#1
Most of us fail to reckon with the fact the America is a country built on a foundation of slavery, genocide, and white supremacy
#2
Most of us fail to reckon with the fact the America still grants real privilege to our white skin, each and every day
#3
Most of us fail to understand the damage done by having grown up in de facto residential segregation. And yet, racial isolation is the first step to the formation of prejudice and implicit bias
#4
Most of us fail to understand the damage done by having attended schools separated by de facto segregation. And yet, racial isolation is the first step to the formation of prejudice and implicit bias
#5
Some of us went to racially diverse schools and took “college bound” classes. Since Black students are disproportionately and unjustly tracked out of these classes, we received dangerous messages about “intelligence” and “race”
#6
Because many of us grew up in racial isolation, we learned about Black people from the media we consumed. And yet, this media--news, sports, and entertainment--overtly plays on dangerous stereotypes
#7
Most of us grew up in families and peer groups where talk about race and racism was avoided at all times. We reached adulthood without learning how to speak about either of these things
#8
When talk about race and racism could not be avoided, many of us learned to say things like, "I don't see color. I just see people"
#9
Many of us went to colleges where Black students were vastly underrepresented. Higher education remains de facto segregated, and we again had the opportunity to receive false messages about “academic success” and “race”
#10
Many of us studied education in college. And yet, even at the individual college level, Black students are underrepresented in teacher prep programs. While trying to learn how to teach Black students we were isolated from Black peers
#11
Many of us had our first experience talking about race and racism in that one “multicultural education” class we took in teacher prep. Some of us were uncomfortable and compensated with arrogance
#12
When talk about race and racism made us uncomfortable, we thought things like, “I went to high school with Black people, took classes and played on teams with them. I don’t have a problem with race”
#13
When talk about race and racism made us uncomfortable, we thought things like, “My family isn’t from the South; we never owned slaves or benefited from Jim Crow. White privilege isn’t a part of my past”
#14
When talk about race or racism made us uncomfortable, we thought things like, “My family comes from a blue-collar background. We pulled ourselves up by our bootstraps. Every American has that same opportunity”
#15
Despite our inexperience reckoning with the realities of race and racism, many of us started our careers teaching in schools that were mostly Black. We assumed our well-meaning presence covered over our ignorance
#16
Most of us refuse to allow news stories about race or racism to come up in our classrooms—even when an innocent person like Atatiana Jefferson is murdered in her own home
#17
If we teach math or science, many of us avoid talking about race or racism by thinking something like, "Math and science are universal languages. Culture and society have no place in our classrooms”
#18
If we teach liberal arts, many of us avoid talking about race or racism by thinking something like, “We have to stick to the curriculum or we won’t get through everything”
#19
The only time we allow our classes to discuss race or racism is on or around MLK Day. Sometimes we also make an exception on April 4th
#20
When classroom talk about race or racism cannot be avoided, many of us repeat a lesson we learned in childhood: “I don’t see color. I just see students”
#21
When talk about race or racism cannot be avoided, many of us try to signal our virtue by working the conversation around to the fact that we voted for Obama
#22
When talk about race or racism cannot be avoided, many of us say ignorant things like, “I know just how you feel”
#23
If a Black colleague suggests that we can’t understand certain aspects of a Black student’s experience, many of us get offended and call this “unfair” or “racist”
#24
Some of us think that because we choose to work with Black children, problems of prejudice and implicit bias could not possibly apply to us
#25
If a frustrated student accuses us of being racist, many of us panic and overreact. I once took a student to the principal’s office for no other reason
#26
Some of us have experienced discrimination in the past for one reason or another. When talk about race or racism cannot be avoided, we try to drive the conversation with our own experience
#27
When some of us realized how little we knew about race and racism we read a book to educate ourselves. We thought this small exposure made us automatic experts. Mine was “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?”
#28
Many of us realized how little we knew about race and racism when we first became friends with a Black person. We thought this small exposure made us automatic experts
#29
Some of us have grabbed onto the word “woke” and held on to it a little too tightly
#30
Many of us think that the current political moment is the problem. In fact, it is merely a symptom of the much larger problem: white supremacy and fear of the other
#31 & Done
Some teachers think it is enough to love people. This is incorrect. Until we learn how to love Black people, not in spite of but for all that it means to be Black, we will continue to do wrong in the classroom