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Cultivating a Diverse Democracy
Love takes off the masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within. I use the word "love" here not merely in the personal sense but as a state of being, or a state of grace—not in the infantile American sense of being made happy but in the tough and universal sense of quest and daring and growth.
James Baldwin
The Fire Next Time
Each year, the California Council on Teacher Education (CCTE) hosts a California College/School of Education Deans’ Meeting where all of us come together whether we are from California State University, University of California, or AICCU, the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities. This year, the day-long retreat focused on “Leading for a Multiracial Democracy and Leading Democratically: A Dialogue on Moving Forward.”
John Rogers, who is a professor of education and director of the Institute for Democracy, Education, and Access at UCLA, skillfully steered us through a highly politically charged landscape. In a 2023 publication, Educating for a Diverse Democracy in California: The Growing Challenges of Political Conflict and Hostile Behavior, Rogers and his colleagues highlight the challenges we are facing today that threaten that goal. They write,
There is a pressing need for California to prepare all youth to take part in a diverse democracy–a democracy in which people from different communities and with different political beliefs, interests, identities, and ways of thinking come together to address common problems and build a shared future.
As our day progressed, we Deans and other higher education leaders explored how and to what degree our universities and regions are experiencing political conflict and how we are addressing it. We heard from Deans across the state, and some of the most memorable advice came from Dean Sasha Sidorkin from Sac State.
His succinct advice: Don’t fight the wrong people and don’t feed the trolls.
It is easy to get caught up in dealing with the squeaky wheels and forget our “Why.”
Why are we doing this work?
What is our North Star?
We are not helpless, and we need not hand-wring. Here are some practical steps Rogers and his colleagues invite us to consider:
- Join other members of your community in developing a public statement about your shared commitment to the values of a diverse democracy.
- Express support for teachers and principals when they communicate their commitment to create a safe and inclusive learning environment.
- Write a blog, post on social media, or write a letter to your newspaper about why you value your local public schools and about why we need schools to teach our full history and to promote respect for all students.
- Step up to the podium during the public comment period of local school board meetings and share why it is important to protect LGBTQ student rights and foster learning about the literature and history of diverse members of the community as well as about race and racism.
- Consider running for your local school board or supporting others to do so. For practical information see https://www.assistdemocracy.org/.
- Organize diverse coalitions that challenge book bans and other authoritarian or anti-democratic efforts to limit what students learn.
- Speak out and join others in protest to demonstrate a shared commitment to educating for a diverse democracy.
As you scroll through this week’s newsletter, note the additional opportunities to educate for a diverse democracy in California. Consider presenting at our 13th Annual Social Justice in Education Conference. Encourage someone (or yourself!) to pursue teaching, school counseling, and educational leadership careers. Join us in being the change you wish to see in the world.
Yours for respect and diversity,
Elizabeth
Elizabeth C. Orozco Reilly
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