What can we do when we hear it?
Call it out:
“What you just said was not ok"
"That word is not acceptable in our schools"
Name it:
“That’s homophobic/racist/Islamophobic etc. It stops now.”
Calm and firm guidance:
“That language is harmful and disrespectful to everyone around you. We will not be using that kind of hate language in our classroom”.
“We are not tolerating that kind of hate language in our school”
Supportive inquiry:
"Why would you think that's an appropriate thing to say in front of me and your peers?"
"Before you spoke, did you take a moment to think about how that comment would reflect on you and how it would make your peers feel?"
"Would you be willing to repeat what you just said to your parents/guardians or younger siblings?"
“The reason why affinity groups exist in the first place isn’t because students want to segregate themselves from the rest of the population,” Fine points out, “but because the population is excluding them to begin with.” Gathering in safe spaces around shared identity allows students to engage in conversations about how they can subvert the structures that push them to the margins. In turn, these conversations “push the school to be more social-activist-oriented and less assimilationist-oriented,” says Fine.
How can affinity groups provide a space for marginalized students to be seen and heard?
What conditions and resources are needed to run an effective affinity group?