Race Education for the Next Generation

Imagine a world centuries after slavery has been abolished where black men and women are still the victims of police brutality, racial profiling, discrimination, systemic and institutional racism, and white supremacy? Unfortunately, that is the world we still live in today and we have not done much as a society to try to change it.

How do you change it? How do you reverse centuries of hurt, pain, trauma and divide? The answer is, you don't. There is nothing we could do that will ever erase the damage that has been done to the black community by the white race and we should not try to. What we can do is learn, grow, listen, empathize, and promise to do and be better than our ancestors and those before us for the centuries to come.

As an educator, I believe in the power of education and knowledge. I know, firsthand, that learning and educating one's self on topics and issues that are unclear or often overlooked can allow you to become understanding, supportive, empathetic and inclusive, and you gain a new perspective on it. This means that, as educators, we have the power and ability to mould the future generation to not only be not racist but anti-racist.

There are a few strategies and things to consider when teaching an anti-racism curriculum to our students. The rest of this blog post will highlight some strategies that I think are important to consider and keep in mind inside and outside of the classroom.

Recognize Bias

We all have our personal biases that, most of the time, we are unaware of and do not even know we are exhibiting to others. However, we do have the power to reflect on and change these biases. There are different types of biases, but the most important (and dangerous) type of all is implicit bias. Implicit bias is the attitudes and stereotypes we create unconsciously through our actions, decisions and understanding. We need to stop ourselves from acting on this implicit bias through self-reflection and educating ourselves. Ask yourself, "Is the way I treat all of my students equitable?," "Am I giving all of my students a voice and a platform to use that voice," "Do I have any presumptions about my students?," and "Are all of my students reflected in my physical classroom and my teaching style."

Teach What Matters

As educators, our goal is to teach our students social responsibility and to be good members of society, but what does that even mean and how do we do it? When I think of qualities of a good member of society I think of kind, warm, inclusive, empathetic, understanding, supportive, and conscious. We should be including lessons in our curriculum and everyday teaching material that allows students to build these qualities. Put art and decor from all races up in your classroom, showcase all of your students' work with pride, and use different races in your teaching material to reflect the world more accurately. Have meaningful and authentic conversations with your students about world issues (past and present), discuss how they are feeling, and listen to their stories and experiences. Finally, make the work and learning meaningful, relatable and real. Learning about black history and media literacy? Have the students research an anti-racist non-profit organization and create a social media post or flyer to promote it. Students learn more and are more willing to learn when they see that what they are being taught has real and tangible connections with the real world around them.

Actions Speak Louder than Words

Being an anti-racist educator is a verb, not a noun. It is not a title or name of a person but an action. We must do the work of an anti-racist educator in order to be an anti-racist educator. If you are teaching students to be allies of the black community and teaching them to fight for equality and inclusivity than you need to model it and show them what it looks like. Start a fund with your classroom to donate to a good cause, attend protests and document it for your students (even have them create the sign for you) and, most importantly, stand up for your students and/or others publicly by calling out racist behaviours and remarks and educating the perpetrator.

I know this topic can be overwhelming and a lot to digest but, as white educators, it is the least we can do. As educators, we hold a lot of power on how the next generation grows, thinks and behaves and we need to make sure we are doing better, collectively as a society. Let's use our white power and privilege to raise the voices of the black men and women around us to hear their stories, experiences, cries, concerns and needs.

---