America, the beautiful, is a great country. And, when America falls short of its beauty and falls below its level of greatness (as it did in the case of slavery, Jim Crow, and myriad fights for Civil Rights), Black History Month exists, always, to help America remember the troubles and triumphs that our country got through; Black History Month exists to help America remember the rises and falls we withstood despite. Black History Month exists, always, to help our nation see the mountains we climbed over and the ones we have yet to climb. Black History Month is here, always, to help America rise, to help make America great again when America falls below its greatness.
Black History Month
Black history is American history. Black History Month speaks to and celebrates the achievements of Black people and their allies in the struggle for equity and equality. Rooted in this history is race - and by extension - racism. Black History Month also speaks to and celebrates the achievements of Black people before arrival on American soil. Rooted in this history, certainly, is race, and indeed, racism.
And, when we study and teach Black history well, we move beyond the surface knowledge of achievements and cursory biographies of quotidian civil rights leaders. We go deeper into the core of leaders and the critical foundations on which the multiple movements for civil rights were built and have wrought. At the core of Black History Month, then, is a look at race and racism. And, when we speak about race, and most assuredly about racism, it takes courage.
Courageous Conversations
What is a Courageous Conversation?
“Courageous conversations” is a phrase often mentioned but rarely, if ever,
really
, unpacked. Below is my attempt at unpacking.
Definition:
Being afraid to talk about a challenging topic, knowing that it could lead to strife - but talking about it anyway. Being brave is different. Brave people enter conversations without fear. Courageous people feel fear but enter the conversation anyway.
...from California Courts - the Judicial Branch of California
...from Teaching Tolerance
Why Have a Courageous Conversation about Race?
Purpose:
...from Education Post - blog
...from the Turlock Journal
...from the TUSD Equity Task Force
...from the Turlock Teachers Association and Calif. Teachers Assn.
...from the City of Turlock and CSU Stanislaus Equity Task Force
...from the Harvard Graduate School of Education
...from Johns Hopkins University
...from the National Education Association
...from the California Legislative Information
Educational Theories
Schema & Constructivism--Piaget
Students will learn new things if they connect them to what they already know. And rather than sitting in lectures and being given knowledge, they learn best by doing - creating and constructing
Zone of Proximal, Development & Scaffolding, Vygotsky
Students work at an ability level slightly above what they can do without the teacher’s help. And rather than expecting students to achieve at high levels on their own, students learn best when teachers build scaffolds of incremental degrees of difficulty within the student’s ability level.
Behaviorism--Skinner
Students respond best to positive reinforcement over negative.
Critical Race Theory--Derrick Bell, Richard Delgado, Gloria Ladson-Billings
Race is a major factor in how institutions work. Critical Race Theory looks at these institutions through the lens of race. A look at how racial inequities are built into institutional systems helps to explain and find solutions for educational inequalities. These theorists argue that institutions such as the law and court system, schools, real estate markets, jobs, business, and hiring practices, politics and governments, or hospitals and health care, or any institution that students of color encounter or don’t have equal or equitable access to, will impact their ability to achieve an equal or equitable education.
...from Purdue University (On the Founding Theorists)
...from Gloria Ladson-Billings (who started the conversation)
...from Oxford Research Encyclopedia
...from Dr. Anthony Muhammad of
Overcoming the Achievement Gap Trap
- Related Essays
In looking at
TUSD’s Equity Task Force foundational principles
, notice below that there’s a ton topics about which to have courageous conversations. And Black History Month, when we learn and study Black history well, is a good time to start or continue them.
Mission:
The TUSD Equity Task Force is committed to equitable practices and experiences for all students and staff to mitigate social inequalities and embrace human diversity.
Vision:
- Develop an attendance improvement support plan
- Analyze curriculum to ensure the implementation of accurately embedded-multi-culturalism
- Educate and train staff and students on diversity and equity-related issues
- Engage in courageous conversations throughout the District
- Analyze data and programs to identify inequities and take corrective action
- Ensure consistently high expectations for all student groups
- Celebrate diversity and multiculturalism community-wide
The Books TUSD Teachers and Libraries Have Received:
Teach Us Your Name - Huda Essa
Ouch Moments: When Words are Used in Hurtful Ways - Michael Genhart
