Racial Justice & Equity

Students, Families, and Community Members,

Thank you for taking the step to explore this page and educate yourself on a topic that is not new, but is ever present across our nation and one that is affecting us locally.

If you identify as Black, Indigenous, and Person of Color (BIPoC), WE STAND WITH YOU. If you are an Ally, let's do more. If you are unsure about what this all means and want to learn more, please check out more information below.

The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) provides standards that guide and support School Counselors in their anti-racism work. You can read ASCA's statement on institutional racism here and its Standards that we use to guide our work here.



What is Racism?

Types of Racism

Internal Racism

"Who we are, what we think and believe, how and where we were raised."

Refers to beliefs, attitudes, and actions of individuals that support or keep racism in seen and unseen ways. This type is typically focused on a lot in our culture.

Examples include:

  • Believing in superiority of white people

  • Telling a racist joke

Interpersonal Racism

"How we interact and don't interact."

This type occurs between two or more individuals. These are public expressions of racism often involving slurs, bias, or hateful words or actions.

Institutional Racism

This occurs in an organization. These are discriminatory treatments, unfair policies, or biased practices based on race that results in unequitable outcomes for the majority races. These institutional policies often never mention any racial group, but the intent is to create advantages for the majority group.

Examples include:

  • School policies that prevent cultural practices (like hair, clothing) in school of students of color.

  • Students of color that get suspended more often and/or punished more harshly for similar offenses than their white peers.

Structural Racism

The across the board system of racial bias across institutions and society. These systems give privilege to white people resulting in disadvantages to people of color.

Examples include:

  • Stereotypes of people of color as criminals in movies and media.

  • Lack of representation of people of color in textbooks, literature, and history.

Black Lives Matter

What is White Privilege?