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A veritable feast of information and learning to make things better for everyone. Such a journey is to be enjoyed and savoured.

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Any podcasts that feature Caitlin is fascinating but a recent one I listened to with her discussing the content of this book and the Why is really important to explore particularly for educators to understand. Written in an easy way for an easy read.

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Reading lists we brought into haven 2023

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Reading lists we brought into haven 2023

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Reading lists that we have brought into Haven 2022

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Reading lists that we have brought into Haven 2022

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This book started the EDI journey for the Voyage Headteachers 2 years ago. Opened our minds and thinking and gave us thought to recognise the need for review.

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Dr Adam Brett

I am a Lecturer in Education with 15 years of experience in secondary education. During my teaching career I taught ages 11 - 18 and held middle and senior leadership positions, including Pastoral and Inclusion Leader, ITT Coordinator, DEI Lead, and SCITT Course Leader.

My Doctorate in Education researched the ways in which schools are constructed as heteronormative, exploring the implications for the LGBT+ students and staff that occupy these spaces. My passion for LGBT+ inclusion in schools led to the creation of Pride & Progress: a podcast, network, and book that supports teachers in making their spaces LGBT+ inclusive.

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Hannah Wilson

Hannah is a leadership development consultant, coach and trainer. She is the Co-Founder of #WomenEd and the Co-Founder of #DiverseEd. Hannah is passionate about Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging; Professional Learning; Mentoring and Coaching. Her former roles in education include: Head of Secondary Teacher Training; Founding Executive Headteacher; Strategic Lead for a Teaching School Alliance; Professional Learning Lead for a large MAT, DfE Diversity grant holder and Vice-Chair of a Trust Board.

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20 Trending D&I Influencers to Follow on Social Media in 2024

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Diversity and inclusion are essential for an equal society. Take a look at the most popular speakers to follow on social media.

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When thinking about issues around diversity, equity, and inclusion, one area I am very mindful of is who I am following (whose voices do I hear first?) and who I am learning from (who do I trust? What information am I processing, and where does it originate?). Social media is a channel for learning and sharing that I return to time and time again.

While I am active on several different platforms, I find that Twitter has been a wonderful space in which to connect with others and further my own learning journey on a daily basis. I want to make sure that I don't surround myself only with others who share my same viewpoint or life experiences, and Twitter has helped me diversify my network in a very real and impactful way. Unlike reading a book, watching a documentary, or listening to a podcast (all of which are additional ways in which I consume and absorb information), Twitter has the added bonus of being interactive and functioning like an ongoing conversation. This means that you can see, participate in, and learn from real-time discussions around race, ability, equity, and other topics that we are finding so prevalent in today's culture.

Back in 2017, I shared a few diversity and inclusion experts to follow on Twitter. Since then, we've grown by leaps and bounds both as an organization and as individuals. First, we've expanded our understanding of this field as well as the language we use. We are currently using 'diversity, equity, and inclusion' as the framing language to describe the work we are engaged with (this language is constantly shifting, and will very well continue to evolve as we do). Second, we recognize that people can bring immense knowledge and experience to this broader conversation from a variety of backgrounds, industries, and perspectives- and so you'll see that the list below includes quite a few people who are doing work in fields not necessarily 'directly related' to DEI work- the reality is that this work is so intrinsically bound up in our society overall, no matter where you work or what your job function is. I've personally found it incredibly enriching to hear about challenges and opportunities from people who have varied educational backgrounds from me, who work in completely different fields, and who have a wide range of takes on what is currently happening in the world around us.

Go ahead and take a look through this list as well as our original roundup- is there anyone you're not already familiar with? Consider adding them to your network of voices to listen from. There are far too many people whom I learn from to pull together in one short list, so these voices represent a fraction of who I am listening to on a daily basis (stay tuned for part three, perhaps?). And, one final tip if you're considering how to diversify your networks in the future: as you're scrolling through Twitter, if you 'like' or 'retweet' a post that shows up in your feed, consider taking a few extra seconds to click through to the original poster's profile and follow them. This has been the easiest and most rewarding way for me to really expand my circle.

April Reign, @ReignOfApril

Ayodele Odubela, @DataSciBae

Courtney Milan, @courtneymilan

Crutches & Spice, @Imani_Barbarin

Crystal Fleming, @alwaystheself

Dr. Erin L. Thomas, @ErinLThomasPhD

Erica Baker, @EricaJoy

Jennifer Kim, @jenistyping

Karla Monterroso @karlitaliliana

Kim Crayton, @KimCrayton1

Kimberlé Crenshaw, @sandylocks

Matt Wallaert, @mattwallaert

Mekka Okereke, @mekkaokereke

Michael Harriot, @michaelharriot

Minda Harts, @MindaHarts

Nicole Sanchez, @nmsanchez

Pariss Athena, @ParissAthena

Rhea Boyd MD, MPH, @RheaBoydMD

Dr. Sami Schalk, @DrSamiSchalk

Sherrell Dorsey, @Sherrell_Dorsey

Tarana Burke, @TaranaBurke

Tiffany D Cross, @TiffanyDCross

Tressie McMillan Cottom, @tressiemcphd

Dr. Uché Blackstock, @uche_blackstock

Yamiche Alcindor, @Yamiche

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25 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Experts to Follow on Twitter

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When thinking about issues around diversity, equity, and inclusion, one area I am very mindful of is who I am following (whose voices do I hear first?) and who I ...

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GottaBe! Ethnic - ethnic, multicultural marketing, field marketing

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Influencer marketing has seen continual growth over the years and does not seem to be stopping with an influencer for every product; brands who haven't already should include influencer marketing in their digital campaigns.

The influencer market is saturated, so standing out from the rest can be tricky. We have collected the top 10 UK-based diverse and inclusive social media influencers within this blog to showcase the talent within ethnic minorities.

Why influencer marketing?

The No1 reason that influencers sell products is their likeability and relatability in comparison to traditional marketing. With their informal friendly approach influencers quickly build a loyal following. A strong relationship between brand and influencer will see them raising brand awareness on their platform to their loyal followers, extending your reach to a new audience.

Typically, people following individuals who are like them and thus influencers have followings of people who identify in some way with them. Because consumers are then seeing an influencer using a product it makes that person want that product too. This works because the individual feels as though this is a reliable source of recommendation and considers that because this person is buying it and they are like me, I should be to - this theory is called social proof.

However, ethnic influencers are often overlooked despite the value they present and connection they have to ethnic audiences. Not only should the industry be equal for those who choose to work in it, but it is important for ethnic minorities to feel represented online. Our research finds that whilst 1 in 6 people in the UK are from an ethnic minority only 1 in 5 brands communicate/target ethnic audiences.

57% of marketers believe that influencer marketing will be integrated into all marketing activities in three years. Now is the time to start building relationships with influencers.

Consumers spend money with brands that mirror their values and create the lifestyle they wish to present to others. So, using diverse and inclusive influencers will expand your reach into ethnic minorities. With a spending power of £300bn, brands should be proactively looking to communicate with ethnic minorities. GottaBe! Ethnic previously discussed the power of ethnic influencers for brands, discover it here.

Top 10 UK based Diversity and Inclusion Influencers

How to choose the right influencer for your brand?

Whilst it may seem that influencers with a high number of followers would be more desirable for a campaign, it can be the opposite. It has been proven that micro-influencers (those with 10k-100k followers) perform better as their engagement level is higher than that of a macro or mega influencer. When influencers grow in popularity it is easy for them to lose their authenticity as more brands look to work with them and it is the authenticity of the influencer that makes their followers so loyal.

It is important to support ethnic influencers to give them the recognition they deserve because they are effective at reaching ethnic audiences. Send us your favourite diverse and inclusive influencers so we can continue to showcase the talent within the multicultural communities across the UK.

GottaBe! Ethnic can help you to connect with ethnic influencers so you can reach new audiences through influencer marketing. Head over to our sister site to find out more about the power of influencer marketing. Contact us to find out how your brand can best represent a multicultural audience on social media.

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10 UK Based Diversity and Inclusion Influencers to follow | GottaBe!

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We have collected the top 10 UK-based diverse and inclusive social media influencers within this blog to showcase the talent within ethnic minorities.

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Diverse educators: governors DEI toolkit

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Diverse educators: governors DEI toolkit

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As leaders of our schools, governors and trustees have 4 key responsibilities:

Developing a vision and strategy for the school.

Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent.

Holding the school leaders to account, ensuring that every pupil has the best possible education.

Engaging with pupils, staff, parents and the school community to understand their views.

With this in mind, you would think that diversity of thought, voices and perspectives is facilitating good governance and the effective running of schools across the United Kingdom. However, this is not the case. Research undertaken by the National Governance Association (2022) shows there is much work to do in diversifying our school governing boards. Respondents to the National Governance Association survey demonstrate vast inequity in the following characteristics:

Age

52% of governors are over 60 years old.

6% of governors and trustees are under 40 years old (lowest on record).

1% are under 30 years old.

Ethnicity

The percentage of governors and trustees that are white are overrepresented, whilst those of the Global Majority are underrepresented in all regions.

6% of governors identified as being from the Global Majority:

3% Asian

1% Black, African, Caribbean or Black British

1% Mixed/Multiple

1% Other

Sexual Orientation

3% of governors identify as LGBTQ+.

Fundamentally, governors are responsible for creating inclusive environments, processes and systems which ensure that all pupils have the best educational experience possible whilst validating all stakeholders to feel valued and able to progress as their authentic selves.

Members of a governing board are not recruited solely on the basis of their protected characteristics or lived experience. A diverse board makes better decisions by:

Avoiding groupthink

Considering issues from a variety of perspectives

Bringing different skills, knowledge, experience and approaches

Reflecting the community of which it serves

A diverse governing board is both setting an example and demonstrating the board's commitment to achieving diversity and equity at all levels of the school/trust. Is your governing board a diverse one? How do you know?

New Guidance from the DfE as of April 2023

Diversity is important and we want governing boards to be increasingly reflective of the communities they serve.

We encourage schools to collect and publish governing board members' diversity data. Information must be widely accessible to members of the school community and the public. Board members can opt out of sharing their information, including protected characteristics, at any given time including after publication.

Schools must ensure that individuals cannot be identified through the publication of data, particularly when board member levels are low. Read more about this in the data protection toolkit for schools and Equality Act 2010: advice for schools.

There is no prescriptive way to collect diversity data from volunteers; this needs to be done on a voluntary basis. Schools may prefer to adopt a similar approach to how they collate the diversity data of pupils.

Below, you will find a bank of resources to help you and your team examine your current board setup and outlook, providing thought on the ways DEI can be prioritised, ensuring governors have the knowledge, skills, and tools they need to take action in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in the school community. Some questions to think about may include:

How do you hold yourself and your school accountable for promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion?

Do you have a clear and concise statement that outlines the school's commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion?

Does DEI run through your policies? How do you assess progress, and make necessary changes?

Are all governors familiar with the terms, concepts, and principles that are central to DEI?

How do you ensure that the curriculum is inclusive and reflects the diversity of the pupil body and prepares young people to be a global citizen? Eg this can involve including books, materials, and resources that are representative of various cultures and identities; the provision of accommodations for students with disabilities, ensuring that all students have equal access to learning opportunities.

How does your school celebrate and promote diversity, equity, and inclusion? This could include things like multicultural festivals, mentorship programs for underrepresented students, or diversity training for staff.

Have you conducted a DEI audit of your school? This involves collecting data on the diversity of the pupil body, staff, and leadership, as well as any existing policies, programs, and practices that relate to DEI. This will help you identify areas of strength and areas that need improvement.

Is your board inclusive? How do you know?

How can you make your recruitment process more inclusive?

How can you recruit, develop and retain diverse governors?

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Governors' DEI Toolkit | Diverse Educators

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Governors are responsible for creating inclusive environments, processes and systems which ensure that all pupils have the best educational experience

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NGA: equality & diversity: a practical guide for governors

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NGA: equality & diversity: a practical guide for governors

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Unit one: Equality and the governing board
It is vital that governing boards understand their responsibility under the Equality Act and the role the board plays in ensuring that their school or trust has an inclusive culture and learning environment. This unit focuses on the fundamentals of the Act, providing an overview of the board's responsibilities.

Unit two: The Equality Act and pupils
While most actions required under the Act are operational, boards still need to ensure that they are being carried out and resourced appropriately. This unit highlights the board's duty under the Act in relation to pupils, focusing on areas such as admissions, exclusions and making reasonable adjustments.

Unit three: The Equality Act and the employer
Compliance requires a school or trust-wide approach rooted in an understanding of how the Act affects different aspects of educational settings and what is required of the governing board and staff. This unit looks at how the Act impacts recruitment, retention and the performance management of staff.

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Equality and diversity: a practical guide for governors

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This module will ensure your governing board understands Equality Act requirements and can use this knowledge to make impactful governance contributions.

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TeachMateAI - The AI Assistant for Teachers

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Diverse book list 'more than flags & rainbows' 

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Diverse book list 'more than flags & rainbows' 

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Exploring the career aspirations of primary school children from around the world

By Nick Chambers, Elnaz T. Kashefpakdel, Jordan Rehill and Christian Percy
Download the full report
Our 2019 reports on the benefits of career-related learning in primary can be found here: What Works: Career-related learning in primary (2018) and Career-related learning in primary: The role of primary teachers and schools in preparing children for the future (2019).

Only in recent years have the career aspirations which children begin to form in their primary and early years received any serious consideration from policymakers. This is despite studies over recent decades which have all come to the same, resounding conclusion; the perceptions children have about certain jobs and careers are formed and sometimes cemented at a young age. These studies have emphasised that children's aspirations are often shaped, moulded and restricted by gender stereotyping, socio-economic background and, importantly, who they know. These factors can, and do, go on to influence the academic effort children exert in certain lessons, the subjects they choose to study and the jobs they end up pursuing.

This international survey offers an opportunity to explore who primary-age children ideally want to become, and, what shapes (and often limits) their career aspirations and dreams for the future. The Drawing the Future survey used a simple template to combine drawing alongside a number of key questions to better understand what may be shaping the aspirations which some children hold.

Specifically, the survey asked children aged between 7 and 11-years-old to draw what they wanted to be when they were older, and asked where they heard about that job, for instance was it through their parents or someone they knew? Alternatively, were they influenced by other non-familial and local influences such as the internet, television and/or social media?

This report represents the results of a collaboration between the charity Education and Employers, , UCL Institute of Education (IOE), the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development Education and Skills(OECD).

UK findings:
Most popular jobs

By a considerable margin (over 10 percentage points), the most popular job for children in the UK was either a sportsman or sportswoman with a total of 21.3% of children drawing it as the job they would like to do when they were older. This was followed by teacher, vet and social media and gaming.

The outlook seems positive for STEM-related professions. In our sample, STEM-related careers ranked highly as some of the top jobs which children aspired to become. Vet, Doctor, Scientist and Engineer (civil, mechanical, electrical) were the 3rd, 6th, 7th and 11th most popular jobs respectively.

A number of children in our sample also aspired to one day have a health-based job, though the percentage share is significantly lower than either a sportsperson or teacher, with nearly 5% of young people wanting to become Doctors and a further 2% wanting to become Nurses/Health visitors and less than 0.5% wanting to become dentists, midwives and physiotherapists.

There also seems to have been a shift in the aspirations of children, built largely upon new communication methods and the growth of online and console based gaming. For more and more children and young people online celebrities and YouTube gaming 'vloggers' have taken the place of TV and movie stars.

Gender stereotyping exists from the age of 7

Across the sample, children's aspirations appear to be shaped by gender-specific ideas about certain jobs. Boys overwhelmingly aspire to take on roles in traditionally male dominated sectors and professions.

Gendered patterns also emerge in STEM-related professions. Over four times the number of boys wanted to become Engineers (civil, mechanical, electrical) compared to girls. Moreover, nearly double the number of boys wanted to become scientists compared to girls in our sample. However, strikingly, two and half times the number of girls wanted to become Doctors compared to boys, and nearly four times the number of girls want to become Vets compared to boys.

Conceptions of traditional femininity, specifically ideas around 'nurturing' or 'caring' roles, may also explain the difference in the number of girls wanting to become a teacher or doctor compared to boys. In our sample, nearly nine times the number of girls wanted to become Teachers compared to boys. It may also be influenced by the teachers the children see, with the majority of primary school teachers being female.

Aspirations are influenced by social background

Using the Free School Meal (FSM) eligibility of the pupils in a school, there is some evidence of children in less deprived schools being relatively more likely to have aspirations in higher-earning professions. While the FSM measure cannot accurately tell us about a child's background and familial wealth, it does give an indication that the school, and therefore its pupils, may live within a disadvantaged socio-economic area.

Relative to those in higher deprivation schools, boys are more likely to choose engineer than mechanic, more likely to choose manager than retail sales assistant, and more likely to choose lawyer than police. There is also some evidence that certain creative professions with very high barriers to entry are more popular to boys in less deprived schools, such as being a singer/musician, actor/actress and author. Among girls, architects, engineers and vets are more popular in less deprived schools, whereas hairdresser, nurse, retail sales assistant and beauty therapist are more popular in the more deprived schools.

How young people heard about the jobs they drew

Among young people who did know someone, the analysis found that parents and other extended members of the family (siblings, grandparents etc) were the most influential in defining children's career aspirations. The least influential person or people was a member of the local community.

Among young people who did not know someone who did the job they drew, most young people indicated that they heard about the job through TV / Film / Radio, this was followed by personal experiences or encounters, for example visiting a doctor, seeing a train driver on the way to school.

Less than 1% of children stated they heard about the job from a volunteer from the world of work coming in to school.

There is a major disconnect between aspirations of children and the predicted jobs of the future

Similar to our report in 2013, Nothing in Common, our research finds a major disconnect between the careers that primary-age children are most interested in and those that the economy needs.

A similar misalignment is also evident among young people in secondary schooling, contrary to arguments that career aspirations of children are transient, changing and should ultimately be ignored.

International findings:

While aspirations, and the influences on these aspirations, vary by country, there are a number of global trends which emerge from the data

In terms of gender stereotyping and gendered career expectations, aspirations do tend to lay in stereotypical masculine/feminine roles across the sample. One of the most popular jobs for boys across our sample is often police and armed forces while teaching emerges as one of the most popular professions for girls.

The trends for STEM related aspirations is largely similar. In keeping with popular theories around masculine and feminine roles, boys in our samples have preference for working with things, for example working as an Engineer or Scientist whereas girls seem to aspire to jobs working with people/caring professions for example working as a teacher, nurse, doctor or vet.

In all countries in our sample, Maths or Science is in the top two favourite subjects among children (for girls and boys), apart from children in Australia and China.

The general trends suggest that in some developing countries children have more practical and high professional ambitions (Doctor, Teacher), whereas in developed countries aspirations are often formed around celebrity culture (e.g. Sportsperson, a career in social media and gaming).

Parents, and other members of extended family, are often the biggest influencer if the respondent indicated that they knew someone personally who did that job. The exception is in developing countries such as Uganda and Zambia, where teacher is often the biggest influence. If a young person did not know someone personally who did that job, TV/Film is the biggest influencer, again with exception of Uganda or Zambia. In all countries in our sample, less than 1% of children state they had heard about the job from a volunteer from the world of work coming in to school.

What can we do about it?

A future career seems a long way off for most primary-age children. Making a connection between what they learn in primary school and the jobs they might one day pursue is not easy, particularly for those from challenging backgrounds, where local unemployment is high and horizons may be set low.

Early intervention can be a very cost effective targeted way of raising children's' aspirations and broadening their horizons. The evidence suggests that giving children the chance to meet volunteers from the world helps them to see the meaning and relevance of the subjects they are studying at school work. Embedding experiences of the real-world in learning and the school curriculum can lead to increased motivation resulting in increased educational attainment. When they engage with children, volunteers are routinely perceived as speaking from a vantage point of real authority: who better to testify how numeracy is used outside of the classroom, after all than someone who earns a wage to apply it in a workplace?

Volunteers from the world of work can also play a key role in providing children with role models and tackling stereotyping around gender and ethnicity and help ensure that children at a young age don't start ruling out options for themselves. Instead the aim is to show children the vast range of opportunities open to them and ensure they don't; start ruling out options for themselves at young age. This is at the heart of Primary Futures developed by Education and Employers - giving primary schools access to a vast range of volunteers from the world of work.

Download the full report
Our report has been widely cover in the national media.

See some of the highlights here:
BBC News Sky News BBC Online Education The Guardian science blog Mail Online World Economic Forum World Economic Facebook Channel 4 TV News Mail Online Channel 4 News

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Drawing the Future - Education and Employers

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Exploring the career aspirations of primary school children from around the world By Nick Chambers, Elnaz T. Kashefpakdel, Jordan Rehill and Christian Percy Download the full report Our 2019 reports on the benefits of career-related learning in primary can be found here: What Works: Career-related learning in primary (2018) and Career-related learning in primary: The role of primary teachers and schools [...]

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My last post on this topic was Step 1. Reading. This wasn't necessarily meant as the start of a series, but I'm going to continue taking steps along the path, when I feel ready to do so. It's time for Step 2.

Since posting Step 1, the debate regarding responses to the BLM protests has continued. There's been a lot of activity and exchanges of views and I think it's important to recognise that there is spectrum of opinion. Whether you agree with any one viewpoint or not, this forms a backdrop against which school leaders have to adopt a position that is supposed to be both principled and politically neutral (if that's ever possible!). Where some people appear confident in their views around the concepts of white privilege, whiteness, race essentialism, critical race theory, structural racism, decolonisation - I think it's fair to say that framing the debate and strategy around anti-racism in these terms is not typical within most schools. There's still a lot of baseline learning and consensus-building to be done amongst adults - especially where personal perspectives and experiences of racism are so profound and so varied. On that basis, whilst engaging students in all-important discussions about racism and how to eradicate it, it's premature and probably inappropriate for schools to launch initiatives that require teachers to deliver an anti-racist curriculum formulated through these concepts if they're not equipped to do so, ready to deal with challenges from within their community. The risk of alienating the very people you seek to educate and include is high if you get this wrong.

At the same time, the imperative to take an anti-racist stance in schools burns as fiercely as ever. As far as I'm concerned, the complexities of the CRT/BLM debate cannot be allowed to side-track or inhibit people. Nick Dennis (@nickdennis) wrote an excellent blog on the legal aspect of this. He reminds people: " Racism exists and being anti-racist is enshrined in law"..." There is no need for 'balanced' views on this or to be impartial, because it is not politically partisan, it is the law."

Taking an anti-racist position as a school isn't some kind of 'woke' or ultra-liberal-left 'take'; you're not either a race essentialist or preaching Marxist critical race theory to feel strongly that your curriculum should be packed with strong anti-racist substance. It's about protecting people's rights in law, taking a stand in face of de facto prejudice and structural inequalities in society - even if some BAME people don't experience or interpret things the same way others do. An anti-racist stance is about celebrating and protecting our basic timeless shared humanity; our responsibility to treat all people equally and to recognise everyone's place and contribution to our history, culture and society. Leaders and teachers should go forward actively promoting an anti-racist position with pride, confidence and a certain determination and resolve. The big remaining question is - how?

Thankfully, there are people working in this area who have been able to express ideas that have cut through the noise. It's not controversial to assert the simple idea that every student should be able to feel that the school curriculum is their school curriculum; one they are part of as much as anyone else is; to see themselves represented and valued within it. For me, one of the most useful and powerful ideas I've encountered in delivering this is:

"Usualising diversity"

I first heard this expressed by Bennie Kara (@benniekara) during her Curriculum Masterclass, an event I ran with Mary Myatt and John Tomsett. Subsequently she has published a superb book, Diversity In Schools, linked here:

Crediting Sue Sanders, founder of Schools Out, Bennie explains how usualising diversity has significant power in relation to all forms of diversity issues. For example, she implores teachers not to create 'shrines to gay people' in the corners of their classrooms but rather to ensure LGBTQ+ people are represented alongside others; integrated; ever-present. The same applies to the Black Scientists posters... This attempt at promoting diversity can actually just reinforce the othering effect. Diversity isn't something you stick a label on and make room for on special occasions: here comes a dose of diversity.... now, back to normal. No. Instead, you usualise it. It's always there, woven into the fabric. In so-doing, we educate children about people who are different to them; we tackle ignorance, break down barriers and prejudices. The gallery of ordinary people, families, characters, rulers, authors, scientists, politicians, heroes and villains, artists and professors that children encounter consists of a diverse array of people representing different ethnicities, genders, LGBTQ identities. Embedded, everyday, usual.

This chimes with the numerous voices who, during the most recent Black History Month, promoted the idea of #BHM365. Why would we need a Black History Month if we have integrated black history into the curriculum, all year round? Black history is British history; human history; part of everyone's history, not something sitting to the side. If we're getting it right, why does it need a special month?

In essence, that is what schools should be aiming for: a curriculum where diversity is usualised; embedded; integrated; constant. How is this to be done? Bennie Kara expressed this brilliantly in her masterclass under the heading 'Ways into the curriculum'. Her list included:

Expand the world: tell stories from beyond students' experience: other countries; other faiths; other cultures/

Parallel stories: show how multiple stories happened side by side - for example soldiers from different nations fighting in WW1 and WW2; the experience and perspectives of indigenous people on the receiving end of colonial conquests on every continent.

Migration: tell the story of migration to Britain throughout the ages; link it to wider human story of migration from our African origins; highlight the many avenues that have led to people being black and British - much as David Olusoga describes in his epic recent book. Every British citizen is as British as any other - and our collective stories add up to our identity as a nation. This is true for all of us, regardless of our own personal ancestry.

Linguistic and cultural connections: show how our language, number system and numerous aspects of modern culture connect to other cultures.

Countering dominant narratives: In her book she talks about avoiding victim narratives but, instead, making sure that people and their histories are represented in the round. Black history cannot be restricted to slavery and civil rights narratives, important as they are.

From the teachers' side, this requires careful evaluation, research, curation, planning, cultivation. It's deliberate and purposeful; designed. However, from the students' side, this just becomes the one coherent curriculum they encounter in that school. Diverse people, narratives, cultures, histories, perspectives are embedded in their curriculum; they become part of what they understand to be a British curriculum. It's just how things are. Usualised.

I love this idea. It helps to give direction to teachers and leaders putting these ideas into practice. Some will feel pressure to add ever more to a crowded curriculum. However, listening to a range of speakers recently - Bennie Kara, Mary Myatt, Christine Counsell - I'm convinced by the argument that 'adding more' is the wrong way to think of it. It's more a case of 'weaving together'. If you read different texts and explore histories and cultures in parallel, side by side, you lay out a diversity-rich landscape where each reference point may only need a brief encounter to make a significant impact to the overall perspective - that Britain is a diverse nation, with diverse roots, diverse heritage, diverse cultural elements making us who we all are together. Weaving narratives together is time efficient - so we're not always robbing Peter to pay Paul, making unholy trade-offs. But it also does the job of 'usualising' - because the stories belong together on an equal footing not as a token here and a token there.

Of course, ultimately, it all comes down to details. Which texts? Which historical narratives? Which people to provide the all-important diversity of representation and perspective? To get started, text selection for English is a good place to look. In truth the choice is massive - and will take time for teachers to read, evaluate and then select and embed these texts into their curriculum. I asked some of my curriculum thinking partners for some suggestions (thanks Bennie, Sonia, Mary, John T and colleagues, Julian...) Here's what they came up with:

Artichoke Hearts by Sita Brahmachuri
Race to the Frozen North: Catherine Johnson- The forgotten story of Matthew Henson (First (Black)Man to reach the North Pole.

Voices Series:
Son of the Circus. A Victorian Story by E. L. Norry
Empire's End. A Roman Story by Leila Rasheed.

Ellie and the Cat (Malorie Blackman)
Sam Wu series (Kevin and Katie Tsang)
Blackberry Blue (Jamila Gavin) -
'The Librarian of Basra: A True Story from Iraq' by Jeanette Winter

Blackberry Blue and Other Fairy Tales by Jamila Gavin though probably for Y7 max!
Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
Undefeated: Kwame Alexander - Black American History (very powerful)

Voices Series:
Windrush Child - Benjamin Zephaniah
Diver's Daughter. A Tudor Story - Patrice Lawrance
Now or Never. A Dunkirk Story - Bali Rai

'Straight Outta Crongton' by Alex Wheatle
'But Where Are You Really From?: On Identity, Humanhood and Hope Amanda Khozi Mukwashi.
'The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America by Thomas King

Surge by Jay Bernard
The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood
The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M Danforth
Their Eyes were watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Zadie Smith's Grand Union Stories.
Bernardine Evaristo's books like 'Mr Loverman' and 'The Emperor's Babe', and of course her Booker winner 'Girl, Woman, Other'.

More suggestions? Please add in the comments below.

There is also this superb list from The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education CLPE Black History Book List Download - shared by Sonia Thompson.

Mary Myatt shared this superb link to a range of bookshops with excellent resources in this field/

Julian Girdham shared this: The (US) School Library Journal has good resources and lists : https://www.slj.com/?subpage=Diversity

There is also the BAMEEd list of books for children: https://www.bameednetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Books-for-children.pdf

That's just the English ball rolling...some of you will be a way down this path already. Of course we also need to look at exactly what we cover in history and how geography, science, art, music..... contribute meaningfully. I think some of this detail will be featured in Step 3. I will need to do more crowd-sourcing. There's more to discuss about representation and usualising diversity in the round without falling into the trap of forcing in representation when it isn't there. I call this the Solvay Conference problem... But that's in Step 3.

(Thanks for all the support with this post from those who contributed ideas and/or gave it a once-over before publication.)

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Towards an anti-racist curriculum: Step 2. "Usualise diversity"

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My last post on this topic was Step 1. Reading. This wasn't necessarily meant as the start of a series, but I'm going to continue taking steps along the path, when I feel ready to do so. It's time for Step 2. Since posting Step 1, the debate regarding responses to the BLM protests has...

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I first read Orientalism when studying for my degree in Postcolonial International Relations and I regularly come back to it. Although not directly related to education per se, it is a fantastic book that demonstrates how much of the world is seen through a western discourse. It encourages you to reflect on your own point of view and bias and where they originate.

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Centre for Holocaust Education IOE, UCL's Faculty of Education and Society University College London 20 Bedford Way London WC1H 0AL

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Beyond Equality is disrupting harmful norms and creating possibilities for positive change, working with men and boys towards gender equality, inclusive communities, and healthier relationships.

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Inclusion and tolerance are crucial British values that can be explored through rich discussions with your class. To ensure that you are fostering an inclusive classroom environment, we need to go further than simply discussing equality - the texts learners study should mirror the diverse voices of the world around them.

In this blog, we discuss the importance of teaching learners about diversity, as well as some recommendations for diverse texts suited to secondary students.

Why teach learners about diversity?

Teaching learners about diversity is important. Doing so encourages open-mindedness and empathy. It helps young people appreciate that, while humans have much in common, they also differ from one another in many ways. Understanding and celebrating these differences is a key part of living in an accepting, inclusive society.

Highlighting diversity also helps learners become more aware of and sensitive to discrimination and inequality. This, in turn, can make them more likely to call out injustices or press for changes that will make life fairer for their friends and classmates.

Research by Lit in Colour found that 70% of young people believe that diversity is an important part of British society and should be represented in the school curriculum.

However, there's still a lot of work required to make the curriculum more representative of learners. For example, the Lit in Colour survey of learners also found that:

34.4% of respondents are from Black, Asian or minority ethnic backgrounds, but only 0.7% will study a book by a writer of colour at GCSE (and only 0.1% a book by a woman of colour).

Only 7% (at most) of learners will study a book written by a woman at GCSE.

This points to the need to diversify the books that KS3 and KS4 learners read at school.

What topics could be discussed?

Key topics the promote diversity and inclusion include:

Race and ethnicity: Lesson content that acknowledges how race and racism have impacted our society and history is great, and it's also worth talking about the great things that diversity brings to society. This includes both the contributions of people from different backgrounds and how different cultures express themselves.

LGBTQ+ issues: Encourage your learners to be aware of LGBTQ+ issues and accepting of people regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation. Incorporating more inclusive language into everyday use is a great way to do this without making it a big deal.

Disabilities: Look for opportunities to promote disability awareness, the importance of ensuring inclusion and how people with disabilities have contributed and accomplished great things.

Mental health: The classroom can be a great place to foster an understanding of mental health issues, to encourage learners to discuss their own mental well-being and to teach emotional literacy.

Neurodiversity: Some people's brains process information differently, including those with conditions such as autism, ADHD and Dyslexia. Discussions that aim to foster an understanding of neurodiversity and how neurodiverse people can be better supported are great.

Religion: It's vital for learners to understand the beliefs and practices of different religions, and the importance of allowing for religious freedom and inclusion.

Social justice: Whilst learning about the topics above, you could put them in the context of real-world issues (both historical and contemporary) such as racism, sexism, poverty and other challenges that need to be overcome to create a fairer world.

Being aware of when these subjects are relevant to the curriculum (e.g. discussing how attitudes about race may have factored into historical events) is important for bringing these topics up naturally. But you can also look to build lesson content specifically around these issues, including by studying books that address them, or by utilising awareness months like LGBTQ+ Pride in June and Black History Month in October. Check out some of our brilliant resources for lesson content around these awareness months.

Books that promote diversity for secondary learners

Need some ideas for books that are suitable for secondary school learners and that promote inclusion and diversity? While this list is far from definitive - and you should be able to find plenty more books that explore different issues and themes if you're looking for texts to use in specific subject areas - the following may give you some handy literary starting points.

The first book in her series, Noughts and Crosses uses speculative fiction to examine themes of race, power and discrimination.

Recommended for ages 12+

Keep in mind that these books are most suitable for readers aged 12+ (both in terms of their reading level and subject matter). However, there are lots of books that cover similar themes for younger readers.

Vashti Harrison's Little Leaders series, for instance, tells the stories of inspirational figures from diverse backgrounds in a simple style suitable for even KS1 learners. Can You See Me? by Libby Scott and Rebecca Westcott, meanwhile, is based on Scott's own experiences of autism as an 11-year-old, making it a great choice for KS2 learners.

Discover our list of diverse and inclusive texts for KS1 & KS2 here.

How to incorporate discussion into the classroom

Encouraging learners to read these books is a great place to start, but what else can teachers do to encourage conversation about diversity and inclusion in class?

Review lesson content and resources: As with the books listed above, it's important that classroom resources and lesson content promote diversity. This means making sure lessons are accessible for everyone (e.g. ensuring any physical activities take account of the abilities of the learners involved). But it may also mean updating classroom resources to make them more representative of diverse people and cultures.

Celebrate diversity: Schools could celebrate diverse role models and the diversity of their learners. Make sure to mark important occasions from different cultures and religions. And think about how you can give learners chances to celebrate their own identities.

Be prepared to challenge stereotypes: It's vital to challenge stereotypes. Make it clear that discriminatory behaviour and language are unacceptable, but use them as an opportunity to discuss why they are problematic. Likewise, be mindful of what you say as a teacher! Try to use inclusive language wherever possible (e.g. avoid unnecessarily gendered language, such as by saying "police officer" instead of "policeman").

Perhaps the most important way to incorporate discussion is to create a classroom environment in which everyone can talk openly. Listen to what your learners have to say (they may surprise you with what they already know and their own experiences). And don't be afraid to admit that you don't have all the answers to difficult problems: the crucial thing is encouraging learners to be part of the conversation.

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Books that promote diversity and inclusion for KS3 and KS4

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Explore our recommendations for some great books for secondary learners that promote diversity and inclusion.

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A list of recommended books for Diverse & Inclusive Children's Books

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Discover our recommended booklist - Diverse & Inclusive Children's Books - with recommended books and quality texts for primary ages and topics.

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Microaggressions Toolkit | Diverse Educators

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"A comment or action that subtly and often unconsciously or unintentionally expresses a prejudiced attitude toward a member of a marginalised group".

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Skip to main content

A global citizen is someone who understands everybody has rights and is committed to working towards a world where everyone can realise their rights.

In a Right Respecting school, therefore, a global citizen can be defined as someone who believes in global justice and acts to make the world a safer, fairer and more sustainable place in which human rights are protected and respected. Global citizenship in a Rights Respecting School promotes the idea of taking action and building solidarity with people, rather than doing things to or for people.

We've developed this free resource to help embed global citizenship in Rights Respecting Schools. You can use it to learn more about what global citizenship means, what attributes does a global citizen need, what are Global Goals and for ideas and top tips on what you can do in your school.

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Guide to Global Citizenship in Rights Respecting Schools - Rights Respecting Schools Award

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Skip to main content In a Right Respecting school, therefore, a global citizen can be defined as someone who believes in global justice and acts to make the world a safer, fairer and more sustainable place in which human rights are protected and respected.

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For Oxfam, global citizenship is all about encouraging young people to develop the knowledge, skills and values they need to engage with the world. And it's about the belief that we can all make a difference.

Education for global citizenship is not an additional subject - it's a framework for learning, reaching beyond school to the wider community. It can be promoted in class through the existing curriculum or through new initiatives and activities.

The benefits are felt across the school and beyond. Global citizenship helps young people to:

Build their own understanding of world events.

Think about their values and what's important to them.

Take learning into the real world.

Challenge ignorance and intolerance.

Get involved in their local, national and global communities.

Develop an argument and voice their opinions.

See that they have power to act and influence the world around them.

What's more, global citizenship inspires and informs teachers and parents, too. But above all, it shows young people that they have a voice. The world may be changing fast, but they can make a positive difference - and help build a fairer, safer and more secure world for everyone.

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For Oxfam, global citizenship is all about encouraging young people to develop the knowledge, skills and values they need to engage with the world. And it's about the belief that we can all make a difference. Education for global citizenship is not an additional subject - it's a framework for learning, reaching beyond school to the wider community.

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Voice 21 - The national oracy education charity

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Nicky Pear

Cubitt Town Junior School

The training has been consistently excellent and has given me the tools and confidence to lead oracy across my school. We also worked with Voice 21 for a full academic year at school, and they tailored their input and training to our specific needs. Again, all of this was well planned, thorough and helpful.

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Oracy develops students' confidence, articulacy and capacity to learn. That's why we support teachers and schools to provide a high quality oracy education which empowers students to find their voice for success in school and in life.

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"Cultural Capital" is not a new concept; it has its origins on the work of Pierre Bourdieu, a French sociologist working in the 1970-1980s.

In 2013, the then Education Secretary, argued that "the accumulation of cultural capital- the acquisition of knowledge - is the key to social mobility".

This concept became embodied in the National Curriculum of 2013 and used as a specific phrase in the Ofsted framework of 2019.

We deliver this though our "Aspire" curriculum and, like Bourdieu, at Carlton Road we break down Cultural Capital into 4 key types:

This concept in greater detail, our intent for the children, how we implement it and the desired impact it has, can be read in greater detail on this pdf.
Cultural Capital Intent for Carlton Road

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"Cultural Capital" is not a new concept; it has its origins on the work of Pierre Bourdieu, a French sociologist working in the 1970-1980s. In 2013, the then Education Secretary, argued that "the accumulation of cultural capital - the acquisition of knowledge - is the key to social mobility".

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A special page co-created with Jayne Carter for you to begin your Lyfta journey.

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Our #DiverseEd Podcast - Episode 10 | Diverse Educators

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Listen to the #DiverseEd Podcast - Episode 10 with Dr Shrehan Lynch.

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LyftaContent TeamNovember 20, 20234 min read

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Lyfta focus area: Diversity, equity, inclusion & belonging - Lyfta Blog

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In this blog post, we’ll unpack the term DEIB (diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging), explore the reasons why schools should engage with DEIB initiatives and look at the ways in which Lyfta can support schools in their DEIB journeys

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Protected Characteristics - Bentley Wood

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EEF Cognitive Science Approaches in the Classroom

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EEF Cognitive Science Approaches in the Classroom

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Subscribe to our newsletter and be the first to hear about our latest news and events Subscribe to our Newsletter We will never share your information and you can unsubscribe at anytime. Read our privacy policy here.

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Cold Calling: The #1 strategy for inclusive classrooms – remote and in person.

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Based on my experience working with hundreds of teachers in numerous contexts, I’d suggest that one of the strategies with the biggest impact on the overall effectiveness of lessons is the ro…

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What is Dussehra in Hinduism?

Dussehra (also known as Vijaya Dashami) is a prominent Hindu festival observed on the tenth day of Navaratri. It commemorates the triumph of Lord Rama over the demon king Ravana, symbolizing the victory of good over evil.

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World human spirit day 17.2.24

World Human Spirit Day is observed annually on February 17 as a day to encourage mindfulness through meditation; to get us to form the habit of constant reflection as a way to feel content in our pressure-filled society.

Cheesefare 17.3.24

Why is it called Cheesefare Sunday?

Another name for Forgiveness Sunday is "Cheesefare Sunday", because for devout Orthodox Christians it is the last day on which dairy products may be consumed until Easter.

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May 6th

Yom HaShoah * Judaism

Yom HaShoah, also known as Holocaust Remembrance Day, occurs on the 27th of the Hebrew month of Nisan.

Shoah, which means “catastrophe” or “utter destruction” in Hebrew, refers to the atrocities that were committed against the Jewish people during World War II. This is a memorial day for those who died in the Shoah.

The Shoah is also known as the Holocaust, from a Greek word meaning "sacrifice by fire."

As a compromise to the opposition and in recognition of Shabbat, Yom HaShoah is observed a day early if it falls on a Friday or a day late if it falls on a Sunday.

Having just completed Passover, the timing of Yom HaShoah is a constant reminder about the importance of maintaining resistance despite circumstances which make it nearly impossible to do so.

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A lot of people call me by the wrong name.

Some variation of Kyle, Kayla (most common), or Kylie will normally replace the two-syllable name that my parents bestowed upon me twenty-two years ago (pronounced kuh/eye-la). Kyla means "triumphant" in Gaelic, a nod to my second-generation Irish heritage.

But all of my life, I've been called the wrong name. Often. Almost every single day. I've never understood it.

I actually keep track of it, because I live a life of charts and graphs. On average, 75% of people call me the wrong name. 45% do it again. And approximately 10% continue to do it, into eternity (rough estimates).

When I was younger, I made a pact with myself to never be friends with someone who called me the wrong name. A bit harsh, but I wanted to stay true to myself. Also, I was usually too nonconfrontational to correct anyone, so I practiced a strong avoidance technique.

I've loosened those regulations a bit, but it still bites whenever someone says "Kayla" - especially if they've known me for a while.

It seems as though I am unimportant, not worthy of remembering. I know that (hopefully) is not the intention of the person, but I still feel a sharp pang when it happens. It's embarrassing.

I did some reading on the subject to try and figure out what this was doing to me psychologically (everything is an experiment in my world, for better or worse).

"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet" according to Romeo, from William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

I am here to radically disagree with Romeo.

A name is your identity. It's what people call you, it's what you respond to, it's what you understand about yourself. From the day we are born, we are assigned this identifier. Some people get nicknames or change their name entirely after they are born, but the common thread is a NAME.

Every single thing on planet Earth has a name.

Even if something has no-name, it still has a name, because no-name is a name within itself (how's that for some philosophy?)

Having an identity is one of the most important things to our human nature."Personal identity" is tied to our self-worth, how we see ourselves represented on a broad global stage among 7 billion other people.

Norbert Wiley defines self-identity as:

"Self-identity is not a distinctive trait, or even a collection of traits possessed by the individual. It is the self as reflexively understood by the person in terms of her or his biography. Identity here still presumes continuity across time and space: but self-identity is such continuity as interpreted reflexively by the agent."

The below diagram illustrates how we view ourselves, and what composes our sense of identity. We pull information from the environment, from the relationships we have, our memories, our thoughts, and how we reflect ourselves to others.

A name is many things, ranging from an "important anchor point of identity" to a "determining factor in personality development ". Names are "Semiotic" or a symbol for a person. How we interpret that name is depicted in the triangle below, also known as the "semiotic prism".

What does that name mean to you as you search for your sense of self? How do others interpret it? What signal does it send to the world? A name gives you the avenue to answer all of those questions.

Sean Jean Combs is a good example of the power and the identity that a name carries. He went by Diddy, P. Diddy, Puff Daddy, or Bad Boy to segment his work - rapping, producing, or designing. There wasn't Sean Jean Combs rapping, producing, and designing. That way each aspect of his life got a full allowance of his identity.

Perhaps a bit extreme. But the idea of creating yourself to be present in all parts of your life is interesting. But what happens when our names are taken away from us entirely?

A lot of name research discourse is around the Westernization of names. When immigrants come to the U.S., there is an expectation of acculturation - you will assimilate into this culture, take these names, act the same way we do.

But different cultures have different rules for naming their children. In South Korea, some parents bring in experts to incorporate a child's saju (a person's fortune) into their name. In China, some names are comprised of a monosyllabic surname followed by a given name, which sometimes reflects the parent's future expectations of the child.

You can't take that away from people. I speak from a pedestal of privilege when I complain about my name being said wrong - it's just because people look at it quickly or don't pay attention to the letters - it's not because they don't know how to pronounce it.

Yejin Lee wrote a beautiful piece about the power of mispronunciation in 2018, writing to her time as a Korean born in the U.S., and the constant struggle with the idea of "Other-ness" or "foreignness." People would say things like:

"Don't you have an American name?" or "It's too hard, I'm just going to make up a nickname for you" or "You can't expect me to say your name correctly since it's not in English."

Those are all signals that the name difference is unwelcome. That Yejin was unwelcome. That Yejin was different. Social isolation is never a comforting feeling.

We all like to hear our name said. I used to sell cars, and one of the things that we were taught was to repeat the name of the customer back to them. It's immediately a feeling of comfort and connection.

As I mentioned previously, I write from a place of privilege. My biggest complaint is that people say my name wrong. I've never been asked to change my name (although someone did ask if they could call me Kayla instead). I've never been told that I don't belong because my name is different.

Our world is becoming increasingly globalized. The barriers to entry to global travel are low. People are still coming to the U.S., and people are still leaving the U.S. Connection across cultures are increasingly common, but that doesn't mean that our sense of culture just disappears.

Homogeneity is not a place of growth. If things were the same all the time, we would never have a spark that allows for improvements and expansions and advancements. We need diversity of thought and diversity of perspective.

And we can't have that if we don't allow people the very root of their human self - their name. Romeo was wrong. A rose is a rose for a reason.

Calling it a daffodil doesn't diminish the inherent power of the rose, but it does diminish what the rose feels about being a rose. Take great care in pronouncing the rose's name correctly. No one likes being called the wrong thing.

We all deserve a name, and we deserve it to be said correctly.

Call a rose a rose, or whatever it asks to be called.

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A Rose by Any Other Name: The Importance of Our Names in Shaping Identity

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Some variation of Kyle, Kayla (most common), or Kylie will normally replace the two-syllable name that my parents bestowed upon me twenty-two years ago (pronounced kuh/eye-la). Kyla means...

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Uzoamaka Nwanneka "Uzo" Aduba () (; born February 10, 1981) is an American actress. She gained wide recognition for her role as Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren on the Netflix original series Orange Is the New Black (2013-2019), for which she won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series in 2014, an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2015, and two SAG Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series in 2014 and 2015. She is one of only two actors to win an Emmy Award in both the comedy and drama categories for the same role.

In 2020, Aduba played Shirley Chisholm in the Hulu miniseries Mrs. America, for which she won a Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie and the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Movie/Miniseries. Aduba has appeared in films including American Pastoral (2016), My Little Pony: The Movie (2017), (2018), Miss Virginia (2019), and (2022). In 2021, she starred in Lynn Nottage's play on Broadway for which she received a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play nomination.

Uzo Aduba was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to Igbo parents from Nigeria, and grew up in Medfield, Massachusetts. She graduated from Medfield High School in 1999. She attended Boston University, where she studied classical voice and competed in track and field. She has called her family a "sports family". Her younger brother, Obi, played hockey at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and six seasons professionally.

Early roles

Aduba first garnered recognition for her acting in 2003, when her performance in Translations of Xhosa at the Olney Theatre Center for the Arts earned her a Helen Hayes Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Play. In 2006, she played Amphiarus in at New York Theatre Workshop and again in 2008 at La Jolla Playhouse. In 2007, she made her Broadway debut, portraying Toby in Helen Edmundson's adaptation of at the Imperial Theatre. In 2011-12, she sang "By My Side" as part of the original revival cast of at the Circle in the Square Theatre. Her first television appearance was as a nurse on Blue Bloods in 2012. Aduba also played Anna, the mother of the title character in Venice at The Public Theater in New York.

2013-2019: Orange Is the New Black

Aduba at the premiere of American Pastoral at the 2016 Toronto Film Festival

In 2013, Aduba began portraying Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren in the Netflix comedy-drama series Orange Is the New Black. On being cast, Aduba said:

I auditioned for the show back in late July or early August of [2012]. I had been auditioning that summer for more television and film [after doing much theater]. I'd read a lot of scripts and I remember reading Orange Is the New Black, and it was at the head of the pack. I remember thinking, 'Wow, that is really good, I would love to be a part of that.' I went in and auditioned for another part, and my representatives called me about a month later and they were like, "Hi, we have some really good news. You remember that audition you went on for Orange Is the New Black? You didn't get it." I go, "So... okay, what's the good news?" They said they wanted to offer me another part, Crazy Eyes. I was like, "What in my audition would make someone think I'd be right for a part called Crazy Eyes?" But to be honest, when I got the script for it, it felt like the right fit.

Casting director Jennifer Euston explains the selection of Aduba for the role thus: "Uzo Aduba...had her hair in those knots for the audition...They saw something amazing in her and were able to connect it to what they were looking for in Crazy Eyes." In joining the series, Aduba obtained her Screen Actors Guild card, of which she said, "I was just like, 'Wow, this means I'm a full actress now.' It was such a big deal, and I remember being so thankful and feeling so proud."

Aduba has been recognized for her performance as "Crazy Eyes", winning Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series at the 66th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards and Best Guest Performer in a Comedy Series at the 4th Critics' Choice Television Awards. She was nominated for Best Supporting Actress - Series, Miniseries or Television Film at the 18th Satellite Awards for her season one performance. Aduba's season two performance earned her the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series at the 21st Screen Actors Guild Awards and a nomination for Best Supporting Actress - Series, Miniseries or Television Film at the 72nd Golden Globe Awards.

Aduba won a second Primetime Emmy at the 67th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2015, winning the award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. This makes her the first actress to win both a drama and comedy Emmy for the same role. Her performance in the third season also earned another Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series win for the 22nd Screen Actors Guild Awards. Aduba also earned a Best Supporting Actress - Series, Miniseries or Television Film at the 73rd Golden Globe Awards.

In March 2014, Aduba performed at Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS benefit concert Broadway Backwards. She teamed with Rachel Bay Jones for a rendition of the song "Lily's Eyes" from the musical The Secret Garden. In 2015, Aduba played Glinda the Good Witch in the NBC live musical event special The Wiz Live!, receiving positive reviews from critics.

Aduba made her film debut in the 2015 musical comedy-drama film Pearly Gates. The next year, she starred alongside Maggie Grace in the comedy-drama Showing Roots, and played supporting roles in , Steven Universe, and American Pastoral directed by Ewan McGregor. Aduba played a major role in the 2017 musical animated film My Little Pony: The Movie, voicing Queen Novo, leader of the hippogriffs/seaponies. She co-starred in two Netflix films; in 2018, and in 2019. Also in 2019, Aduba played the title role in the film Miss Virginia.

2020-present: Limited series and theatre work

After Orange Is the New Black ended, Aduba was cast as politician Shirley Chisholm in the Hulu miniseries Mrs. America (2020), opposite Cate Blanchett and Sarah Paulson. Chisholm was the first black candidate for a major party's nomination for President of the United States, the first woman to run for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, and the first woman to appear in a United States presidential debate. The miniseries premiered on April 15, 2020, receiving critical acclaim, and Aduba won a Primetime Emmy Award.

She was cast to star opposite Lupita Nyong'o in the ultimately unproduced HBO Max miniseries Americanah written by Danai Gurira. Aduba also was set to star in the fourth season of FX series , but dropped out due to "some personal family issues". Aduba co-starred in the 2020 romantic drama film Really Love. In October 2020, she was cast as therapist Dr. Brooke Taylor in the fourth season of the HBO series In Treatment.

In 2021, Aduba appeared in the Broadway production of the Lynn Nottage play , for which she received a Tony Award nomination. In 2023, she starred as Edie Flowers in Netflix's Painkiller, a limited series exploring the reasons behind the Opioid Epidemic in the United States. In February 2023, Netflix announced that Aduba will star in Shonda Rhimes' upcoming White House-set murder mystery series, The Residence.

In April 2017, Aduba received the Point Courage Award from the Point Foundation for her support of the LGBT community.

In June 2018, Aduba became Heifer International's first-ever celebrity ambassador to Africa. She saw Heifer's impact firsthand on 2016 and 2018 field visits to Uganda.

In July 2020, Aduba was announced as a minority investor in a then unnamed Los Angeles team, later unveiled as Angel City FC, that is scheduled to start play in the National Women's Soccer League in 2022.

Aduba married film maker Robert Sweeting in a private ceremony in September 2020. The pair announced their union in September of the following year.

She gave birth to their first child, a daughter, in December 2023.

Television

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Uzoamaka Nwanneka "Uzo" Aduba () (; born February 10, 1981) is an American actress. She gained wide recognition for her role as Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren on the Netflix original series Orange Is the New Black (2013-2019), for which she won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series in 2014, an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2015, and two SAG Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series in 2014 and 2015.

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English: occupational name for a transporter of goods, from Middle English carter(e) 'carter' (Anglo-Norman French car(e)tier, Old French charetier, medieval Latin carettarius, carettator). The Old French word coalesced with the earlier Middle English word cart(e) 'cart', which is from either Old Norse kartr or Old English cræt, both of which, like the Late Latin word, were probably derived from Celtic. This surname is also very common among African Americans.

Irish: shortened form of McCarter .

Americanized form of German Karter 'carder'.

Americanized form (translation into English) of French Cartier .

History: A John Carter immigrated from England to Jamestown, VA, in 1625. One of his descendants was Robert Carter III (1728-1804) from VA, one of the wealthiest American planters and slave holders of his time, who believed that human slavery is immoral and thus after 1791 gradually freed more than 450 of his own slaves, his deed of manumission being the largest private emancipation of slaves before the American Civil War. - Jimmy Carter (James Earl Carter Jr.), the 39th president of the US from 1977 to 1981, descended from Thomas Carter from England, who settled in VA in 1635.

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