain by Zaretta Hammond.

In these chapters Hammond defines the levels of culture and explores how culture impacts the learning brain. Consider reading and discussing to set the stage for why this work is important. There are reflection questions at the end of each chapter that could be used for individual journal reflection or small group discussion.

The Gender Spectrum from Teaching Tolerance

This guide gives an overview of the gender spectrum and some reflections for teachers on how to create a more gender inclusive classroom

10 Examples of Straight Privilege by Erin Tatum

White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo.

In this article, DiAngelo describes the characteristics of white fragility, including how it develops and manifests in US culture. This article could be a valuable staff read before or after an identity exploration activity. It could also be assigned specifically to white staff to read and discuss. Consider pairing with the article below.

NYTimes videos A Conversation on Race

This series of short films features everyday people as they discuss issues of race and identity in America.

A Conversation With Native Americans on Race

A Conversation With Asian-Americans on Race

A Conversation With Black Women on Race

A Conversation With Latinos on Race

A Conversation With White People on Race

The trailer from this movie that follows boys and young men as they struggle to stay true to themselves while negotiating America’s narrow definition of masculinity.

Activities & Applications

Suggested Curricular Arc

Asking staff to complete the matrix and then discuss in small groups. Start with having people group with people who listed the same primary identity. The ask people to shift to mixed identity groups. Take time to talk about how the identities we hold that are dominant are those we rarely need to think about. Therefore, these are the areas where we have the most learning to do.

Activity: Understanding Privilege- Courageous Conversations Toolkit (pp 27-29)

This activity poses a series of questions that staff can reflect on individually about where the may hold privilege. An alternative activity that is more focused on race/white privilege comes from Peggy McIntosh's Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack.
Activity: Developing Racial Autobiographies This guide can be used to support staff in writing racial autobiographies. This could be used over the course of multiple professional development sessions or with time allocated for staff to work on their autobiographies outside of school. The writing process can elicit a deep level or reflection and the sharing process can be powerful to build community. This activity will be more successful among staff or small groups that have developed trust. It may also be valuable after staff have explored some basic concepts of identity, power, and privilege such as White Privilege and What is Internalized Racism?

Seeing White -A Look at Racial Identity and Education {MPS Source Course]

This Course, created by the Turnaround Arts at MPS Team, explores how race impacts all functions of society from everyday interactions to large scale infrastructures, including our current educational system. In this course, participants will learn about how race was constructed, the implications it carries, and the impact that it has on our classrooms. Participants will be asked to reflect on their own lived experiences as well as their current understanding of race and its connection to our students.

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