Ijeoma Olou’s book So You Want to Talk About Race challenges us all to not only be more mindful about racism but to engage in actively stopping oppression. This is a hard conversation with our selves, so you can imagine what it must feel like to discuss the topic of race and privilege with a book club. Vulnerable. Olou would say that feeling vulnerable, uncomfortable, and painful is a crucial part of the process.
“And if you are white, and you don’t want to feel any of that pain by having these conversations, then you are asking people of color to continue to bear the entire burden of racism alone.”
– Ijeoma Olou
What is exciting about this book club is that it sets a platform for discussing ways the school system can change for the better. The book club is amongst a group primarily made of educators with invitations out to parents and community members. The bulk of our recent conversation around Chapters 1-5 was about how we can take a conversation around racism and not just learn from it, but “get to work on dismantling it.” I believe this is why her chapters are set in questions because we are reading the book to talk about race—to enter the conversation:
Chapter 1 – Is it really about race?
Chapter 2 – What is racism?
Chapter 3 – What if I talk about race wrong?
Chapter 4 – Why am I always being told to “check my privilege”?
Chapter 5 – What is intersectionality and why do I need it?
I wanted to grab some of the great talking points brought up at our first book club to continue the conversation with you.
Standards
As educators adhere to the state’s performance standards, it becomes apparent that there are gaps in diverse history and representation. A question that has come up is how people of color are represented, if at all, in parts of history. A shared best practice is to ask students to consider who is/was missing in this snapshot, synopsis, or moment in time. Other guiding questions provided by Colorado’s District Sample Curriculum Project include:
- What examples of cultural perspective are found in this text?
- How does this character’s social life differ from yours?
- How might individuals with different cultural and social backgrounds view the same incident or experience differently?
Professional Learning Communities
If we are aware that our standards might not be openly providing diverse curriculum, we might want to create checkpoints to ensure we are building more equitable lessons plans. A great place for these conversations would be in departmental meetings and PLCs (Professional Learning Communities). As you meet and build out your curriculum, lesson plans, and school calendar, consider asking each other if there is inclusivity. Can all of your students see themselves in what you are representing, sharing, teaching in your classroom?
The change will only come when we not only speak up against racism, but also when we fight the systemic oppression.
Resources
Of course, part of creating a diverse and inclusive lesson plan entails equipping ourselves with the right resources. Teachers are doing the groundwork and research to prepare to teach, but we need to consider the validity or perspective of the source. What if the resource is only sharing one side of the story? How do we know the information is accurate? We can’t be all-knowing. I think that just putting these questions into your inner monologue is a first, good step. The following is a small list of some possible resources to start with when considering using resources with a diverse perspective:
Library of Congress (primary resources)
The two big takeaways for me, while reading this book, has been that there is a lot of hurt (rightfully so); therefore, this will not be an easy fix—but it is necessary. Which leads me to the last food for thought, and that is, we can’t just say that we are not part of the problem because we believe that we are supporters of diversity. The change will only come when we not only speak up against racism, but also when we fight the systemic oppression.
See You Real Soon,
Erin
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