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VIDEO: Redefining Racism - Tackling "I'm not racist"

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VIDEO: Redefining Racism - Tackling "I'm not racist"

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Until we understand that racism doesn't have to be perpetrated by an individual, doesn't have to be executed consciously and doesn't have to be intentional, we will always feel uncomfortable discussing racism and how it relates to us.

We must move past this defensiveness by coming to a shared understanding of "What it means to be racist."

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BLM Lesson Series Part 1:
An Introduction

It's been almost two years since Black Lives Matter, the social protest movement against "the disproportionate impact of state violence on Black lives" emerged to develop into an influential social and political force. (The quote from the Black Lives Matter website.)

From its inception, the movement has been a prominent force on social media, disseminating information that had previously been deemed un-newsworthy by traditional news outlets. It has since found inroads in the traditional mainstream media and has even become a force to be reckoned with in the 2016 presidential race, as candidates have been adjusting to a changing political landscape that has to take into account the needs and demands of minority communities in unprecedented ways.

In the lesson below, and two others to follow, we'll take a close look at the Black Lives Matter movement, why and how it came into being, and what it has evolved into. We'll also look at some of the criticism it has received and the movement's next steps. Before beginning these lessons, you may want to review these guidelines for teaching about difficult or controversial issues.

Background for the Teacher:

The hashtag #BlackLivesMatter was created around the time of George Zimmerman's acquittal in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin in July 2013. It lay somewhat dormant until the shooting death of Michael Brown in early August of 2014-a young man of color, shot and killed by a white police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, MO.

But it wasn't till November 25, 2014, when the news not to indict Darren Wilson came out, that the hashtag gained real traction and went mainstream. In the first 20 hours of that day, #BlackLivesMatter was used to send around 10,000 tweets. But in the four hours that followed the verdict, the twittersphere lit up: 92,784 tweets were sent using the hashtag. #BlackLivesMatter was to become a force to be reckoned with. (See this NPR Codeswitch article for more.)

Since those early days of online activism, Black Lives Matter has evolved into a movement that is now as much physical as it is digital. It is not a traditional movement with a centralized system of leaders, headquarters or appointed spokespeople. It sees itself more as a diffuse ideological and political intervention in a world where systemic racism and structural inequality fail to be sufficiently acknowledged or addressed. The vast inequalities left by a legacy of slavery are once again brought into the public eye by a social movement that is fighting inequality and injustice while also affirming "Black folks' humanity, our contributions to this society, and our resilience in the face of deadly oppression." ( https://blacklivesmatter.com/herstory/)

Though the hashtag is separate from the Black Lives Matter organization and movement, it is often used in in the organizing, mobilizing, momentum building and reporting of events and interventions.

On August 1, 2016, a coalition or organizations with affiliations to Black Lives Matter called the Movement for Black Lives released a detailed platform of demands. These were soon tweeted on social media using the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag. #BlackLivesMatter has connected people from around the U.S. (and beyond) with the goal of ending various forms of racial injustice, while also seeking to celebrate and humanize Black lives.

Preparation:

This lesson uses tweets to introduce students to the origin and motivations behind Black Lives Matter. Print out several copies of these tweets (#BLM tweets pdf here) - enough for several small groups in your classroom to consider.

Also print out the quotes that follow the tweets, which students will read out loud.

An additional activity has students consider the movement's core principles by posting them around the room, with explanations of each principle hidden underneath. This requires preparation. The principles and descriptions are reproduced in this pdf. Print out the pdf and cut the pages to separate the different principles. When the time comes, you'll post these around the room with the heading on top and in view, with the corresponding description folded underneath.

Gathering: Black Lives Matter web

Invite students to share any associations they have with the phrase "Black Lives Matter." Chart their associations in a web (or other visual representation). Elicit associations while interest remains high, then invite students to look over the web and discuss it using some or all of the following questions:

What do you notice about what's written on the chart?

Are there any similarities? Differences?

Is there anything on here that surprises you?

Is there anything on here that you have questions about?

Explain that in today's lesson you'll be looking more closely at the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter and the movement that sprang from it.

Elicit and explain that over the past few years, police violence against mostly young men of color has entered the mainstream news cycle with great immediacy. Video footage, shot mostly on private cellphones and broadcast on social media, has helped bring to light what communities of color have long been trying to expose - what Black Lives Matter calls "the virulent anti-Black racism that permeates our society" ( http://blacklivesmatter.com/about/).

Through Twitter and the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter, activists were able to disseminate information directly to millions of people, bypassing the traditional mainstream media, which, until Black Lives Matter, had mostly ignored police violence in black communities.

#BlackLivesMatter turned names like Mike Brown, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Walter Scott, and Philando Castile into household names while raising awareness beyond communities of color about the systemic racism and structural inequality that black and brown Americans experience on a daily basis. As the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag gained momentum, it soon turned into a movement that continues to grow and evolve to face and address real world needs, beyond the digital world it sprang from.

What is Black Lives Matter? Why was it created?

Break students into small groups and give each group a copy of the these #BLM tweets. Ask them to discuss these questions in their groups:

What are your thoughts and feelings about these tweets?

What do you think they are in reference to?

What do you know about #BlackLivesMatter and why it was created?

The following quotes about the background and goals of #BlackLivesMatter are taken from the Black Lives Matter website.

Print out the following quotes and invite volunteers to read them loud.

#BlackLivesMatter was created in 2012 after Trayvon Martin's murderer, George Zimmerman, was acquitted for his crime, and dead 17-year old Trayvon was ... placed on trial for his own murder. http://blacklivesmatter.com/about/

#BlackLivesMatter is a call to action and a response to the ... anti-Black racism that permeates our society. http://blacklivesmatter.com/about/

#BlackLivesMatter is working for a world where Black lives are no longer systematically and intentionally targeted [and killed] .... http://blacklivesmatter.com/about/

[#BlackLivesMatter] affirm[s Black] contributions to this society, our humanity, and our resilience in the face of deadly oppression. http://blacklivesmatter.com/about/

[Beyond the hashtag, founders of #BlackLivesMatter] created the infrastructure for this movement ...-moving the hashtag from social media to the streets. http://blacklivesmatter.com/herstory/

[Black Lives Matter, is trying to] broaden... the conversation around state violence to include all of the ways in which Black people are intentionally left powerless at the hands of the state. We are talking about the ways in which Black lives are deprived of our basic human rights and dignity. http://blacklivesmatter.com/about/

The call for Black lives to matter is a rallying cry for ALL Black lives striving for liberation. http://blacklivesmatter.com/about/

#BlackLivesMatter has connected people across the country working to end the various forms of injustice impacting our people. We've created space for the celebration and humanization of Black lives. http://www.thefeministwire.com/2014/10/blacklivesmatter-2/

Divide students into small groups to discuss the following questions:

What are your thoughts and feelings about Black Lives Matter, based on this information?

What did you learn about Black Lives Matter that you didn't know before?

What questions do you have about #BlackLivesMatter, the hashtag, and Black Lives Matter, the movement?

Back in the large group invite students to share out some of the points that were made in their small groups and facilitate a large group discussion around the issues raised. Invite students to come up with any questions they have about Black Lives Matter.
Additional activity if time allows

Stand Under:
Black Lives Matter guiding principles

Note: Depending on the work you've done with your group, you may consider reviewing the meaning of the words used in the principles (or only use the principles you think students will already understand.) Alternatively, let students experience the activity without this advance preparation, but encourage them to share their questions (as the activity suggests). Make sure you return to these questions as the group continues to convene.

Print out a copy of these Black Lives Matter principles. Post the principles around the room, with the descriptions folded underneath so that students will only see the principles at first, not the descriptions.

Explain that these principles are at the core of the BLM movement. Ask students to define what a principle is. Elicit and explain that a principle, according to Merriam-Webster, is

a moral rule or belief that helps you know what is right and wrong and that influences your actions

a basic truth or theory : an idea that forms the basis of something

Ask students to think about a particular community, whether it's their own school community, the neighborhood or city they live in or the U.S. at large. In this context, ask them what principle are they most drawn to, for whatever reason. It could be because they have questions about it, because they feel this is the most important principle in the given context, or because they think that the school, neighborhood, city or country should do a better job upholding this principle.

Invite students to stand by the principle they feel most drawn to. In the small groups now standing by different principles, invite students to open up the description of the principle posted below, read it, then discuss among themselves some or all of the following questions:

Why were they drawn to this principle?

What is it about this principle that spoke to them?

What questions do they have about this principle?

How do they see it relating to other principles around the room?

Why do they think Black Lives Matter felt the need to explicitly create a page on their website that outlines these principles?

Invite each small group to share out, in no more than a minute, the key points of what they discussed. Then convene the whole group to discuss the principles as a set, going back to the last two questions on the list above. Link the discussion back to the community you had students relate these principles to.

Ask students to share one thing that stood out for them today - one thing that if they were to forget everything else they discussed today, they'd want to hold on to.

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Black Lives Matter Lesson Series: Part 1

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It's been almost two years since Black Lives Matter, the social protest movement against "the disproportionate impact of state violence on Black lives" emerged to develop into an influential social and political force. (The quote from the Black Lives Matter website.)

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A nice list of sentence-stem's to facilitate a self-reflection/department reflection activity ....

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Educators play a crucial role in helping students navigate current events and talk openly about the historical roots and contemporary manifestations of social inequality and discrimination. Learning how to communicate about topics like police violence, economic inequality, mass incarceration and white privilege requires practice, and facilitating these conversations demands skill-regardless of who we are, our intentions or how long we've been teaching.

Use these strategies to build confidence and prepare yourself to normalize conversations about race and racism. You can also use them to prepare yourself to discuss other types of discrimination, such as gender bias, ableism, and religious or anti-LGBT persecution.

Assess Your Comfort Level

Many educators avoid talking about race and racism. It can be uncomfortable, controversial and may call for skills few of us possess. Often, this avoidance comes down to fears of misspeaking, sounding racist or militant, exacerbating differences or hurting feelings.

Part of getting students ready to talk about race and racism is to first deal with our own feelings and experiences. Before starting a classroom discussion, do a simple self-assessment.

Consider the following statements and select the one that best describes how you feel.

I would rather not talk about race/racism.

I am very uncomfortable talking about race/racism.

I am usually uncomfortable talking about race/racism.

I am sometimes uncomfortable talking about race/racism.

I am usually comfortable talking about race/racism.

I am very comfortable talking about race/racism.

Then use a sentence-stem activity to self-reflect.

The hard part of talking about race/racism is ...

The beneficial part of talking about race/racism is ...

My own experiences of race taught me ...

My students' experiences of race are different from mine because ...

After reflecting on your own comfort level and experience, think about ways to grow confident.

Do you worry about your ability to answer students' questions about race and racism? If so, commit to accepting that you don't have all the answers , and embrace the opportunity to learn with your students.

Do you feel ill-prepared to talk about race and racism? If so, commit to learning more about the issues by studying history, following current events and brushing up on anti-racism work.

Do you reroute classroom discussions when you sense resistance or anger in the room? If so, commit to riding out the discussion next time.

Do you feel isolated in your experience of race and racism? If so, commit to identifying a colleague with whom you can co-teach, plan or debrief.

Find Comfort in Discomfort

Teaching about structural inequality such as racism requires courage and confidence-from you and from your students. It's normal to feel discomfort or anger as you reflect on your own experiences with racial inequality. But the more you engage in and moderate difficult conversations, the more confident you'll become. The conversations may not necessarily get easier, but your ability to press toward more meaningful dialogue will expand. Stay engaged; the journey is worth the effort.

Being uncomfortable should not mean being unsafe. With your students, establish classroom norms that include a list of specific words and phrases that students commit to not using. The list might include calling people's opinions "stupid" or "lame," using the n-word or the r-word, or saying, "That's so gay!"

Students can create and sign a contract of norms and behaviors that define the classroom community as a socially and emotionally safe place. The contract might include such statements as "Try to understand what someone is saying before rushing to judgment" or "Put-downs of any kind are never OK" or "Speak directly to each other, not the teacher." If students want to tell stories about their own racial identities and experiences, consider establishing a structure that allows each person to share uninterrupted, without response from other students. (See our resource on Serial Testimony for more information: tolerance.org/meaningful-discussions.) Established norms or a contract can help students support a healthy classroom environment and reduce the likelihood that you will have to intervene.

Be Vulnerable

Avoiding conversations about race and racism can arise from our own fears of being perceived as clueless, racist or militant. As you prepare to engage students in the conversation, consider this question: What will this discussion potentially expose about me?

Use the graphic organizer Difficult Conversations: A Self-Assessment to list three vulnerabilities that you worry could limit your effectiveness. Next, identify three strengths that you believe will help you lead open and honest dialogues. Finally, list specific needs that, if met, would improve your ability to guide difficult conversations.

Address Strong Emotions

Students' reactions to talking about race and racism will vary. They may react passively, show sorrow, express anger or respond unpredictably. Some students may become visibly upset; others may push back against discussing these topics in class. Many of these reactions stem from feelings such as pain, anger, confusion, guilt, shame and the urge to blame others.

Seeing members of the class respond emotionally may elicit reactions from you or other students. Guilt and shame can lead to crying that may immobilize conversation. Anger might lead to interruptions, loud talking, sarcasm or explicit confrontations-all of which can impede important dialogue. Your role is to remain calm and assess the situation. If the tension in the room appears to be prompting dialogue and learning, continue to monitor, but let the conversation play out. If the tension boils over in confrontation that jeopardizes student safety (emotional or otherwise), take steps to diffuse the situation.

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Teaching Tolerance provides free resources to educators-teachers, administrators, counselors and other practitioners-who work with children from kindergarten through high school. Educators use our materials to supplement the curriculum, to inform their practices, and to create civil and inclusive school communities where children are respected, valued and welcome participants.

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Engaging, empowering and elevating student voice through Podcasts

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Shownotes: So much has been written and said in the past two weeks about the killing of George Floyd and race relations in the US, this is just an example of what you can read and watch:

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Robin DiAngelo (explores the difficulties white people have with discussing race and provides practical steps that can be taken overcome such difficulties)

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A selection of US and UK broadcasters

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Host Bethany Wilkinson's The Diversity Gap tackles "the gap between good intentions and good impact" in regards to diversity, inclusion, culture, and belonging. Each week, Wilkinson invites a different speaker to share their take on identity, personhood, and living in the world as a person of color. This podcast encourages listeners to seek out solutions and mechanisms for not only coping with but healing the wounds of injustice and inequality. She starts every episode asking her guests: "When did you first realize that you had a race or ethnicity?" and continues to delve deeply into individual experiences, victories, and struggles of each guest. With open dialogue and thought-provoking takeaways, Wilkinson often ends on a hopeful note about closing the diversity gap and celebrating different lives and cultures.

Listen: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Simplecast

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Host Bethany Wilkinson's The Diversity Gap tackles "the gap between good intentions and good impact" in regards to diversity, inclusion, culture, and belonging. Each week, Wilkinson invites a different speaker to share their take on identity, personhood, and living in the world as a person of color.

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A US based organisation that works to nurture students who think critically about racial inequity

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EmbraceRace supports parents to raise children who are brave, informed and thoughtful about race. Join the movement!

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Scaffold for organisational reflection. Moving from "All White Club" to "Anti-racist"

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VIDEO: Are you racist? "No" isn't a good enough answer

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VIDEO: Are you racist? "No" isn't a good enough answer

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A brief and powerful explanation of the differences between being non-racist and anti-racist.

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Are you racist? 'No' isn't a good enough answer - Marlon James | Comment is Free

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Lesson 2: All lives Matter vs Black Lives Matter

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Lesson 2: All lives Matter vs Black Lives Matter

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BLM Lesson Series Part 2:
"All Lives Matter" versus "Black Lives Matter"

To the Teacher:

The lesson below is the second in a 3-lesson series in which we take a close look at the Black Lives Matter movement, why and how it came into being, and what it has evolved into. We'll also look at some of the criticism it has received and the movement's next steps. Before beginning these lessons, you may want to review these guidelines for teaching about difficult or controversial issues.

Lesson 1: Black Lives Matter: An Introduction
Lesson 2: "All Lives Matter" versus "Black Lives Matter"
Lesson 3: What Is "Black Lives Matter" Working Towards?

Preparation: This lesson includes more material than can be used in one regular class period. You may want to pick and choose the quotes and prompts you think are most relevant for your students, given the time you have available, and/or leave the video for another time.

In advance of the lesson, print out this pdf of tweets and make enough copies for each of several small groups in your classroom.

Gathering:
"All Lives Matter" Word Association

Going around the circle (or in popcorn style), ask students to share one word in response to the slogan "All Lives Matter." Acknowledge the responses in the room, recognizing similarities and differences.

Explain that in today's lesson you'll focus on the slogan "All Lives Matter," which was coined, most recently, in response to the "Black Lives Matter" slogan and movement that sprang from it. We'll look at a range of perspectives and try to understand them by placing them in a historical, political, and social context.

Ask students to break into small groups, and give each group a copy of this pdf.

Tweets: "All Lives Matter"

Look at the pdf of tweets and discuss them in your small group:

What are your thoughts and feelings about these tweets? In your group, begin by considering each tweet in turn.

What do you think they are in reference to?

Why do you think some people are arguing to use #AllLivesMatter instead of #BlackLivesMatter?

Why do some people argue against the use of #AllLivesMatter?

Opinion Continuum:
The Debate over " All Lives Matter"

Introduction

Explain that there are many (predominantly white) people, across the country, who maintain that saying "All Lives Matter" instead of "Black Lives Matter" is more inclusive.

A report on a poll Rasmussen Reports conducted about this issue in 2015 stated:

"Yes, black lives matter, but don't all lives matter? That seems to be the subject of some political dispute.

When asked which statement is closest to their own views, 78% of likely U.S. voters say all lives matter. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 11% say black lives matter. Nine percent (9%) say neither statement reflects their point of view.

Thirty-one percent (31%) of black voters say black lives matter is closest to their own views, but just nine percent (9%) of whites and 10% of other minority voters agree. Eighty-one percent (81%) of whites and 76% of other minority voters opt instead for all lives matter, and 64% of blacks agree.

Directions

In the activity that follows, we'll hear from a variety of people in the public eye about their preference regarding the two phrases. Throughout it all, we'll also ask students to take a stance on the matter, in the following way:

On one side of the room post a sign that reads, completely agree. On the other side of the room a sign that reads, completely disagree. Invite students to position themselves along an imaginary continuum between the two signs, in response to a series of statements that you'll read out to them based on perspectives shared in the media.

After each statement ask a few volunteers across the continuum to share out why they chose to stand where they are standing. Invite other students to listen well. This is not a debate in which you're trying to win an argument. This is intended to be a dialogue in which your aim is to better understand the various perspectives in the room. After several students have had a chance to share, ask if anyone would like to change their position on the continuum.

If students are unfamiliar with the "opinion continuum," you may want to start out with a relatively low-stakes statement to get people used to the activity:

Dogs make better pets than cats.

Invite students to organize themselves along the continuum according to their level of agreement with this statement. There are likely to be a variety of opinions, possibly strong opinions, in the room. When students have positioned themselves, elicit a few opinions from either end of the continuum and some from the middle. Encourage people to practice good listening. And before moving on, ask if anyone changed their minds based on what they heard and, if so, invite them to change their position on the continuum.

Opinion Continuum 1

Once everyone is clear on how this activity works, move onto the subject at hand. The statement to start the day with is:

All Lives Matter is more inclusive than Black Lives Matter.

Invite students to organize themselves along the continuum and start eliciting a variety of perspectives. Remember that it is possible for people to stand in the same spot on the continuum for different reasons.

Opinion Continuum 2

Next invite two volunteers to read the following quotes out loud:

Donald Trump (Washington Post)
"Hours after he branded himself the "law and order" candidate for president [in July 2016], Donald Trump weighed in on another politically loaded term - one he proudly rejected: "Black Lives Matter." "A lot of people feel that it is inherently racist," the ... Republican nominee told the Associated Press on Monday. "It's a very divisive term, because all lives matter. It's a very, very divisive term."

Richard Sherman (NY Daily News)
"Count Richard Sherman in the controversial 'All Lives Matter' crowd. The Seattle Seahawks corner made that clear on Tuesday, in an interview on The Undefeated, and spent Wednesday drawing heat for those comments. He said that it's 'hard' for him to form an opinion on Black Lives Matter. 'I stand by what I said that All Lives Matter and that we are human beings,' he told Undefeated. 'And speaking to police, I want African-Americans and everybody else treated decently. I want them treated like human beings. And I also want the police treated like human beings. I don't want police officers just getting knocked off in the street who haven't done anything wrong. Those are innocent lives.'"

Invite students to position themselves across the continuum according to some or all of the following statements:

"Black Lives Matter" is divisive and racist.

We're all human beings so "All Lives Matter" is more inclusive.

For each statement separately, process where students are standing in the same way as before.

Opinion Continuum 3

Then, invite three more volunteers to read the following quotes out loud:

Hillary Clinton (MTV)
In June [2015], [Democratic Presidential nominee] Hillary Clinton was criticized when she made a visit to a historic black church near Ferguson and said, 'All Lives Matter.' One woman in attendance said later, 'My children matter. And I need to hear my president say that the lives of my children matter. That my little black children matter. Because right now our society does not say that they matter. Black lives matter. That's what she needs to say. Hillary supporters argued that the comment was taken out of context ..., and pointed out that in the past she has said, "Yes, black lives matter." This week, Hillary has also taken additional opportunities to explicitly say, "Black lives matter."

(Vibe)
Hip Hop artist Fetty Wap was the latest celebrity to receive a severe clapback from Black Twitter on Thursday [July 7, 2016]. Mr. 1738 joined in on the social commentary heightened by the police killings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, but the internet wasn't too pleased with his contribution. 'My kids are Mixed...#AllLivesMatter,' the rapper wrote in a deleted tweet, welcoming a swarm of backlash in his mentions. Fetty has since taken to Instagram to apologize for his failure to understand the complexity of the Black Lives Matter movement and vowed not to speak on the matter again 'I'm man enough to apologize, he wrote."

Kathleen McCartney (Fox News)
The president of ... Smith College ... Kathleen McCartney wrote ... ["all lives matter"] in the subject line of an e-mail to students at the school, .... [She] was attempting to show support for students protesting racially charged grand jury decisions in which police in Missouri and New York were not charged in the deaths of unarmed black men. .... McCartney's [use of all lives matter] ... was seen as an affront that diminished the focus on black lives and racism .... "We are united in our insistence that all lives matter," read the e-mail, in which she made clear she was strongly behind protests, writing that the grand jury decisions had "led to a shared fury... We gather in vigil, we raise our voices in protest." In response to student backlash, McCartney apologized in another campus-wide email Friday, saying she had made a mistake "despite my best intentions." .... "I regret that I was unaware the phrase/hashtag "all lives matter" has been used by some to draw attention away from the focus on institutional violence against Black people," she wrote."

Again ask students to position themselves across the continuum according to some or all of the following statements:

Words/slogans cannot be taken out of the context of the world and times we live in.

It's important you understand the words you use especially when speaking in public and/or sending out mass communication.

People should apologize for offensive language, even if their intention was not to offend.

"All Lives Matter" draws attention away from what "Black Lives Matter" is trying to do.

For each statement separately, process where students are standing in the same way as before.

Opinion Continuum 4

Invite three more volunteers to read the following quotes out loud:

President Barack Obama (ThinkProgress)
Many politicians have taken up the rallying cry of "all lives matter" to criticize the Black Lives Matter movement for focusing on specific injustices done to African Americans. .... President Barack Obama ... explained why "black lives matter" is an important statement. "I think the reason that the organizers used the phrase "black lives matter" was not because they were suggesting nobody else's lives matter," he said. "What they were suggesting was, there is a specific problem that is happening in the African-American community that's not happening in other communities. And that is a legitimate issue that we've got to address."

Jonathan Capehart (Washington Post)
Journalist Jonathan Capehart of the Washington Post writes: "The best way to understand the meaning of the phrase "Black Lives Matter" is to think of it as an incomplete sentence. To those African Americans and other Americans marching to protest lives extinguished by law enforcement, the unspoken finish to the phrase "Black Lives Matter" is "as much as anyone else's."

NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio (New York Times)
On Monday, ... [Mayor Bill] de Blasio said that the Black Lives Matter movement had "hit the right note." "The very phrase 'Black Lives Matter' is a necessary part of the national discussion," he said. "It has helped us to recognize that sadly our history over and over again did not value African-Americans."
Again ask students to position themselves across the continuum according to some or all of the following statements:

Black Lives Matter is more inclusive than All Lives Matter.

Black Lives Matter needs to be emphasized so that All Lives WILL Matter

All Lives Matter is divisive/racist.

Slogans like "Black Lives Matter," "All Lives Matter" and others cannot be understood outside of the historical, political and social context in which they were created/are used.

Opinion Continuum 5

Note: This final opinion continuum exercise has students to respond to a quote from the Black Lives Matter website. If you are able to show students the video below (which includes statements by BLM activists), you may choose to skip this last question to avoid repetition.

Invite one final volunteer to read the following quote out loud:

According to theBlack Lives Matter website itself:

Given the disproportionate impact state violence has on Black lives, we understand that when Black people in this country get free, the benefits will be wide reaching and transformative for society as a whole. When we are able to end hyper-criminalization and sexualization of Black people and end the poverty, control, and surveillance of Black people, every single person in this world has a better shot at getting and staying free. When Black people get free, everybody gets free. This is why we call on Black people and our allies to take up the call that Black lives matter. We're not saying Black lives are more important than other lives, or that other lives are not criminalized and oppressed in various ways. We remain in active solidarity with all oppressed people who are fighting for their liberation and we know that our destinies are intertwined.

Again ask students to position themselves across the continuum according to the following statement:

Freeing black people from oppression, frees us all. Our destinies are intertwined.

Video: 'What the World Needs to Know about Black Lives Matter'

Show students the following 2-minute video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMioBJiWW-E.

Then ask some or all of the following questions as you build on the information that has been discussed already so far today.

What are your thoughts and feelings about this video?

What is the main take away for you from this video?

What do the people in the video say about love?

What principles do the people in the video say the Black Lives Matter movement is rooted in? (Principles of human rights, dignity and respect)

What does the video say about how our society functions and moves forward? (African Americans and Blacks are often left out, excluded, and incarcerated)

Who does the Black Lives Matter movement stand for? And what does the video say about Black Lives Matter in relation to white people and police? (Pro-Black isn't synonymous with anti-white or anti-cop)

What does the video say Black Lives Matter is about? (Peace, bringing people together, fighting for justice, solidarity, unity)

What does the video say about terror? (It has no place in the movement)

What are the people in the video saying about what needs to happen NOW?

One of the people in the video says: "Protesting and speaking out is one of the most American things you can do." Another person says: "If it hadn't been for the voices of those who dared to go against the grain, those who dared to be the difference, we may not be where we are today." What do you think these quotes refer to? How would you place them in a historical and present day context.

In the video someone says: "Silence is complicity and refusing to speak up, write about or protest against the despicable treatment of black lives in America essentially shows that you're on the side of the oppressor." How do you feel about this? Consider connecting it to the quote by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, resisting racist systems in South Africa: "If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality."

What is the message to the people who say All Lives Matter? (Check your arguments. Really educate yourself about what Black Lives Matter means. Do your research on housing segregation, racial disparities in income and education and mass incarceration and you'll realize why we need to say Black Lives Matter.)

The last person in the video says "all lives don't matter until black lives do." How does this relate to what we've discussed today?

Invite students in pairs to draft a tweet that they'd consider sending out based on something they learned today. Invite a few volunteers to share out their tweet.

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Black Lives Matter Lesson Series: Part 2

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To the Teacher: The lesson below is the second in a 3-lesson series in which we take a close look at the Black Lives Matter movement, why and how it came into being, and what it has evolved into. We'll also look at some of the criticism it has received and the movement's next steps.

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Teachers often avoid "hot-button" topics because the issues are so complex, or because they don't feel prepared to handle the strong feelings and opinions discussion might stir. Below we offer 10 suggestions for how to take some of these issues on in constructive, thoughtful and sensitive ways.

1. Create a safe, respectful, and supportive tone in your classroom.

Sometimes students don't participate in discussions about sensitive issues because they worry that they will be teased, their opinions will be ridiculed, or strong feelings will arise because the topic hits close to home.

To create a safe and supportive environment, make group agreements at the beginning of the year. These might include guidelines like" no name-calling," "no interrupting," "listen without judgment," "share to your level of comfort," "you have the right to pass," and the like. Remind students that when they talk about groups of people, they should be careful to use the word "some," not "all." Do community-building activities to create a positive and respectful classroom environment, and resolve conflicts proactively. Most importantly, model how to talk about sensitive and controversial topics by being honest and open yourself, respecting different points of view and accepting of students' feelings.

2. Prepare yourself.

Before you delve into a difficult topic with your students, educate yourself with background knowledge. Explore a range of viewpoints on the issue.

Next, articulate your own point of view on the topic for yourself so that when students ask for your opinion-and they will-you'll be prepared. Though many teachers keep their own points of view out of the classroom entirely, if it is appropriate to share yours, wait until the end of the discussion.

Also consider in advance the possible "triggers" for your students. For example, if you are discussing marriage equality, remember that you will almost certainly have students who are LGBT themselves, who have gay parents, relatives or friends, or who have religious beliefs in conflict with gay marriage. Some of these students may feel relieved to discuss a topic so relevant to their lives, while others may feel embarrassed. This doesn't mean you shouldn't discuss the topic, but you also should never highlight those students' situations. Be aware that strong feelings could arise and plan in advance for how to handle them. Remind your students about the ground rules and explain that this issue may affect some students very personally. Depending on the topic, you may even want to tell those students, or their parents, who have a very personal connection to it in advance.

3. Find out what students already know or have experienced about the topic.

Start with what the students already know. You can assess their prior knowledge in a variety of ways: create a semantic web as a whole class and brainstorm associations with the topic; have them talk with a partner; or have them write in response to a prompt. (If the topic is very delicate, you might ask them to write anonymously first, then use that writing to decide how to proceed in a later class.) Make a list of all the questions they have, either publicly or for your own planning. These questions are an additional window into what students already know, or think they know, and what they don't. Be sure to ask them to articulate where they got their information and opinions, and invite them to talk about how they know their sources are reliable. Remind them that, when learning about or discussing sensitive information, they should always ask, "What do I know and how do I know it?"

4. Compile the students' questions and examine them together.

After giving students basic information about your topic, elicit questions they still have. If they are focusing on content questions (who, what, where, why, when), expand their inquiry so they think beyond the basic facts and dig into deeper or "essential" questions. Help students to go deeper, make connections beyond one news story and lead to a more complex understanding of the situation. Another fruitful line of questioning might be to ask how the issue affects the individual involved and how it affects society at large.

5. Make connections.

Help students make connections between the topic at hand and their own lives. How does the issue affect them or their family, friends or community? Why should they care? If there is no obvious connection, help them find one. For example, you might ask students if anyone has relatives in places where other natural disasters have occurred. Often, starting with multimedia, whether photos, video or infographics, can hook students. You might also help them make connections by thinking about what else they know about, in current news or in history, that shares some of the same details.

6. Have students investigate and learn more.

It is critical that students have a chance to find answers to their questions, conduct research, talk to people, and learn more in a way that makes the topic meaningful for them. (First, however, make sure your students understand how to tell the difference between opinions and facts. You might make a T-chart and use examples from a news article on a topic you're studying to demonstrate, then invite students to find and share their own examples from additional articles.)

Remember to point students to sources with contrasting political slants as well. For example, they might contrast reporting on the same topic in The Progressive versus The Weekly Standard, or the Center for American Progress versus the Heritage Foundation. Encourage students to seek out a range of people to learn more, including people who have strong opinions or special expertise on the topic. While students are gathering this information, emphasize that even "factual" information has a point of view. While they are researching, they should ask themselves: What is the point of view of this source? How reliable is it, and why?

7. Explore students' opinions and promote dialogue.

After they have researched a topic thoroughly, students are ready to form and express their own points of view. It is important to encourage them to be open to different points of view. You might do an "opinion continuum" exercise where they show whether they "agree," "strongly agree," "disagree," "strongly disagree" or be "somewhere in between" or "not sure" on a variety of topics. Help promote dialogue, as opposed to debate. Dialogue aims for understanding, an enlargement of view, complicating one's thinking and an openness to change. Provide opportunities for various kinds of group discussion where different perspectives get aired. This can include paired shares, conversation circles, group go-rounds, panels, micro-labs, and fishbowls. (These are included in lessons available on TeachableMoment.org.)

8. Be responsive to feelings and values.

Even though you've set up ground rules at the outset and developed a respectful classroom environment, once a hot topic emerges you need to continue to watch for classroom tone. Remind students about the ground rules, especially if they are violated. Take the emotional "temperature" of the classroom periodically to find out how students are feeling, and encourage the discussion of feelings throughout. Build in different ways for students to participate, but also to opt out if a discussion is emotionally difficult. Give opportunities for students to write their thoughts, perhaps anonymously, instead of sharing verbally. Remind students that while you want them to participate, they always have the right to "pass" if they feel uncomfortable. Again, if you anticipate that a certain topic may elicit too many strong feelings for a particular student, talk with them in advance.

9. Make home connections.

Use parents and other family members as primary sources by having students interview them as part of their research. Communicate with parents about your approach to discussing controversial issues. You can do this by sending a letter home in the beginning of the year or by discussing the issue on curriculum night. Invite parents to let you know if there are any sensitive issues for their family so you will be prepared.

10. Do Something.

If students have gotten engaged in an issue you've discussed and feel strongly about it, they may want to do something about it. Your study should include an action component. This could involve learning more and doing more focused research. It could also involve helping students carry out a social action or community service project related to the issue. Students can learn more about how other young people did projects around recent issues in the news. If the issue is a political one, they can engage in writing letters, speaking at public hearings, raising money, participating in demonstrations or writing articles for a school or local newspaper.

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Teaching about Controversial or Difficult Issues

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Teachers often avoid "hot-button" topics because the issues are so complex, or because they don't feel prepared to handle the strong feelings and opinions discussion might stir. Below we offer 10 suggestions for how to take some of these issues on in constructive, thoughtful and sensitive ways.

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Detailed newsletter compiled by staff and students

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Ibram X Kendi (Explores what needs to be done to become an anti-racist)

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Featuring key voices from the last few decades of anti-racist activism, About Race with Reni Eddo-Lodge looks at the recent history that lead to the politics of today.

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This domain has expired. If you owned this domain, contact your domain registration service provider for further assistance. If you need help identifying your provider, visit https://www.tucowsdomains.com/

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aboutracepodcast.com is your first and best source for all of the information you’re looking for. From general topics to more of what you would expect to find here, aboutracepodcast.com has it all. We hope you find what you are searching for!

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Runnymede is the UK's leading independent race equality think tank. It generates intelligence to challenge race inequality in Britain through research, network building, leading debate, and policy engagement.

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Runnymede is the UK's leading independent race equality thinktank.

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AWAKE to WOKE to WORK: Building a Race Equity Culture

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AWAKE to WOKE to WORK: Building a Race Equity Culture

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This research identifies seven strategic elements
of an organisation that, when leveraged, build momentum
towards a Race Equity Culture

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These resources are intended for student (courtesy of Highland School) but I think we could do a lot worse than starting here ourselves.

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Lesson 3: What is #BlackLivesMatter working towards?

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Lesson 3: What is #BlackLivesMatter working towards?

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BLM Lesson Series 3:
What Is Black Lives Matter Working Towards?

To the Teacher:

The lesson below is the third in a 3-lesson series in which we take a close look at the Black Lives Matter movement, why and how it came into being, some criticism it has received, and what it is working towards. Before beginning these lessons, you may want to review these guidelines for teaching about difficult or controversial issues.

Lesson 1: Black Lives Matter: An Introduction
Lesson 2: "All Lives Matter" versus "Black Lives Matter"
Lesson 3: What Is "Black Lives Matter" Working Towards?

Preparation: In advance of the lesson, print out this pdf of tweets and make enough copies for each of several small group in your classroom. Also print out this poster from the civic organization Avaaz.

Since the last time we met to discuss the Black Lives Matter movement, have you noticed anything in the news or in your own life or community that is connected to the Black Lives Matter movement? Consider giving an example or two from the news and or an example or two from your own life to model and set the tone.

Tweets: What is Black Lives Matter trying to do?

Print out several copies of these four tweets, or project them.

Ask students to break into small groups. Ask the groups to look at the tweets and to consider each of the tweets in turn. For each tweet, discuss:

What are your thoughts and feelings about this tweet?

What do you think the tweet is referring to?

As you think about what you know about Black Lives Matter already, how might this tweet relate to what BlackLivesMatter is working towards?

Recap of BLM so far

Tell students that we will now watch this 3-minute video from the Washington Post that summarizes the Black Lives Matter hashtag and movement as well as criticisms of the movement. The video was created in August 2015.

Tell students that after the video, we'll be discussing its content. They may want to take notes on:

how Black Lives Matter is labeled early on in the video and what that tells us about the movement

what the video says Black Lives Matter protesters stand for

what Black Lives Matter is criticized for

After the class has watched the video, facilitate a short dialogue about it using some or all of these questions:

1. Early in the video, Black Lives Matter is labeled in a number of different ways. What do these labels that tell us about the movement?

2. What do Black Lives Matter protesters stand for, according to the video?

Record student responses. Responses may include:

stopping police brutality against African Americans

ending excessive policing in African American communities

making law enforcement more accountable

.... And, more broadly:

racial inequality

institutional racism

mass incarceration in the U.S.

3. What are the criticisms of the Black Lives Matter movement listed in the video?

Record student responses. The criticisms listed in the video are below.

After each criticism, ask students if it resonates with them and why.

Criticisms include:

its tactics are too heavy handed

it relies too much on social media

some law enforcement officials have blamed the movement for inciting violence (although there's no evidence backing this)

some whites have responded to BLM with the slogan All Lives Matter, and have charged that movement is not being inclusive

it doesn't pay enough attention to street violence in Black neighborhoods

without a central leader, it lacks direction

4. According to the video, "Some critics say BLM protesters do not pay enough attention to street violence in Black neighborhoods. These critics regard crimes committed by private citizens (most of whom are prosecuted and punished), as equivalent to or worse than police misconduct."

Discuss: In what ways is police misconduct different from the misconduct of private citizens? Can they be compared? Why or why not?

5. According to the video, "Some observers say that by choosing not to have a central leader, the BLM movement will far apart without any clear direction." (Note that this concern was voiced in August 2014.)

Discuss: What problems can arise from a lack of central leadership in BLM, or in any activist organization? What advantages might there be? Can you think of examples from history of movements that were either highly centralized or decentralized? Were they effective?

#BlackLivesMatter as a hashtag evolved into the Black Lives Matter movement. As of October 2016, this movement continues to grow and evolve.

BLM activists say they want to capitalize on this moment in history (including the 2016 election), but want to go beyond it to " plant and cultivate the seeds of transformation of this country."

On August 1, 2016, more than 60 organizations associated with Black Lives Matter and calling itself the "Movement for Black Lives" released a series of demands. The six broad demands are:

1. End the war on Black People: We demand an end to the war against Black people. Since this country's inception there have been named and unnamed wars on our communities. We demand an end to the criminalization, incarceration, and killing of our people.

2. Reparations: We demand reparations for past and continuing harms. The government, responsible corporations and other institutions that have profited off of the harm they have inflicted on Black people - from colonialism to slavery through food and housing redlining, mass incarceration, and surveillance - must repair the harm done.

3. Invest-Divest: We demand investments in the education, health and safety of Black people, instead of investments in the criminalizing, caging, and harming of Black people. We want investments in Black communities, determined by Black communities, and divestment from exploitative forces including prisons, fossil fuels, police, surveillance and exploitative corporations.

4. Economic Justice: We demand economic justice for all and a reconstruction of the economy to ensure Black communities have collective ownership, not merely access.

5. Community Control: We demand a world where those most impacted in our communities control the laws, institutions, and policies that are meant to serve us - from our schools to our local budgets, economies, police departments, and our land - while recognizing that the rights and histories of our Indigenous family must also be respected.

6. Political Power: We demand independent Black political power and Black self-determination in all areas of society. We envision a remaking of the current U.S. political system in order to create a real democracy where Black people and all marginalized people can effectively exercise full political power.

All of these demands are worthy of further exploration, and there is much material to begin this exploration at the Movement for Black Lives website.

Further Exploration: Invest-Divest

We're going to look more closely at the third bullet in this list: Invest-Divest.

Invite students to define the word: invest. Merriam Webster defines the word this way:

Invest
1: to commit (money) in order to earn a financial return

Next, invite students to define the word: divest. Merriam Webster defines it this way:

Divest
1a : to deprive or dispossess especially of property, authority, or title
2: to take away from a person

Read out loud the Movement for Black Lives' invest-divest demand:

"We demand investments in the education, health and safety of Black people, instead of investments in the criminalizing, caging, and harming of Black people. We want investments in Black communities, determined by Black communities, and divestment from exploitative forces including prisons, fossil fuels, police, surveillance and exploitative corporations."

Discuss the elements of this demand with students.

What policies does the movement favor?

What policies does it oppose?

Why is "fossil fuels" listed as an "exploitative force"? (The Movement for Black Lives argues, in part, that "Black people are amongst the most affected by climate change. If we're not serious about reducing emissions, the planet will keep getting hotter and Black people will continue to bear the biggest brunt of climate change.")

Facts about America's prison system

Show or print this poster from Avaaz, a U.S.-based civic organization.

Invite students to take in the poster and discuss it using some or all of the following questions:

1. What are your thoughts and feelings about this poster?

2. Do any of the facts on the poster surprise you? How? What stands out the most for you about this poster?

3. How does incarceration in the U.S. relate to race, according to the poster?

4. How does incarceration in the U.S. relate to who gets to vote, according the poster?

5. What does the poster say about education as it relates to incarceration? Why do you think the poster makes this point?

6. Going back to the top of the poster, why do you think the heading reads "Is this Justice"? Why is justice in quotes?

7. Having discussed the poster, what additional thoughts and feelings would you like to share? Why do you think 'Justice' is in quotes?

For additional discussion

Watch and discuss this 3-minute video produced by the Infographic Show and available on YouTube. It details facts about the U.S. prison system.

Closing

Ask a student to read this reflection by Martin Luther King, Jr. and relate it to what they now know about Black Lives Matter:

"As my sufferings mounted I soon realized that there were two ways in which I could respond to my situation -- either to react with bitterness or seek to transform the suffering into a creative force. I decided to follow the latter course."

Alternatively, ask students to share one fact we've discussed today that they will remember.

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Black Lives Matter Lesson Series: Part 3

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To the Teacher: The lesson below is the third in a 3-lesson series in which we take a close look at the Black Lives Matter movement, why and how it came into being, some criticism it has received, and what it is working towards.

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Creating Emotional Safety in our classroom

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Creating Emotional Safety in our classroom

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Resources from Highland School (London)

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Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race

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Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race

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Reni Eddo-Lodge (Gives the history of where black people in Britain are positioned in relation to other groups and the frustrations that come with discussions about race)

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15 essential conversations about race in a pivotal moment for America.

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Come Through with Rebecca Carroll: Episodes | WNYC Studios | Podcasts

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15 essential conversations about race in a pivotal year for America.

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Currently, students across the UK are not being taught  Black British History. The Black Curriculum was set up to tackle this

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Mission statement

The Black Curriculum is a social enterprise founded in 2019 by Lavinya Stennett to address the lack of Black British history in the UK Curriculum. We believe that by delivering arts focused Black history programmes, providing teacher training and campaigning through mobilising young people, we can facilitate social change.

Our programmes are for all young people aged 8-16 and aims to equip young people with a sense of identity, and the tools for a diverse landscape. We are working towards changing the national curriculum and building a sense of identity in every young person in the UK.

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The Black Curriculum is a social enterprise founded in 2019 by Lavinya Stennett to address the lack of Black British history in the UK Curriculum. We believe that by delivering arts focused Black history programmes, providing teacher training and campaigning through mobilising young people, we can facilitate social change.

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PODCAST: Leading with Love  during a Time of Crisis

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PODCAST: Leading with Love  during a Time of Crisis

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A Podcast exploring the importance of  having an unapologetic, values-driven  leader in preparing students for the realities of an unequal society.

“At the end of the day we are fighting for something bigger than the perpetuation of our selves as an institution. We are fighting for the salvation of our students. That’s a bigger cause.”

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Thirteen years ago Michael Sorrell saved Paul Quinn College, a historically Black Methodist college in Dallas, Texas, from financial collapse, transforming it to America's first urban work college. Today, he explains why he won't welcome students back on campus this fall unless he can keep them safe, what America's anti-racism protests mean for higher ed, and why the single best piece of advice he ever got was to "lead with love." "At the end of the day we are fighting for something bigger than the perpetuation of our selves as an institution. We are fighting for the salvation of our students. That's a bigger cause."

Twitter: @michaelsorrell | @jandersonQZ | @Learnit_World

Paul Quinn College website for more information on their work https://pqc-edu.squarespace.com/

More details regarding the reality of social mobility in US college system, available via corresponding Quartz article, written by Jenny Anderson: https://bit.ly/3e0jOhs

Michael Sorrell, ranked 34 in Fortune's 50 Greatest Leaders: https://fortune.com/worlds-greatest-leaders/2018/michael-sorrell/

Michael Sorrell's SXSW Edu 2018 talk: https://bit.ly/3fxj4B5

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The Learnit Podcast - Episode 1: Leading with Love during a Time of Crisis

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Thirteen years ago Michael Sorrell saved Paul Quinn College, a historically Black Methodist college in Dallas, Texas, from financial collapse, transforming it to America's first urban work college. Today, he explains why he won't welcome students back on campus this fall unless he can keep them safe, what America's anti-racism protests mean for higher ed, and why the single best piece of advice he ever got was to "lead with love."

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Becoming Anti-Racist - A self assessment

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Becoming Anti-Racist - A self assessment

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Consider where you currently sit on this diagram.

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A lesson on advocacy in action. Could be used in "Advocating for Change" PD curriculum

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A looks at one schools staff communications RE: #BlackLivesMatter

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BLM at School Communication to Staff.docx

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Pragya Agarwal (explores the science behind unintentional biases)

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Dr Pragya Agarwal is a behavioural scientist, with expertise in cognition, HCI and User-centred Design, focussed especially in diversity and inclusivity. She was a senior academic for over 12 years at US and UK Universities,... Read more

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'Passionate and urgent.' Guardian, Book of the Week'A must-read for all.' Stylist, best new books for 2020'Cogently argued and intensely persuasive. Groundbreaking Work.' Waterstones, best new books of April'Impressive and much-needed.' Financial Times, Best Business Books April to June'Admirably detailed.' Prospect Magazine'Practical, useful, readable and essential for the times we are living in.'

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An assessment designed to evaluate an organisation's capacity and readiness to implement a racial justice agenda

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Why #BlackLivesMatter in Your Classroom Too

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Why #BlackLivesMatter in Your Classroom Too

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"What can we do? We cannot reconstruct the world to reflect our views, but we are in a unique position to take action in our classrooms. "

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I have a simple job. It has two easy mandates.

1. Love children with good teaching.

2. Love their teachers by supporting them with good stuff to teach with.

I work in classrooms all over the world. When there are pieces of your heart in far flung corners of the globe, a powerful kind of empathy grows. When communities hurt, I hurt.

When Trayvon Martin was murdered in Florida, I thought of the children I serve there. I thought of the books they like and the jokes they tell me when I get to town. I remembered his school and his teachers. I thought of his community and especially of his family that has had to find light in the traumatic void his absence creates. On some mornings, when I am particularly sensitive or tired, I can see his classroom. His empty desk haunts my dreams.

When the same thing happened with Mike Brown and Tamir Rice, a significant part of me broke. These names are not headlines or hashtags to me. These were children who read the books my colleagues and I suggested and wrote the essays we asked them to write. These are children who trusted us with their futures. Our system betrayed that trust.

I've worked in schools my entire career. The death of a student or family member is not a new occurrence to me. It is painful every single time. But I heal.

These recent wounds, however, are kept fresh not just by the regularity of these murders, but that they are carried out by agents of the state or their proxies and that they happen almost exclusively to black and brown children, to their siblings, to their mothers and to their fathers.

When educators talk about racism our conversation is often limited to individual acts of personal bias. As long as we don't know any mean or intolerant people, we are complacent in our thinking that these problems are not ours to contend with. Such a stance ignores the systemic complexities of how race is lived in America, on its streets and in our classrooms - and even when there are no people of color present.

Becoming more systemically aware means understanding the kinds of racism that shape our communities, schools, and classrooms, and where we stand in relation to those social forces.

Most people are aware of individual racism. If we choose to talk about race, it is what we spend most of our time talking about, but few understand how it works. There are two kinds of individual racism. The first kind of individual racism is internalized racism. These are all the conscious and subconscious racial biases, prejudices, and blind spots that we all have within ourselves as individuals.

The second kind of individual racism is interpersonal racism. This is what happens when we act out the biases we internalize on others. Most of us are sensitive enough to avoid acting out our internalized racism, but as humans, our biases, prejudices and blind spots are most likely to emerge when we are tired, stressed, late, scared or feel threatened. As educators we are tired quite regularly and stressed daily, so the work of avoiding interpersonal racism is real and significant, but it is not all.

There are also two kinds of systemic racism. The first kind - institutional racism - is the collection of racist policies and discriminatory practices in schools, government agencies, and workplaces that routinely produces unjust outcomes for people of color. These words may be new to us, but as teachers we are intimately familiar with this kind of racism. This is the "achievement gap." This is the testing industrial complex. This is school discipline.

Let's consider this: if there were an activity at school that resulted in the mass failure of kids with green eyes, we would not criminalize the kids with green eyes. We would ask, "What is it about this activity that excludes kids with green eyes?" and we would change the activity. Are we, as members of the education community, willing to do this for black boys who are suspended at rates that are exponentially more in comparison to their peers? What could this look like? If sitting in a desk all day listening to lectures leads to mass suspensions for a specific subset of kids, I need to get with my team and change the activity. To engage in this imaginative work - even if it is messy - is antiracist. It affirms that black lives do matter.

The second kind of systemic racism - structural racism - is the unjust patterns and practices that play out across societal institutions. It is the reality that those suspended black boys miss out on valuable instructional time and consequently miss out on opportunities that lead to college. It is the reality that this boy's earning potential over a lifetime is now a paltry percentage of his college educated peers. It is the knowledge that this reduced earning diminishes quality of life. To be antiracist is to know that all of these things are connected and to know that many of them start in school even when we express no interpersonal racism.

All of our students matter, but in a society characterized by its dogged refusal to treat all kids and their families equally, it is our moral imperative to affirm that black lives matter. If outcomes continue to be bleak for large groups of people, it diminishes the quality of all our lives. When there is massive disenfranchisement fueled by widespread failure and incarceration, the safety of all our communities is compromised.

In our search for solutions, people utter platitudes disguised as answers - we should love one another, I don't see color or race, let's talk more - and all of those things are lovely and important starts, but they alone will not change the systems that routinely produce unjust outcomes. To continue with business as usual, to do nothing, to be "neutral" is a passive declaration of racism because the system that we are most intimately connected with - school - will continue to produce unjust outcomes for people of color. To be antiracist is to be actively involved with the disruption of these systems.

What is our influence, as educators?

What can we do? We cannot reconstruct the world to reflect our views, but we are in a unique position to take action in our classrooms. We can start to disrupt the status quo by asking ourselves questions about our practice, community and curriculum. When I'm working in teams with other teachers, here are some initial questions we use to imagine what our disruption can look like.

1. Safety. In order for students to learn, they need to feel safe. How can I make sure that my classroom is a place where children feel safe and protected? Can I ensure the sustained management of the room while communicating respect (without cultivating fear, embarrassment or teacher dependence)?

2. Choice. Children read more when they feel capable and motivated. How can I create access to reading material that is high interest and appropriately challenges kids? How can I create consistent opportunities to do work that has both meaning and consequence?

3. Voice. When students have a voice, they feel empowered. When so much of childhood is about staying quiet and listening to adults, how can we give students a platform to talk, to write, to share what is important to them? How can we help them be heard by the constituencies that matter the most to them? Who are those people, can we get them to the classroom, and how can we communicate with them?

4. Growth. Learning is not an identical process for all kids; we cannot treat it as if it is. Where are my students now? Honestly. Where can they be by the end of the week? What kind of teaching and practice will it take for them to get there? How can I best facilitate progress - small groups, out of classroom activities, labs, centers, discussions, home visits? How can I measure progress? What tools might kids need in addition to what I have planned so that they may succeed? Do all kids need that tool?

5. Flexibility. Children and communities are changing all the time. What do we need to read to be more responsive to our kids and communities? Who do we need to learn from? What is the best way to share that learning with other teachers? How can we put that learning into action? Day to day, what can this kind of professional growth look like for us?

There is no right answer; rather, it's the questions that help us think about what actions or changes might lead to better outcomes for all of our students, particularly those who are underserved by traditional schooling. Being an advocate for black lives does not mean that I am an advocate against any other lives. When we make the conscious decision to address persisting injustices, this broadens access to justice for everyone.

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Why #BlackLivesMatter in Your Classroom Too

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I work in classrooms all over the world. When there are pieces of your heart in far flung corners of the globe, a powerful kind of empathy grows. When communities hurt, I hurt. When Trayvon Martin...

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Could we use this as explicit benchmarks that we judge our PD curriculum against?

A favourite of mine is "Students will recognize traits of the dominant culture, their home culture and other cultures and understand how they negotiate their own identity in multiple spaces."

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A Framework for Anti-Bias Education

The Social Justice Standards are a road map for anti-bias education at every stage of K-12 instruction. Comprised of anchor standards and age-appropriate learning outcomes, the standards provide a common language and organizational structure educators can use to guide curriculum development and make schools more just and equitable.

Divided into four domains-identity, diversity, justice and action (IDJA)-the standards recognize that, in today's diverse classrooms, students need knowledge and skills related to both prejudice-reduction and collective action. Together, these domains represent a continuum of engagement in anti-bias, multicultural and social justice education. The IDJA domains are based on Louise Derman-Sparks' four goals for anti-bias education in early childhood.

Each of the IDJA domains has learning outcomes and school-based scenarios organized by grades K-2, 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12.

Download the Standards

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The Social Justice Standards are a road map for anti-bias education at every stage of K-12 instruction, providing a common language and organizational structure educators can use to guide curriculum development and make schools more just and equitable.

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Richard Dyer (explores representations of whiteness in media through the good/bad dichotomy)

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Now twenty years since its initial release, Richard Dyer's classic text White remains a groundbreaking and insightful study of the representation of whiteness in Western visual culture.

White explores how, while racial representation is central to the organisation of the contemporary world, white people have remained a largely unexamined category in sharp contrast to the many studies of images of black and Asian peoples. Looking beyond the apparent unremarkability of whiteness, Dyer demonstrates the importance of analysing images of white people.

Dyer places this representation within the contexts of Christianity, 'race' and colonialism. In a series of absorbing case studies, he shows the construction of whiteness in the technology of photography and film as part of a wider 'culture of light'; discusses heroic white masculinity in muscle-man action cinema, from Tarzan and Hercules to Conan and Rambo; analyses the stifling role of white women in end-of-empire fictions like Jewel in the Crown and traces the associations of whiteness with death in Falling Down, horror movies and cult dystopian films such as Blade Runner and the Aliens trilogy.

This twentieth anniversary edition includes a new introductory chapter by Maxime Cervulle entitled 'Looking into the light: Whiteness, racism and regimes of representation'. This new introduction illuminates how Dyer has made a major contribution to the study of contemporary regimes of representation by unveiling the cultural mechanisms that have formed and reinforced white hegemony, mechanisms under which white people have come to represent what is ordinary, neutral, even universal.

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Now twenty years since its initial release, Richard Dyer's classic text White remains a groundbreaking and insightful study of the representation of whiteness in Western visual culture. White explores how, while racial representation is central to the organisation of the contemporary world, white people have remained a largely unexamined category in sharp contrast to the many studies of images of black and Asian peoples.

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The Employers Network for Equality & Inclusion (ENEI) is the leading employer network covering all aspects of equality and inclusion in the workplace.

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What is unconscious bias?

Our brains use visual, verbal and behavioural clues to categorise others, for instance by age, gender, ethnicity, or social background, sexual orientation or education. These clues can be incredibly useful as we make our way through life. They help us to determine whether someone might be friendly or hostile. We do this through a process of rapid categorisation that is both natural and necessary. This process of rapid categorisation as suggested by the psychologist Joseph LeDoux acts as an unconscious danger detector, which helps us to determine whether someone or something is safe.

From a basic human survival standpoint, developed through human evolution, our unconscious judgements or biases are necessary and essential. The process of placing people into categories and pre-judging helps us to make rapid decisions that could literally be life-saving. Social categorisation also helps us to deal with everyday encounters, such as visiting the dentist or the doctor. The categorisation process helps to inform intuitive and appropriate behaviours and expectations from both parties. These rules of behaviours are stored within our unconscious and saves us from having to decode common social interactions. We behave in socially acceptable ways and make everyday judgements without being aware of doing so.

Why is it important?

The down side of rapid categorisation is that our brains often misread the clues of our unconscious judgements and this shifts us from danger detectors to social labelling and stereotyping that leads to high levels of prejudice and discrimination. In a workplace context bias impacts, for instance, our hiring decisions. Factors that lead to bias include:

Visual social identity: stereotypes are formed based on gender, ethnic and other social categorises.

Dress: what a candidate wears can have a powerful impact on how interviewers think about them.

Accent: interviewers make all sorts of assumptions about a candidate's education and skills based on their social accent. Unconscious assessments (and biases) include the extent to which a candidate will fit into the prevailing organisational culture.

Information on the CV: this could include social activities as well as work history and qualifications. Interviewers may make assumptions, for instance, on a candidate's sexual orientation based on voluntary activities. These unconscious assumptions will often influence appointment decisions.

These first impressions often lead to what is known as the halo effect. The so called halo effect occurs when something about a candidate creates such a favourable impression on the interviewer in the early stages of the interview that it is as if the candidate has a halo and can say nothing wrong. The result can be that anything the candidate says passes through a favourable filter, and any negative aspects of the candidate are overlooked or minimised. The opposite effect (known as the 'reverse halo' or the 'horns affect') can occur if the interviewer's first impression of the candidate is unfavourable in some respect.

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Our brains use visual, verbal and behavioural clues to categorise others, for instance by age, gender, ethnicity, or social background, sexual orientation or education. These clues can be incredibly useful as we make our way through life. They help us to determine whether someone might be friendly or hostile.

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A toolkit put together for a school hosting a "Black Lives Matter" Day.

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Black Lives Matter at School Resource Toolkit

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Once we understand that racism is often the result of unconscious bias, we can begin to look at how we can manage our own biases.

This is an hour long training session ran by and for facebook employees

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At Facebook, we believe that understanding and managing unconscious bias can help us build stronger, more diverse and inclusive organizations. These videos are designed to help us recognize our biases so we can reduce their negative effects in the workplace. Surfacing and countering unconscious bias is an essential step towards becoming the people and companies we want to be.

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Could these be used a discussion prompts or form the basis of a display?

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How can we encourage students to reflect and respond in creative ways?

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"Stolen" is a powerful series by artist Adrian Brandon that is dedicated to Black people that were robbed of their lives at the hands of police.

The 11 x 14″ portraits were first drawn with graphite. Brandon then used time as a medium to define how long each portrait was colored in for. 1 year of life = 1 minute of color.

The gripping results are unfinished portraits of people whose lives were cut short. Brandon explains:

Tamir Rice was 12 when he was murdered, so I colored his portrait for 12 minutes. As a person of color, I know that my future can be stolen from me if I'm driving with a broken taillight, or playing my music too loud, or reaching for my phone at the wrong time. So for each of these portraits I played with the harsh relationship between time and death. I want the viewer to see how much empty space is left in these lives, stories that will never be told, space that can never be filled. This emptiness represents holes in their families and our community, who will be forever stuck with the question, "who were they becoming?" This series touches on grief and the unknown.

The original series of portraits were exhibited at Brandon's first solo show in November 2019. He has since updated the series to include more recent portraits including George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. To see more of Adrian's powerful work, please visit the links below.

1. Aiyana Stanley-Jones
7 years old / 7 minutes of color

2. Tamir Rice
12 years old / 12 minutes of color

3. Sandra Bland
28 years old / 28 minutes of color

4. George Floyd
46 years old / 46 minutes of color

5. Breonna Taylor
28 years old / 28 minutes of color

6. Michael Brown
18 years old / 18 minutes of color

7. Atatiana Jefferson
28 years old / 28 minutes of color

8. Philando Castile
32 years old / 32 minutes of color

9. Eric Garner
43 years old / 43 minutes of color

"I feel rushed as I create these pieces. I want to complete their portraits so badly. To be able to see all the layers of colors in their face come to life. I feel a strong sense of panic during the process, which is a feeling Black people experience far too often when engaging with police. The timer (which I cannot see) is always in the back of my mind. How much time is left? When will this be over? I need more time... They deserve more time."

10. Stolen by Adrian Brandon

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Artist Channels Grief Into Unfinished Portraits Where 1 Year of Life = 1 Minute of Color

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"Stolen" is a powerful series by artist Adrian Brandon that is dedicated to Black people that were robbed of their lives at the hands of police. The 11 x 14″ portraits were first drawn with graphite. Brandon then used time as a medium to define how long each portrait was colored in for.