What is Racial Justice?

Racial justice is the abolition of white supremacy and racism in all of the ways it presents in our society - structurally through laws, policies, institutions as well as on a personal and interpersonal level. Racial justice is both theoretical and action oriented. It is an ever evolving and never ending process. It requires a historical understanding of how and why we have arrived here in our current state. White supremacy presents itself in myriad ways, through economic oppression due to the racist structure of capitalism, the over policing of Black communities, under resourced public schools and neighborhoods, and the lack of safe and equitable housing. Racial justice is inherently intersectional. It requires fighting for and valuing the lives of all Black people which includes the experiences of trans, queer, feminine, and the otherly abled; regardless of their religion, socioeconomic status, citizenship, age, or educational experience. The goal of racial justice is not to simply reform our current society; the goal is to uproot white supremacy and plant the seeds for a new world.

What does Racial Justice look like in schools?

For schools to be sites of racial justice, they need to prioritize, center and protect all Black children. In centering the most vulnerable of our Black children, such as Black girls or Black students without housing, it means that the schooling experience of all students regardless of race or identity will improve. A racially just school will allow communities and neighborhoods to determine what is necessary; families should not have to navigate the school choice process. Racially just schools require educators and administrators who are truly accountable to the students and parents they serve, with community control over all aspects of the school. Some specific examples of what racial justice looks in schools are:

• Transformative justice instead of punitive discipline

• Police free schools - defunding school police in order to fund other needed resources such as mental health supports

• Equitable funding across the state

• Robust antiracist curriculum that includes African American, ethnic and indigenous studies for all grade levels with content training for teachers

• Safe and healthy school buildings that function as community centers for everyone

• Ongoing antiracist training for all school and district staff

• Firing of racist teachers and administrators

• Hiring and retaining Black educators - with fully funded pathways for paraprofessionals and high school students to become public school teachers

• Trauma responsive mindset - focus on healing

• Fully funded and staffed special education and ESOL programs at all schools

• Critiquing and eliminating inherently biased practices like standardized testing, uniform policies, software, and grading

What does Racial Justice look like in neighborhoods and communities?

The fight for racial justice requires us to move outside of the four walls of classrooms and connect with society at large. The dream of racial justice cannot be realized without fighting for it within and alongside the very neighborhoods schools serve. Communities should have the political and economic power to address their unique needs. Schools and communities should be in a reciprocal partnership. Racial justice in communities looks like:

• Functioning and robust community centers

• Community control of land to create green spaces, farms, parks, etc.

• Addressing mental health, violence, poverty, trauma

• Sustainable Mutual Aid Programs

• End to gun violence - programs that address and eliminate the root causes of gun violence

• Living wages for all workers - available jobs and career opportunities in all neighborhoods

• Communities protecting and caring for each other - police and prison abolition

• Government subsidized land/housing for Indigenous people

• Reparations for Black and Indigenous people

• Safe, affordable housing and healthcare for everyone