Teaching Tolerance Magazine

Social Justice and Math Meet Our New Director Black Male Educators Teaching Liberation and Love And Other Big News! Resisting White Supremacy With Joy TEACH I NG TOLERANCE ISSUE 66 | SPRING 2021 TOLERANCE.ORG White Supremacy in Education White supremacy affects every element of the U.S. education system. Find out how students, educators and other stakeholders resist it daily.

BIBI RECOMMENDED 6–12FOR GRADES LESSONS FOR GRADES Our new streaming classroom film, Bibi, tells the story 6–12 AVAILABLE of Ben, a gay Latinx man, and his complicated relation- ship with his father and his home. The 18-minute film can inspire critical conversations about identity, culture, family, communication and belonging. AVAILABLE FOR STREAMING ONLY AT TOLERANCE.ORG/BIBI

THE FORGOTTEN SLAVERY RECOMMENDED OF OUR ANCESTORS 6–12FOR GRADES Indigenous enslavement predated and shaped systems of African American slavery on land that is now the United States, stretching across the continent and through the 19th century. Use this new film to introduce students to what historian Andrés Résendez calls “our shared history.” AVAILABLE FOR STREAMING ONLY AT TOLERANCE.ORG/FORGOTTENSLAVERY

ISSUE 66 | SPRING 2021 19 24 46 50 DEPARTMENTS 5 Perspectives Our new director introduces herself—and shares some big news! 7 Letters to the Editor 9 Ask Teaching Tolerance 11 W hy I Teach Gerardo Muñoz on the importance of centering community—especially this school year. 13 D own the Hall Special education consultant Veronica Menefee on ensuring every student can thrive. 15 PD Café In this conclusion to a four-part series exploring the four domains of TT’s Social Justice Standards, we take a deep dive into action. 59 Staff Picks Our book and film reviews help you keep your practice fresh and informed. 62 Story Corner 64 One World 2 T E AC H I N G TO L E R A N C E on the cover White supremacy affects every element of the U.S. education system. ILLUSTRATION BY CARLOS BASABE ALL ARTICLES ARE AVAILABLE FOR EDUCATIONAL USE AT TOLERANCE.ORG/MAGAZINE.

IN THIS ISSUE ∞ “The Night Before the Dream,” a new Story Corner from award- winning children’s book author Glenda Armand. 4 28 FEATURES 42 It Was Always About Control 0 54 When schools closed due to coronavirus, 19 The Fight for Ethnic Studies educators and students made big changes Across the country, advocates are to adapt to distance learning. Too many working to ensure K-12 students policies didn’t change at all. have the opportunity to take ethnic studies courses. 46 The Classical Roots 24 A Flaw in the Foundation of White Supremacy If we’re serious about dismantling For most Americans, the classical world white supremacy in schools, teacher means Greece and Rome. That idea preparation programs are an obvious is ahistorical—and it’s an intentional place to start. creation of white supremacy. 28 What it Means to Be 50 What Educators an Anti-racist Teacher Can Do in 100 Days TT sits down with #DisruptTexts At the start of a new administration, we co-founder Lorena Germán to discuss can all recommit to working for equity culturally sustaining pedagogy. in schools. Members of the Teaching Tolerance Advisory Board suggest some 32 Mathematics in Context: ways to get started. The Pedagogy of Liberation 54 “We Won’t Wear the Name” Modeling the self-reflection at the At these three high schools, each named heart of all great pedagogy, two for Robert E. Lee, students led the way math educators explain how their toward change. commitment to equity informs the way they teach. 37 Black Male Educators Create Space for Joy Resisting white supremacy doesn’t always look like fighting. Making space for community and celebration is also resistance. 3S P R I N G 202 1 

TEACHING TOLERANCE DIRECTOR Jalaya Liles Dunn SENIOR CREATIVE LEADS Michelle Leland, Scott Phillips, Kristina Turner DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF TEACHING AND LEARNING Hoyt J. Phillips III DESIGNERS Shannon Anderson, Hillary Andrews, Cierra Brinson, Sunny Paulk, Jacob Saylor, Alex Trott, Claudia Whitaker MANAGING EDITOR Monita K. Bell DESIGN ASSOCIATE Angela Greer SENIOR EDITOR Julia Delacroix PRODUCTION ASSOCIATE EDITOR Crystal L. Keels PURCHASING PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Kimberly James SENIOR WRITERS Cory Collins, Coshandra Dillard MARKETING COORDINATOR Lindsey Shelton CONTRIBUTORS NEW MEDIA ASSOCIATE Colin Campbell 211 Photography, Lhisa Almashy, Glenda Armand, Carlos Basabe, Dani Bostick, EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Anya Malley Julianna Brion, Val Brown, John Jay Cabuay, Kevin Cordi, Toni Rose Deanon, Geneviève DeBose, Marian Dingle, Stephanie Eley, Morgan Jon Fox, Lorena Germán, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TRAINERS Sarah-SoonLing Blackburn, Vickie Gray, Angela Hartman, Daryl Howard, Anthony Hudson, Katty Huertas, Kimberly Burkhalter Bee Johnson, Elizabeth Kleinrock, Cornelia Li, Jenn Liv, Danna Lomax, Mary Kate McDevitt, Amy Melik, Veronica Menefee, Gerardo Muñoz, Olga Muzician, Peter PROGRAM ASSOCIATE Gabriel A. Smith Nguyen, Alicia Oglesby, Meenal Patel, Natalie Odom Pough, Fatinha Ramos, Annie PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR Madison Coleman Ray, Dola Sun, Eso Tolson, Tina Vasquez, Dania Wright, Cathery Yeh TEACHING AND LEARNING SPECIALIST Jonathan Tobin SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER TEACHING AND LEARNING FELLOWS Christina Noyes, Ericka Smith PRESIDENT & CEO Margaret Huang CHIEF OF STAFF Lecia Brooks SCHOOL-BASED PROGRAMMING AND GRANTS MANAGER Jey Ehrenhalt CHIEF PROGRAM STRATEGY OFFICER Seth Levi CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER Danny McGregor PROGRAM COORDINATOR Steffany Moyer CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Teenie Hutchison CHIEF HUMAN RESOURCES OFFICER Twyla Williams CO-INTERIM LEGAL DIRECTORS Kim Anderson, Kate Kendell INTERIM GENERAL COUNSEL O.V. Brantley ADVISORY BOARD Mayra Almaraz-de Santiago, Lhisa Almashy, Julie Bradley, Hayley Breden, Tracy Castro-Gill, Kevin Cordi, Rebecca Coven, Toni Rose Deanon, Geneviève DeBose, Kari Deswood, Marian Dingle, Kim Estelle, Barbie Garayúa Tudryn, Maribel Gonzales, Kishanna Laurie Harley, Angela Hartman, Michelle Higgins, Stephanie Jones, Averill Kelley, Liz Kleinrock, Danna Lomax, Charlie McGeehan, Amy Melik, Veronica Menefee, Henry Cody Miller, Matilda Morrison, Alicia Oglesby, Alice Owolabi-Mitchell, Sonal Patel, Celeste Payne, Jamilah Pitts, Natalie Odom Pough, Marvin Reed, Kinette Richards, Frances Weaver, Bria Wright SPLC BOARD OF DIRECTORS Bennett Grau (Chair), Karol V. Mason (Vice Chair), Josh Bekenstein, Bryan Fair, Pam Horowitz, Lida Orzeck, Elden Rosenthal, Isabel Watkins Rubio, Katheryn Russell-Brown, Minjon Tholen, Corey Cortez Wiggins, Verna L. Williams, Emery Wright, Joseph J. Levin Jr. (Emeritus) EDITORIAL OFFICE 400 Washington Avenue, Montgomery, AL 36104 EMAIL [email protected] SUBSCRIPTIONS tolerance.org/magazine/subscribe Teaching Tolerance is mailed twice and released online three times a year at no charge to educators. It is published by the Southern Poverty Law Center, a nonprofit legal and education organization. For permission to reprint articles, email us at [email protected]. For media inquiries, email Ashley Levett at [email protected]. ISSN 1066-2847 © 2021 SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER THE MISSION OF TEACHING TOLERANCE IS TO HELP TEACHERS AND SCHOOLS EDUCATE CHILDREN AND YOUTH TO BE ACTIVE PARTICIPANTS IN A DIVERSE DEMOCRACY. ASE RECY CLE GAZINE IS 100% RECTHIS MA PLE Printed with inks containing 27.3% renewable resources YCLABLE

Perspectives In order for us as a poor and oppressed people to become a part of a society that is meaningful, the system under which we now exist has to be radically changed. — Ella Baker I AM JALAYA LILES DUNN, and I am delighted, But learning is only a first step. As honored and eager to be joining you as the Frederick Douglass wrote, “Power con- new director of this important project of radi- cedes nothing without a demand. It cal education, justice and democracy. never did and it never will.” Twenty years ago, I was introduced to the Together, the voices in this issue Southern Poverty Law Center and Teaching demand radical change, challenging Tolerance while serving as an Ella Baker white supremacy in school and teacher Trainer for the Children’s Defense Fund education curricula, school discipline Freedom Schools program. policies, school facilities and class- room climates. An organizer and human rights activ- an urgent call to action: We must learn, ist, Baker understood the work necessary grow and wield power together. Radical change is a persistent and to effect systems change. “We are going protracted process of discourse, debate, to have to learn to think in radical terms,” That’s how we will make justice real consensus, reflection and struggle. The she wrote in 1969, “getting down to and in our lives and in the lives of the stu- stories in this issue reveal the inner understanding the root cause. [That] dents, families, educators and commu- workings of this process. means facing a system that does not lend nities we serve. itself to your needs and devising means Read on to hear from Black stu- by which you change that system.” The rollout of our new name will dents and recent alumni fighting to take place over the upcoming months. reclaim and rename schools named Baker’s leadership in empowering You will start seeing changes on our after Robert E. Lee. Hear what ordinary people like you and me con- website and social media accounts, and #DisruptTexts co-founder Lorena tinues to call me to this work. That’s gradually in our publications, lessons Germán has to say about anti-racism why I’m so excited to share that the and other resources. The next time and decolonized classrooms. Meet the announcement of my leadership is you read this magazine, it will be called activists working to ensure all students coupled with other important news: Learning for Justice. can find themselves in their curricula. the long-anticipated name change of Learn how Black male educators are Teaching Tolerance. That’s why we’re so proud that the finding—and making—space for joy. final issue of Teaching Tolerance is also And join our advisory board to con- As we’ve written before, this project a good look at the work we’ll be doing as sider the significant progress toward needs a name that reflects how our work Learning for Justice. equity you and your school can make has evolved over the last 30 years—from in just 100 days. reducing prejudice to more pointedly In this issue, we highlight stories supporting action to address injustice. across the wide spectrum of educa- We’re pleased to share this issue tion, examining the ways systems and of our magazine with you. We can’t Learning for Justice is the new name institutions perpetuate racism and think of a better way to say goodbye to for our work in the struggle for radical white supremacy. Teaching Tolerance and begin the work change in education and community! of Learning for Justice. Learning from one another is how we We are called as educators, justice begin to determine what justice looks like We’re grateful to all of you who advocates, caregivers and students to in schools. In this issue, you’ll have the have worked alongside us for so long. reimagine and reclaim our education opportunity to learn from student activ- And we look forward to continuing our system so that it is inclusive and just. ists, Black male educators, education pro- work together and learning for justice fessors, math educators, school adminis- with you. In shifting from Teaching Tolerance trators, grassroots organizers, policy and to Learning for Justice, we’re offering legislative advocates and others. —Jalaya Liles Dunn @Tolerance_org teachingtolerance.org @teaching_tolerance 5S P R I N G 202 1 

SEASON 3 OF THE TEACHING HARD HISTORY PODCAST IS NOW STREAMING! Teaching Hard History: American Slavery Key Concept Videos A series of 10 videos for teaching and learning about the history of slavery in the United States. Featuring historians and scholars, including Ibram X. Kendi and Annette Gordon-Reed, our Teaching Hard History Key Concept Videos examine slavery’s impact on the lives of enslaved people in what is now the United States and the nation’s development around the institution. The videos also explain how enslaved people influenced the nation, its culture and its history. Find our comprehensive K-5 and 6-12 frameworks, including texts, quizzes, professional development resources and more, at tolerance.org/hardhistory. Watch the videos at tolerance.org/thhvideos. 6 T E AC H I N G TO L E R A N C E

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 7 ASK TEACHING TOLERANCE 9 ARTICLE SPOTLIGHT 10 & 12 WHY I TEACH 11 D O W N T H E H A L L 1 3 STUDENT READS 14 FREE STUFF 14 Reader Reactions In our Fall 2020 issue, Senior Writer Coshandra Dillard wrote about the need for white educators to recog- nize and disrupt a harmful pattern. Read her story “The Weaponization of Whiteness in Schools” at t-t.site/ whiteness-in-schools. Great article for self-reflection on how we use our power and authority as white folks. —@AmyEichMN VIA TWITTER This happens way too often, and it’s past time to call it out and actually address the issue! ‘When white edu- cators weaponize whiteness to affirm their authority, they can change the trajectory of a Black child’s life.’ —Shandreka Rankin VIA FACEBOOK This is a reality at all levels of a hierarchy. Weaponization of Whiteness pushed me out of admin. —@Myrnareli_Myrna VIA TWITTER ILLUSTRATION BY MEENAL PATEL TT’S NEWEST FILM: THE THE VALUE and I learned so much can’t FORGOTTEN SLAVERY OF EDUCATOR SELF- wait to reach more people Teaching Tolerance depends OF OUR ANCESTORS CARE WEBINAR spreading the message of on your support and critical I am on the edge of a NM Self-Love and Self-Care feedback to improve our Reservation. My grandma Thank you for the practi- work. We love hearing from talked about her grand- cal tips and resources. I felt —@educators4self.care you! Please let us know mother being taken from refreshed after engaging what you think by emailing her family and was enslaved. with the webinar, some- VIA INSTAGRAM [email protected] or I teach near a reservation thing I don’t say very often! reaching out via Facebook, and 75% of my students are AN ANTI-RACIST Twitter or Instagram. Native American. This is a —@danieltr83 INTERVIEW WITH great start to the silenced AUTHOR TIFFANY voices of Native Americans. VIA TWITTER JEWELL Thanks. My students felt the clip was informative and I just wanted to say thank What a beautiful inter- interesting. They felt angry, you so much. I attended view with Tiffany Jewell sad, hurt. ... your Educator Self Care about her amazing book!! Webinar this summer and It is important that we —Amanda it inspired me to start an as teachers don’t avoid Coramae Gallegos Educators 4 Self Care club conversations about at my university for our racism and a book like VIA FACEBOOK Elementary Education this can make having program! It was incredible those conversations less @Tolerance_org teachingtolerance.org @teaching_tolerance 7S P R I N G 202 1 

My 1st grader begins vir- tual learning tomorrow and a guest room closet will serve as his school nook. ... I framed three [One World Posters] to brighten the space. Full disclosure: adaptability is NOT my strength, but I’m noticing that even a small project where I get to cre- ate beauty has helped me walk into the changes with less anxiety. —@FULLPALETTECOACHING AWESOME INSTA daunting. Teaching should not just ‘box checking.’ Amazing short film there like them ... endur- be an anti racist act!! #teachallhistory The story telling, timing, ing biases that will try to connections made were limit or silence their voice —@EllieGaudin —@MrsKWellsKMS perfectly executed! (because it’s described as Themes of intersectional- too loud, too expressive, or VIA TWITTER VIA TWITTER ity and culture captured it’s too blunt). I stand with beautifully you in support! #everyvoice ONLINE ARTICLE: Self-examination is so “ACTIVE LISTENING important as institutions —@persaud_c —@shebelya MUST BE THE NORM” move to adopt anti-rac- This article seems very ist work. So often these VIA TWITTER VIA TWITTER relevant for our entire efforts are purely perfor- community. I’m sitting mative and rarely rooted in ON INCLUSIVE “The world needs you to and reflecting on it, and ideals of justice or equal- EDUCATION sprinkle your Black girl encourage us all to do the ity. Without this praxis we This is all ... indoctri- magic any- and every- same ... and listening to are still mired in quick- nation, not education. where you go. Don’t let many, with curiosity. sand of cognitive disso- ‘Inclusive education’ is not anyone bind you to their nance. #RootedinPraxis happening in Saudi Arabia, low expectations or stereo- —@LLAprincipal or India, or Nigeria, or types. Don’t let anything —@mixxmomma China. Their students are stop you from sharing your VIA TWITTER learning vital knowledge magic with the world.” Mrs. VIA TWITTER to make them competitive Wright, you’re making the Editor’s note: Watch TT and equipped to deal in a world a better place. webinars free on demand at THE BEAUTY OF BIBI world which is not a warm, tolerance.org/webinars. It should be the work of fuzzy safe space, whilst —@MAEC4Ed every educator to help ours become weaker and PUBLISHED ONLINE: students feel acceptance, more ignorant by the day. VIA TWITTER “ANTI-RACISM WORK: pride, & peace in their own ARE YOU IN IT FOR intersectional identities. —Pixie Leyted TELL US WHAT YOU THINK! THE LONG HAUL?” This story sparks critical Have an opinion about something I read this a few days ago conversations, asks how we VIA FACEBOOK and the key questions communicate belonging, you see in Teaching Tolerance were a good starting point & how we respond when LOVE FOR magazine or on our website? for reflecting on how others share their story. “WHY I TEACH” Email us at [email protected] I commit to long term “Love it!! Our children need with the subject line “Letter to culture shift in my craft, —@KimberlyWaite8 to know there are others out the Editor.” Or mail a letter to VIA TWITTER 400 Washington Ave., Montgomery, AL 36104. 8 T E AC H I N G TO L E R A N C E ISTOCK

Ask Teaching Tolerance Q: My school has gone back and forth between hybrid, makes its way to them and in-person and virtual learning due to COVID. What can I to look at that informa- do to create structure and stability for my students (and myself)? tion critically and with a healthy dose of skepticism. All of us—including teach- expectations. Bring par- information they find These skills are applicable ers, school staff, caregivers ents and caregivers into in any subject area—and and students—are fac- the routine by giving stu- online. How can I remain can be incorporated into ing uncertainty almost dents discussion questions your existing curriculum. daily amid the ongo- they can talk about after nonpartisan and objec- In math, for example, you ing pandemic. But there school and then—if they can have students com- are little ways you can choose—discuss in class. tive while giving them pare data from a range of create routines and struc- sources to see whether tures that can be easily In addition, please the tools to identify mis- its presentation is being implemented in person remember you cannot be skewed to favor a particu- or virtually. Think about a consistent presence for information and think lar position. activities like one-min- students if you aren’t tak- ute check-ins, building in ing care of yourself. Along critically about sources Educators in any sub- a few minutes every hour with activities for stu- ject can also teach about for a short wellness activ- dents, make self-care a they encounter? the algorithms that result ity or a game, and quick part of your routine. That Digital literacy is only in curated filter bubbles writes on short prompts can take many forms; only increasing in its impor- and emphasize the impor- for students to focus their you know what works best tance. Your students tance of distinguishing thoughts. Give students for you. You can check out will continue to encoun- between fact and opin- time to process and take our webinar The Value ter false information, ion. You can talk with deep breaths. These rou- of Educator Self-care for opinions framed as students about ways to tines will help ensure ideas and inspiration. facts and sources with take action and push back that, no matter the for- varying degrees of trust- against misinformation. mat or venue in which Even though election worthiness. We hope you’ll This can include asking you’ll be meeting, students season is over, my stu- advocate on their behalf clarifying questions, cit- can come with consistent dents are still confused by with your administration ing reliable sources, and the conflicting and false to ensure you are sup- challenging misleading ported in your efforts to or harmful language and teach this critical subject. information. Tools like By teaching digital literacy, the TT Digital Literacy you can equip your stu- Framework or Stanford dents to better understand History Education Group the ways information resources can be helpful references as you dive into this work. Collaborating with your colleagues to develop a common lan- guage will ensure students are hearing consistent messaging throughout the school day when it comes to digital literacy. ASK TEACHING TOLERANCE! Need the kind of advice and expertise only Teaching Tolerance can provide? Email us at [email protected] with “Ask TT” in the subject line. ILLUSTRATION BY JULIANNA BRION 9S P R I N G 202 1 

ARTICLE 6.30.20 // RACE & ETHNICITY, RIGHTS & ACTIVISM ARTICLE SPOTLIGHT Anti-Racist Work in Schools: Are You in it for the Long Haul? Search for these headlines at BY ELIZABETH KLEINROCK tolerance.org. As an anti-bias anti-racist (ABAR) facilitator and educator-in-progress, I’ve had the oppor- • tunity to partner with public, charter and independent schools across the United States and can tell you firsthand that there is no “one size fits all” approach to this work. There are, All Students Need however, a number of things schools should consider as they create objectives for the short Anti-racism Education and long term. BY CHRISTINA TORRES ABAR is trending in mainstream spaces, and more schools are recognizing its importance and reaching out for resources and training. I do believe that it’s better • late than never, but schools must be intentional and thoughtful as they begin this life- long commitment. Pandemic Pedagogy: A Call to Educators to While there is urgency in ABAR work, urgency cannot be prioritized over relationships Bring Their Classrooms or centering the voices and opinions of marginalized community members. Without care- ful thought and planning, schools risk alienating Black, Indigenous and people of color to Reality (BIPOC) stakeholders, reinforcing white saviorism and derailing the possibility of future efforts. Standards and skills can always be retaught, but school culture is too important BY DR. KIARA LEE-HEART to get wrong. Your north star is always centering your most marginalized and under-resourced students. • And a reader replied... The Burden of Critical Another challenging but important article. How do I ensure that my focus on this work Active Conscience is a way of doing business, not a short term response? A question for me to consider. BY DR. SHANTÁ READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE: R. ROBINSON t-t.site/long-haul • To Sustain the Tough Conversations, Active Listening Must Be the Norm BY CHRISTOPHER HOWELL DID YOU KNOW? DID YOU KNOW? When reviewing disci- plinary records, a 2015 study found, teachers of all races were more like- ly to label students with stereotypically “Black names” as troublemakers after a second infraction and recommend harsher punishments for them. —PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 10 TE AC H I N G TO L ER A N C E ILLUSTRATION BY BEE JOHNSON

Why I Teach Gerardo Muñoz teaches middle and high school social studies at the Denver Center for International Studies in Denver, Colorado. He is the 2021 Colorado Teacher of the Year. Returning to the Place of Origin One assumption educators often It’s actually about returning to the When young people can develop make is that independence and indi- place of origin: family and community. the ability to connect with others vidual initiative are the highest It’s about rediscovering our humanity and act on behalf of and in solidar- aspirations of education. We must and considering what it means to find ity with a larger community, then ensure, conventional thinking goes, a way forward from that space. they can not only thrive in their own that students are able to complete lives and paths but also uplift those work independently. Once we pro- In that space, we are our most ele- around them. A collectivist mindset vide them with tools and a “gradual mental selves. I was not raised in disrupts the alienating prioritization release of responsibility,” they close proximity to my Indigenous of the individual. will thrive. Mexican ancestors, but I know that in times of difficulty we return to Over 20 years ago, under the This moribund, “every- each other. tutelage of brilliant and generous one-for-themselves” mindset has educators, I decided that students intensified with COVID-19, partic- We connect and talk and, though collaborating and addressing real ularly in communities that are fully the problems of the world are many issues in authentic ways was my remote. There, individual profession- and overwhelming, we sit in the com- greatest aspiration. I participated in als and learners have only themselves munity space that is help for us. I’ve project-based programs and initi- to lean on to get through this crisis. taken this elemental idea and made ated, in the spirit of the Mississippi it my practice as a descendant of Freedom Schools, the expectation But recently, watching an aboli- the original people of the Americas. that “this is a classroom for talking. tionist webinar with Dr. Bettina L. When things become challenging and We talk here.” Love, Dr. Gholdy Muhammad and Dr. overwhelming, I have to come back to Dena Simmons, I arrived at the real- my place of origin, to the people and My students over the years ization that this moment isn’t about communities that inspire me to con- have thrived when they have been simply leaning into the “new normal.” tinue on. expected to connect, communicate, SHARE YOUR Story What motivates you to get up each morning and serve students in our nation’s schools? We want to hear from you. Send your 600-word submission for the “Why I Teach” column to [email protected]. PHOTOGRAPHY BY 211 PHOTOGRAPHY 11SPRING 2021 

collaborate and act as a community. ARTICLE 9.17.20 // RACE & ETHNICITY, GENDER & SEXUAL IDENTITY Needless to say, this culture was Stop Talking in Code: completely disrupted—even, for a Call Them Black Boys time, destroyed—by COVID-19 quar- antines and shutdowns. It seemed BY DR. DARYL HOWARD that collaboration would be the last thing we could strive for. The phrase [“Black males”] brings into our schools a historical stigma and all of the resultant baggage of societal misconceptions that come along with In fact, in the last year, the teach- it. The stereotype sets the stage for low expectations and underachievement ing landscape has changed so and the need for highly controlled spaces and zero-tolerance policies. dramatically that it feels presump- tuous for me to describe any strategy As an educator who happens to be a Black man, I cringe every time I hear or method that I have used to engage the term, as I see the personhood being stripped from the child or student the largely muted and hidden stu- described. If one is talking about the opportunity gap, why should educators dent community in front of me. care about a phrase that doesn’t indicate a real person but merely a descrip- tor for data? Why would they adjust their pedagogy and practice for a mere But if school closures and dis- statistical term? The same thinking exists for reports, scheduling, articula- tance learning have offered me tion, referrals and discussions in conference anything constructive, it is a reaffir- rooms, teachers’ lounges or school parking lots. mation that education is not simply about individual students listening What I’m trying to do here is bring attention to the sin- to instructions. Teaching is not just gular coding of “Black males,” as opposed to the nuanced, about being a taskmaster, assigning varied and real human lives of Black boys. things, collecting them and moving on. Even our technology-driven Gen And a reader replied... Z-ers complain that they are tired Wow! Such subtle, yet pervasive biases built right into the vernacular. of screens and doing “busy work,” Thank you for sharing. which is code for “work that has no authentic application to the world in READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE: which I exist.” t-t.site/black-boys They miss their peers. We miss them. In one of my classes, after stu- dents collaborated on a project examining virtual communities during the pandemic, one even com- mented, “This was really helpful; seeing other people’s projects made me feel less alone.” So my challenge to myself is this: to center all I do in my place of origin. Community. Conversation. Asking my students what is and what isn’t working in my remote class. Offering multiple ways to engage—whether through innovative chat rooms, games or shared play- lists—and constantly gathering and applying feedback. I am planning less but building more. Because now, more than ever, we need authentic spaces in which students can consider their human- ity—and community. 12 TE AC H I N G TO L ER A N C E ISTOCK

Down the Hall Demystifying the Process Over the course of her career, Veronica Menefee taught students from Head Start to the college level. Today, she is a special education consultant working with schools, community organizations, students and caregivers within the Baltimore Metropolitan area. Late last year, Menefee took time from her work— transformed, like all else, by COVID-19—to speak with Teaching Tolerance. We’ve edited this conver- sation for length and clarity. What first sparked your interest Veronica Menefee is a special education consultant in Baltimore, Maryland. She is also a member of the in special education? Teaching Tolerance Advisory Board. I had a cousin with special needs What do you wish people knew collaborating with the parents, speak- who ended up in the same high ing with the teachers at the school and school with me. She was a year about special education? helping structure the meetings. behind me. I could see classmates I wish that people understood that who didn’t realize that she and I special educators have added job Special education is not just about were related—they would make fun requirements. Most of the time, you a document. There is a student whose of her and say all kinds of things. will work as a classroom teacher with name is on that paper who is a real One day I just had to speak up. a hefty caseload of students to mon- person, and we are doing the best we itor, with all of the meetings and can to give that child the services that I said, “You do realize we are responsibilities that already come are needed. related, and she’s no different than with being a special educator. you or me? She just learns a little bit We want to give support. It might differently.” From that point on, I You are responsible for doing come in a 504, which provides lighter knew I needed to be in education. I the informal and formal testing, services than an IEP [Individualized didn’t know at that point that I was going to choose special education. I started out in 2000 as an English teacher for high school. By 2016, I’d taught on every level from Head Start to college. Within these experiences, I was able to see how important special education is in terms of helping students achieve their greatest potential. There has to be a partnership between home and school that helps to shift perspectives, empowering parents— which ultimately benefits the students. PHOTOGRAPHY BY VICKIE GRAY 13SPRING 2021 

first Education Plan]. Students can also questions regarding special edu- Bell have instructional supports, and cation that they were afraid to ask Student Reads there can be conversations with before. Many parents say after- Our free, online, searchable Student Text Library is packed with class- teachers to facilitate what these wards, “Thank you so much; I room-ready texts for K-12 educators. Each is aligned with TT’s topics and our will look like. It’s not that we want didn’t know what was possible. I social justice domains and accompanied by a set of text-dependent questions. to give an IEP. That is always the didn’t know I could do this and that The text library includes informational texts, images, even videos and songs. last resort because intervention there was help available.” Parents Here are a few of our favorite poems to share with students. should be attempted within the need advocates who are going to This Little Light of Mine (K-2) classroom first. join them and equip them with the Introduce this anthem of the civil rights movement to students by playing the It is important for everyone to tools to empower their students. included audio recording as they read the lyrics. understand that an IEP is a process. I make a difference by doing the t-t.site/light-of-mine It starts with a parent, teacher or workshops, hearing parent ques- We Live by What other school personnel expressing tions and then following up with We See at Night (3-5) Have students examine this poem’s rich a concern. The next step is to do an answers and resources. imagery about Puerto Rico to better understand the role of place and heritage informal meeting to see if all inter- Demystifying the process is in each of our identities. ventions have been put in place. The what I always set out to do before, t-t.site/see-at-night ultimate goal in education is to have during and after the IEP process. Sure You Can Ask Me A Personal Question (6-8) all students succeed. And within I like to see the calm come over Encourage students to articulate the unspoken as this poem’s speaker antic- special education, we want to give the parents’ faces, especially those ipates and refutes stereotypes about Indigenous identity and experience. the student resources and support parents who didn’t know they had t-t.site/personal-question to thrive and be able to be taken off specific rights when it comes to Hair (9-12) of the IEP. special education. Special educa- Share this video of National Poetry Slam champion Elizabeth Acevedo tracing My job is to clarify to parents tion students and their parents and the intersections of history and identity to explain why “you can’t fix what was what an IEP is and how it will ben- guardians deserve equity within never broken.” efit their student. I don’t want the educational environment, and t-t.site/hair parents afraid of giving their child it is my job to work with the team this additional help because of to make sure that happens. labels. As educators, we should be able to identify a struggling student early to provide needed assistance. DID YOU KNOW? DID YOU KNOW? What do you love According to a 2016 study, when high most about your job? school students at risk of dropping out en- I love it all! I especially enjoy rolled in ethnic studies courses, their atten- workshops where I can impart dance and grade point averages increased— knowledge and assist the parents particularly in math and science courses. in finding the best ways to sup- —STANFORD GRADUATE SCHOOL port their students and answer OF EDUCATION FREE STUFF! News Literacy The Quarry Double Victory BLM at School Project From the poetry nonprofit Education Guide With resources for all These web resources support Offering a variety of free Split This Rock, The Quarry A companion to the educators from early and supplement social justice classroom resources and is a database of over 500 Lucasfilm documen- childhood through high education—at no cost! professional development poems with transformative tary streaming free on school, Black Lives for educators, the News themes. Searchable by lan- YouTube, the Double Matter at School offers Literacy Project is a non- guage, poet identity, theme Victory Education Guide a wealth of syllabi, texts, profit dedicated to help- and more, these poems includes lessons about lesson plans and more. ing students build the for justice will inform and the Tuskegee Airmen for blacklivesmatteratschool. skills they need to be crit- inspire students. students in grades 6-12. ical consumers of news. com/curriculum splitthisrock.org/ lucasfilm.com/ newslit.org poetry-database tuskegeeairmen 14 TE AC H I N G TO L ER A N C E

PD CAFÉ PD CAFÉ OFFERS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES TO COMPLETE ALONE OR WITH COLLEAGUES. ACTION Unpacking the Social Justice Standards: Action The Teaching Tolerance Social Justice Standards are the anchor These standards are divided into four domains: identity, diversity, standards and learning outcomes created to guide teachers in justice and action. This final entry of a series that began in the curriculum development and make schools more just, equitable Spring 2019 issue of Teaching Tolerance walks through the “action” and safe. Our standards are designed to be used alongside state domain to help you give students the skills to take what they have and Common Core State Standards in all content areas to reduce learned about identity, diversity and justice and apply it by taking prejudice and bias and advocate for collective action. action in their communities. ILLUSTRATION BY JENN LIV 15SPRING 2021 

PD CAFÉ Understanding Action Each student should have a minute to ask follow-up or clarifying questions. After a few minutes, pairs can share out with the class. What Is Action? To explore examples of action, you can use some readings from • Behavior, conduct, an act of will our text library. For example, K-5 students can read the story • The bringing about of an alteration by force or through a “Gloria and Rosa Make Beautiful Music” about two students who natural agency work together to raise money for a school music program. They can consider the following questions: Merriam-Webster.com and Dictionary.com • What injustice do Gloria and Rosa see? What does Gloria’s In the context of the Social Justice Standards, “action” includes school have that Rosa’s school does not? taking steps to honor and celebrate identity and diversity, as well as taking steps to bring about justice. • What obstacles do Gloria and Rosa face when they decide to take action? • What action do Gloria and Rosa finally take? How will it ad- dress the injustice they have recognized? Exploring Action Students in grades 6-12 can read about a different form of action with the informational text “The First Americans,” a 1927 letter In the feature “We Won’t Wear the Name,” later in this issue, TT to the mayor of Chicago calling for better teaching of Indigenous Senior Writer Coshandra Dillard tells the stories of students and history. They can discuss these questions: alumni who took action to change the names of schools honoring • What injustice do the letter writers identify? What examples do Robert E. Lee. they name? • What action are they taking against this injustice? The story explains how the students and recent graduates of • Do you think this injustice has been addressed? Why or why these schools acted against an injustice they saw, even though not? How are people today working to fight similar injustices? they were at times intimidated or even threatened for using How might you? their voices. Finally, have students discuss the concept of action together. When talking about action with students, it’s important to Divide students into groups of three or four and ask each group to remember that anyone can find a way to take action against brainstorm answers to this question: “What are some of the ways injustice—students included. Throughout history, change has young people have taken action to fight for justice?” happened not because heroes have acted alone but because communities have acted together. Have students record their responses and, using our teaching strategy “Text Graffiti,” have them respond to one another’s ideas. To introduce students to the domain of action, you can adapt our (This strategy can work in class by having students record their teaching strategy “Say Something.” Put students into pairs and responses on graph paper or remotely by having them record their have them take turns answering the following questions: responses in a shared document.) • What counts as action? • What do you think motivates people to take action After a few minutes, bring the class back together and have them against injustice? share ideas that stood out to them. Discuss the following questions: • When is a time you or someone you know has taken action to • What are some reasons that prevent people from taking action? address an inequity or injustice? • Do people have an obligation to take action against injustice, even if it doesn’t directly affect them? Why or why not? 16 TE AC H I N G TO L ER A N C E

Action Standards Essential Questions Anchor Standards 16–20 of the Social Justice Standards You can incorporate the action standards into your curriculum 16. Students will express empathy when people are excluded or by writing essential questions for your units of study. You’ll mistreated because of their identities and concern when they them- find two examples for different content areas below. selves experience bias. 17. Students will recognize their own responsibility to stand up to Sixth Grade Science exclusion, prejudice and injustice. A.19, A.20: How can the work of young people such as Mari 18. Students will speak up with courage and respect when they or Copeny (also known as Little Miss Flint) be used as an example someone else has been hurt or wronged by bias. for students taking action in fighting for environmental justice? 19. Students will make principled decisions about when and how to take a stand against bias and injustice in their everyday lives and will Answers will vary. Mari Copeny rose to prominence advocating do so despite negative peer or group pressure. for safer water in her hometown of Flint, Michigan. She helped 20. Students will plan and carry out collective action against bias bring Flint’s water issue into the national spotlight by writing to and injustice in the world and will evaluate what strategies are then-President Obama. Through her activism, she has raised most effective. awareness for other cities across the country impacted by pollution and climate change. Next, consider how the action standards show up in the following scenarios. To take action in their own communities, students can test the water purity at their homes or schools or in nearby water- Scenario #1 ways. They can plan ways to take action, including designing Marcus has noticed some of his classmates using phrases such as campaigns to write or call elected officials, regulatory bodies “That’s so gay” or “Don’t be gay” when joking around. He has also and private corporations. noticed that some of his queer friends tend to get quiet or walk away when these classmates are nearby. One day, Marcus finds his class- High School Math mates after school and asks if he can talk with them. He explains that A.16, A.18: How can students analyze data about differences equating being gay with something shameful demeans people who in school budgets and resources to advocate for equity? are LGBTQ and can make them feel uncomfortable or unwelcome. Marcus shares that his dads are gay, and he says very clearly that Have your students research publicly available data on jokes about gay people aren’t OK. After his classmates apologize, he school budgets. Start with your own school. How much invites them to their school’s GSA meeting the following week. gets spent every year on facilities? Maintenance? Supplies? • Which of the five action standards are demonstrated in Marcus’ Technology? Staff? Then, have them compare that data conversation with his classmates? with other schools in your district or city. What is similar? What is different? What inferences could be made about Scenario #2 the disparities in budgets? Have your students brainstorm Kia is a Deaf sixth grader who wants to join her school’s chess club. ways to address inequities. You could even share the Spring But Mr. Blake, the club sponsor, tells her she probably shouldn’t 2020 Teaching Tolerance story “They Deserve Better,” about because she “just wouldn’t be able to participate on the same level as students in one underfunded Mississippi high school who the other students.” Kia challenges Mr. Blake by telling him that this organized to rally support for a local bond issue that funded is unfair and unjust. a renovation of their building.  Catherine has been in the chess club ever since she started middle Now you try! Write an essential question based on one of the school. Now, as an eighth grader, she is the leader of the club. She five action standards for your own grade level or content area. witnesses the conversation between Kia and Mr. Blake. After Kia leaves the room, Catherine finds Kia and asks how she can support Additional Resources her. Kia tells Catherine that it’s critical to create safe spaces for all Our free film Mighty Times: The Children’s March tells the story students in their school, regardless of their ability. With Catherine’s of how, in 1963, young people in Alabama banded together to help, Kia organizes the other members of the chess club to boycott protest segregation—and won significant victories. meetings. The news of the student protest eventually makes it to some parents and guardians, who decide to sponsor a new chess club. In the Fall 2020 story “School as Sanctuary,” TT Senior They work with the school to ensure that a sign language interpreter Writer Cory Collins highlights educators, school leaders is available at all of the club meetings moving forward. and advocates who pushed to gain stronger protections for • Which of the five action standards are demonstrated in how Kia immigrant students and their families. The accompanying communicates both with Mr. Blake and Catherine? toolkit provides concrete ways you can take action to support • How do Kia’s and the club members’ actions illustrate their under- immigrant students and families in your school community. standing of the connection between justice and action? And “Responding to Hate and Bias in the West,” a story by TT Senior Writer Coshandra Dillard published in the Spring 2020 issue, explains how a group of parents and caregivers worked together to fight racism in their children’s Las Vegas school. 17SPRING 2021 

BUILDING RESILIENCE & CONFRONTING RISK IN THE COVID-19 ERA A new guide from the Southern Poverty Law Center and American University’s Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab offers parents and caregivers tangible steps to counter the threat of online radicalization. THIS GUIDE CAN HELP YOU: U nderstand why young people are drawn to extremist groups. E ngage and empower young people. Understand what online radicalization is Respond to hate. and why should you care. G et help for children at risk for radicalization. Identify new risks in the COVID-19 era. Recognize warning signs. Download the free guide at splcenter.org/PERIL 18 TE AC H I N G TO L ER A N C E

The Fight for Ethnic Studies Challenging white supremacy in curriculum. BY TINA VASQUEZ ILLUSTRATION BY KATTY HUERTAS 19SPRING 2021 

ON THE LAST DAY OF CALIFORNIA’S LEGISLATIVE SEASON, September 30, Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed AB 331, a bill that would have mandated ethnic studies as a high school graduation requirement. Proponents across the state—including educators who had been deeply involved in the fight for eth- nic studies for decades—were shocked by the development. At the crux of Newsom’s decision was con- tinued disagreement over the proposed model ethnic studies curriculum, which inspired contentious public debate over the framing of history and concerns over who is included and excluded as part of ethnic studies. Throughout the state, rationales support- Gaining a Foothold  ing the proposed curriculum relied on a com- Newsom’s veto was an “unexpected blow,” said Dr. mon definition of ethnic studies as “the criti- Dale Allender, associate professor of language, lit- cal and interdisciplinary study of race, ethnicity eracy and culture in the Department of Teaching and indigeneity with a focus on the experiences Credentials at California State University- and perspectives of people of color in the United Sacramento. After all, if ethnic studies could not States.” In the decades since it first emerged from be mandated in its birthplace of California, what California in the 1960s, advocates nationwide have does that mean for those living in states that have faced an uphill battle in getting the public, school been hostile toward ethnic studies?  districts and state legislatures to support and But all hope is not lost, said Allender, co-editor of adopt a curriculum that includes the perspectives what is believed to be the nation’s first high school of groups historically denied the rights outlined in ethnic studies textbook, Our Stories in Our Voices.  the United States’ founding documents. While the “The most recent activism fighting anti-Black veto of AB 331 was shocking, the bill was a bold step racism resurfaced the importance of Black studies in attempting to address the persistent erasure that and the ethnic studies movement. When AB 331 students of color in California experience—and it passed the state Legislature, it was a full circle has reignited crucial conversations about the role moment,” Allender said. “You see the same senti- of ethnic studies across the nation. ments present in the push for ethnic studies today In 1968, members of the Black Student Union and Third World Liberation Front at San Francisco State College protested for five months until the school established the nation’s first College of Ethnic Studies. AP IMAGES 20 TE AC H I N G TO L ER A N C E

It was so beautiful to see students make sense of the world and to feel affirmed and seen and feel like their culture matters. —MAYRA ALMARAZ-DE SANTIAGO as you did in the ’60s. The recent activism pushed strikers spent five months protesting and perform- things forward quickly, and people are committed ing sit-ins to call attention to the misrepresenta- to seeing this through.”  tion and disregard of Black, Indigenous and peo- ple of color in the curriculum. Their activism led This includes educators like Dr. Theresa to the creation of a Black studies department and Montaño, a professor of Chicana/o studies at the establishment of the College of Ethnic Studies.  California State University Northridge. Montaño was one of the leads on AB 1460, which success- A bulk of young people first encounter ethnic fully created an ethnic studies graduation require- studies in college because implementing ethnic ment in the Cal State system. She was also an advi- studies in K-12 education remains deeply conten- sory committee member for the first iteration of tious, as evidenced by the challenging, imperfect the California Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum.  process and subsequent failure to pass California’s AB 331. The proposed curriculum drew criticism Montaño said that when fights for ethnic stud- from the Legislature’s Jewish caucus, which ques- ies are successful, it’s the result of a coalition of tioned why Islamophobia was defined but not caregivers, community members and teacher antisemitism. Issues were also raised by pro-Is- activists working together, all of whom under- rael groups upset by the framing of the Israeli- stand there will be no “easy wins.” Palestinian conflict, and Armenian Americans, Indian Americans and Sikhs objected to the model “When you’re pushing against systemic racism, curriculum excluding their experiences.  it takes years to actually attain something, and I think one of the reasons ethnic studies is gaining Historically, ethnic studies in California has such a foothold right now is because of the Black focused on African Americans, Mexican Americans, Lives Matter movement,” Montaño said. Asian Americans and Native Americans. More recently, Wayne Au said, some educators have Many teachers involved in the fight for eth- pushed to transform ethnic studies into “global nic studies talk about the continued importance education” or “multicultural education.”  of activism, protest and community coalitions— the same strategies that led to ethnic studies as Au is a professor at the School of Educational we know it. In 1968, the Black Student Union and Studies at the University of Washington Bothell a coalition of other student groups known as the and an editor for the social justice teaching orga- Third World Liberation Front sparked a move- nization Rethinking Schools, which last year pub- ment at San Francisco State College (now known lished Rethinking Ethnic Studies, a book offering as San Francisco State University) that would examples of ethnic studies frameworks, classroom affect education for decades to come. Student 21SPRING 2021 

practices and organizing at the school, district and they are living in,” Au said. “There is immeasur- statewide levels. The former high school teacher able value in that. You see kids start to value them- has long been involved in racial justice work in selves and their communities, and they start to education on a national scale, and in Seattle and envision a different future for themselves.” neighboring school districts, he conducts work- There is also evidence that ethnic studies pro- shops around K-12 ethnic studies implementation.  pels young people to become educators. Allender “For some people, ethnic studies is purely a dif- said that in California, kids who experience ethnic ferent version of multicultural education and they studies in school are more likely to approach teach- want something that’s going to be palatable, some- ing as a career path. Mayra Almaraz-De Santiago, thing that doesn’t challenge whiteness or white recognized with a 2018 Teaching Tolerance Award supremacy in schools,” Au said. “Ethnic studies is for Excellence in Teaching for her work as an eth- supposed to help us challenge the white suprem- nic studies teacher, echoes this assertion. Her eth- acy in our curriculum, not aid it.”  nic studies students at Chicago’s Taft High School Montaño said it’s imperative that educators were voracious for more learning. They wanted an work with the same definition of ethnic studies. ethnic studies part two, Almaraz-De Santiago said, According to the professor, there are characteris- or asked if she could teach them ethnic studies tics that make ethnic studies distinct from other again the following year. While she now works as disciplines: its history—including where it came a high school social science specialist for Chicago from and that it centers race—as well as the strug- Public Schools, she maintains communications gle against racism and a focus on the groups that with former students, many of whom tell her they racist policies have affected. are pursuing education.   “If we can all operate with these understand- “It was so beautiful to see students make sense of ings, ethnic studies has positive effects on the the world and to feel affirmed and seen and feel like entire community,” Montaño said.  their culture matters,” Almaraz-De Santiago said, growing emotional. Immeasurable Value 21% “Kids would tell me I was their first Mexican American teacher and that The academic and social benefits of the increase in they left my class feeling proud of their ethnic studies are well documented. attendance found heritage. Kids told me they wanted to In 2011, the National Education when a group of major in ethnic studies or that they Association found that when stu- were going to major in Latin American dents of different ages are exposed students were Studies. Ethnic studies so clearly had a to ethnic studies, they consistently enrolled in ethnic profound effect on their lives.”  experience “academic achieve- studies courses. ment, high level of awareness of race Even having tangential exposure and racism, and positive identifica- —STANFORD STUDY to ethnic studies can change a stu- tion with one’s own racial group.” A dent’s path; such is the case with 2016 study by scholars at Stanford Alexis Mburu, a student at Foster Graduate School of Education also found that High School in Tukwila, Washington. While she’s a “high school ethnic studies course ... boosted never taken an ethnic studies class, Alexis has attendance and academic performance of students decided to fight for other young people to have at risk of dropping out,” Stanford News reports.  the opportunity.  What is perhaps more challenging to convey In middle school, Alexis knew of a teacher is the transformation educators watch unfold in who taught an ethnic studies class, but she never their classrooms.  had the opportunity to take it. This same teacher “All of a sudden, there is a fire in their hearts recognized Alexis’ interest and introduced her to and in their bellies. You can see them connecting the NAACP and Washington Ethnic Studies Now, the dots and begin to understand who they are and which advocates for ethnic studies and focuses how they are in the world and the conditions that on professional development and anti-racist 22 TE AC H I N G TO L ER A N C E

Ethnic studies is Valley. Educators have long argued that the cur- supposed to help us riculum is just one facet of ethnic studies, and of challenge the white increased importance is training educators.   supremacy in our curriculum, not aid it. Teacher activist and TT advisor Tracy Castro- Gill, the executive director of Washington Ethnic —WAYNE AU Studies Now, explained that teaching ethnic stud- ies requires a completely different approach to training for educators who want to teach ethnic education and instructional practices. In the studies. Alexis is now on the youth advisory board nine-module, 18-hour course she developed for for both organizations.  educators interested in teaching ethnic studies, Castro-Gill said it’s only in module nine that cur- Alexis said ethnic studies “should be the stan- riculum even comes up.  dard,” noting her interest in education. “When I imagine my younger self and my younger sib- “There’s a fundamental shift that needs to hap- lings being taught the education they deserve, I pen first in the understanding that we’re not here see a classroom filled with truth, joy, opportunity to create better workers; we’re here to create bet- and prosperity.” ter engaged citizens and humans of the world,” Castro-Gill said. “You can’t do that with tidy little Best Practices—Beyond Curriculum  rows in your classroom where children only speak While the benefits of ethnic studies are clear, the when they’re spoken to. It’s a lot about interro- path forward remains murky—especially in hos- gating and deconstructing the white Eurocentric tile states. However, backlash against ethnic stud- norm of the classroom and expectations of edu- ies can sometimes lead to progress. cation. That’s what the professional development is based on—that and building on background In 2010 when former Arizona Governor Jan knowledge about critical race theory and inter- Brewer signed HB 2281 prohibiting schools from sectionality and anti-racist theories.”  teaching courses “designed primarily for pupils of a particular ethnic group,” it ignited a larger As the co-chair of the Sacramento State movement across the Southwest, prompting edu- Ethnic Studies Teacher Training Credentialing cators in Texas to begin fighting for ethnic studies Consortium, Allender facilitates and provides in K-12 education.  professional ethnic studies and social justice development for teachers in Northern California. In states where ethnic studies is treated as His advice to anyone who wants to teach ethnic highly controversial, there is a hyper focus on studies is that, first, they have to engage in a pro- the curriculum, said Dr. Christopher Carmona, cess of self-study and go through their own eth- who chairs the National Association for Chicana nic studies journey.  and Chicano Studies committee for implement- ing Mexican American Studies in pre-K-12 educa- “So many of us were subjected to socio-cul- tion. But that’s because of misconceptions about tural deprivation, and that causes a tremendous what is being taught, explained Carmona, who is cognitive dissonance,” Allender said. “When you also an associate professor of Mexican American promote ethnic studies, it has to be done pro- Studies at the University of Texas Rio Grande grammatically and personally. This work must be done in community because it is more than just readings and tests and papers and presentations. Ethnic studies is rooted in civic engagement, ser- vice learning and community collaboration. This has always been about being out in the community as much as it was about being in the books.” Vasquez is a movement journalist who covers gender, labor, immigration and culture from North Carolina. 23SPRING 2021 

A Flaw in the Foundation BY NATALIE LIKE MANY PRODUCTS of the U.S. education sys- knowledge. It erases the things that the students ODOM POUGH  tem, I read The Scarlet Letter in high school. My hold dear.” ILLUSTRATION English teacher practically danced around the BY DOLA SUN classroom—she loved the story so much. I remem- Years later, in my own teacher training and ber feeling conflicted. I knew some of my class- school leadership preparation, I didn’t learn the We can’t mates had children. Others had unmarried moth- culturally relevant pedagogy and cultural con- stop white ers. The discussion felt unfair. I was left feeling sciousness that would have helped me preserve supremacy dejected by a book that did not speak to me and by the things my students held dear. Instead, I was in schools a lesson I knew could harm my classmates. taught the one-size-fits-all approach to mathe- until we stop matics education that has historically and dispro- it in teacher In that class, I learned something all teachers portionately harmed students of color. I spent my preparation should understand: first year as a teacher fumbling through multiple programs. strategies to best serve my students. “[S]chooling often asks children to be some- thing or someone other than who they really are,” Today, as a mathematics teacher educator, I Gloria Ladson-Billings wrote in Crossing Over to prioritize critical conversations about building Canaan: The Journey of New Teachers in Diverse cultural consciousness and incorporating cultur- Classrooms. “It asks them to use language other ally relevant pedagogy. than the one they come to school with. It asks them to dismiss their community and cultural But when I begin them, I’m frequently met with students opening their laptops, pulling 24 TE AC H I N G TO L ER A N C E

out their phones to text or just to demand they be seen, heard Ladson-Billings wrote, “Rather looking uninterested. and respected. Teachers are than dismantle the ‘tried and working to decolonize curric- true’ practices, teacher edu- In most cases, I follow up to ask ula and interrogate instruc- cators believed that adding a why they chose not to engage. I tional resources. Parent and course, a workshop or field expe- keep hearing the same responses: family organizations are sup- rience on diversity would be suf- porting students, teachers and ficient to suggest that real change “I thought math was a neu- schools through these efforts. was occurring in the profession.” tral content area. Why do we Rather than refuting the exis- have to learn about culturally tence of white supremacy, edu- “We were taught that green is a relevant pedagogy in this class?” cators are acknowledging how it good color for our walls and that is embedded into the fiber of our at least 20% of our walls should be “It’s not my experience.” nation and our schools. bare. But we never discussed the “I was taught not to see color.” practices that we see in the field Teacher preparation pro- and how they are rooted in white White Supremacy Culture in grams can equip future educa- Teacher Preparation Programs tors with the knowledge and supremacist ideology.” skills to provide positive learn- We know there’s an overwhelm- ing experiences and environ- BREANA THOMAS ing need for teachers who are ments for students of color. But willing to “see color,” who are first, they’ll need to acknowl- Breana Thomas, an early committed to anti-racist peda- edge, examine and work to childhood teacher resident gogy. And with over 1,200 insti- eradicate the white supremacy at Clemson University, illus- tutions offering teacher prepa- culture that exists within their trates how conversations ration programs and countless own programs. about race and racism are alternative certification routes, often pushed to the side. In the way these future teachers The Cost of Comfort graduate school, she says, she are prepared to educate the has had one course focused on next generation can be a key While explicit curriculum may classroom management. contributor to systemic change. push back against racist or white Unfortunately, far too often, supremacist systems, teacher “We were taught that green teacher preparation programs preparation programs often is a good color for our walls maintain and support white train white preservice teach- and that at least 20% of our supremacy culture—and sus- ers to expect what Okun calls walls should be bare,” Thomas tain it in K-12 schools. “a right to comfort.” A common said. “But we never discussed characteristic of white suprem- the practices that we see in the “Culture is powerful,” writes acy culture, the right to com- field and how they are rooted in educator and social justice fort is the “belief that those with white supremacist ideology.” activist Tema Okun, “precisely power have a right to emotional because it is so present and at and psychological comfort.” Marilyn Pugh, a third-year the same time so very difficult to teacher in Dekalb County, name or identify.” In her essay It’s important to note that Georgia, had an experience that “White Supremacy Culture,” the K-12 teacher population is was different but no better. “My Okun explores the ideology that largely white, middle-class and teacher preparation program constructs and justifies racist female. White supremacy cul- didn’t teach classroom manage- policies, practices and behaviors. ture, by definition, works to cen- ment,” she said. “I figured it out.” White supremacy culture, she ter that whiteness. And schools of writes, appears in any organiza- education recenter it when they If future educators aren’t tion that is not actively and effec- limit conversations about race learning about the common tively working to dismantle it. and racism to certain courses. Across the United States, In that way, not much has many in K-12 school commu- changed since 2001, when nities are doing that work. Students are coming together 25SPRING 2021 

disciplinary practices that dis- is no understanding of the sys- their teachers and their fam- proportionately remove BIPOC temic barriers they face. ilies. She knew they had seen students from classrooms; if the media coverage that showed they aren’t taught about the The Cost of Keeping the Peace their teacher was wrong. But she role of implicit bias and adul- didn’t know what to do. tification bias on educator per- Closely aligned with the dam- ceptions of student behavior; if aging expectation of a right to With no safety net, student they aren’t encouraged to trace comfort is another characteris- teachers often see no way to the similarities between “zero tic of white supremacy culture: challenge their mentors. That’s tolerance” disciplinary poli- the “fear of open conflict.” This why university-school partner- cies and the “broken windows” fear, Okun suggests, becomes ships and clinical practice should approach to policing that has evident when “people in power go beyond the traditional role of done so much damage in some are scared of expressed conflict” providing student teachers with communities of color, then the and equate “the raising of diffi- exposure. Instead of avoiding seeds of these racist practices cult issues with being impolite, “uncomfortable” or “confron- can be planted even before pre- rude, or out of line.” tational” discussions, teacher service teachers complete their preparation programs should preparation programs. For some, this conflict avoid- teach future educators how ance goes so far that it shuts to advocate for their students. “Teacher education programs down an understanding of Current teachers, school lead- should weave the thread of race white supremacy before it can ers and district personnel should throughout the entire program.” even begin. But educators who work alongside teacher educa- teach and normalize respectful tors to discuss what is happening DR. KRISTEN DUNCAN disagreement are incorporating in schools and in local districts. critical social emotional learn- Limiting or avoiding dis- ing skills in their classrooms. How else can we ask future cussions of racism and white And those who manage open teachers to engage in an educa- supremacy does a disservice to conflict to stand up for their tional system we expect them students and the teaching pro- students demonstrate a form of to change? fession. There is no clear path bravery that needs to be recog- to understanding how to edu- nized and appreciated. A Better Way cate BIPOC students if there I remember a time early in Educators need support in my teacher education career teacher preparation programs when a student approached me so they can push back against with a concern that brought her white supremacy in K-12 to tears. Earlier that day, fol- schools. Along with teaching lowing yet another police-re- content areas and instructional lated murder, she sat in a methodology, teacher prepara- classroom while her mentor tion programs need to provide teacher shared her faith in the tools to critically interrogate police officers in their town. curricula and school policies The teacher told students they and practices. A racial justice would always be safe if they lens—such as the one taught complied with police. in critical race theory—would equip preservice educators to I recall watching my own stu- recognize and interrupt racist dent struggle with not speaking curricula and practices and to up, not knowing how to speak explore critical consciousness. up. She hurt for the students of color who had to wrestle with “Teacher preparation pro- the conflicting statements from grams teach for perfect-world 26 TE AC H I N G TO L ER A N C E

scenarios,” explained teacher looked like me be intentional philosophy: “Instead of view- Rather than Cornelius Blanding, “but we about their approach to pre- ing themselves as managers of refuting the need real-world scenarios and paring us to be great teachers students,” she said, “we encour- existence strategies to overcome them.” for all students.” Williams said age preservice teachers to estab- of white it was in those courses that he lish classroom learning envi- supremacy, Blanding said he learned to first grasped a philosophical ronments where students build educators are approach his work with a racial outlook for teaching. community, establish clear acknowledging equity lens through South expectations for socially accept- how it is Carolina State University’s Call Dr. Kristen Duncan, assis- able behavior, self-regulate their embedded into Me MiSTER program. The pro- tant professor of education own behavior and interactions. the fiber of gram operates in 30 colleges and at Clemson, believes a more And for instances when socially our nation and universities in and around South holistic view of race in educa- accepted norms are violated, our schools. Carolina to increase the number tion is critical to better equip then there are restorative jus- of effective male teachers of color anti-racist future educators. tice practices in place.” in schools across the nation. “Teacher education programs should weave the thread of IUPUI’s preservice teach- It was gratifying, Blanding race throughout the entire pro- ers learn how equity affects all said, to unpack critical race theory gram, to where race is discussed aspects of the work, from cur- and racial consciousness as future in every single aspect [of the riculum to classroom manage- Black teachers and school leaders. work],” she explained. ment—and they learn to work Damian Williams, a fourth-year through discomfort so they can teacher and graduate of Clemson The Indiana University- directly confront the ways white University’s Call Me MiSTER Purdue University Indianapolis supremacy manifests in schools program, agreed. He attributed (IUPUI) School of Education is and classrooms. two courses led by Black instruc- one of the nation’s leading pro- tors with his introduction to cul- grams in education, culturally As Jackson explained, “equity turally relevant pedagogy. relevant pedagogy and devel- and anti-oppression are cen- oping anti-racist educators. tered and threaded throughout “As the sole Black male the courses in our programs.” in my classes,” Williams Dr. Tambra Jackson, dean of explained, “it made me so com- IUPUI’s School of Education, That kind of reimagining is fortable to see professors who described the program’s exactly what’s needed. White supremacy and racism are so deeply embedded in our edu- cation system that they will not be eradicated until every- one who wants to see change is ready to accept responsibility for enacting it. We must recognize and dis- mantle the deep-rooted pres- ence of white supremacy in our institutions of learning. This is the only way to build the safe, healthy and responsive schools that all students deserve. Pough is visiting clinical assistant professor of education at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis and a member of the Teaching Tolerance Advisory Board. 27SPRING 2021 

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What it Means to Be an Anti-racist Teacher Talking culturally sustaining pedagogy with Lorena Germán. BY VAL BROWN EDITED BY CRYSTAL L. KEELS PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANNIE RAY LORENA GERMÁN HAS WORKED IN EDUCATION FOR NEARLY 20 YEARS. As director of pedagogy at EduColor, chair of the National Council of Teachers of English Committee Against Racism and Bias in the Teaching of English and co-founder of Multicultural Classroom, she has advocated for culturally sustaining peda- gogy and practices. Nearly three years ago, Germán joined together with educa- tors Tricia Ebarvia, Dr. Kim Parker and Julia E. Torres to form #DisruptTexts, a grassroots movement encouraging K-12 English teachers to rethink their approach to teaching the “classics,” including deciding whether they need to teach them at all. In 2019, she published The Anti Racist Teacher: Reading Instruction Workbook, a resource to help educators develop anti-racist prac- tices in their ELA classes. And late last year, Germán sat down with then-TT Professional Development Manager Val Brown to discuss the damage white supremacy causes in education—and the uplift inherent in reimagining the pro- cess. Their conversation, included here, has been edited for length and clarity. “Interrupting white supremacy,” When a lot of people think of white “We have to envision supremacy, they connote white men something that is “decolonizing education,” “develop- in hoods on corners screaming racial not what many of us slurs and doing extreme things, but experienced growing up.” ing abolitionist education”—people white supremacy could be used inter- changeably for racism. use these phrases but aren’t always It’s the belief system used to bring sure what they mean. How would you racism into action. There are many other terms in education, too, like define these terms as they relate to “equity,” that are unclear to people. They do have their own definitions, but your practice? they are all related and they do depend White supremacy literally means that on each other. whiteness is supreme over others. We see that present in our values as a nation, in our culture, in our ways of being and, therefore, embedded in all of our systems. 29SPRING 2021 

What’s important is that we “What’s important Racist Teacher: Reading Instruction don’t get caught up on these terms is that we don’t get because it’s less about the words and caught up on these Workbook. Can you talk about that? much more about the approach, the terms because it’s So I graduated college and I’m like, philosophy and the theory. That’s why less about the words “Me? Teacher? No. I will never go I use “culturally sustaining.” I find that work in classrooms.” But I have always it’s the most inclusive. Culturally sus- and much more been drawn to working with young taining tells you what I’m for—to nur- about the approach, people, and eventually I made my way ture and build. the philosophy and back into the classroom. I went back to the very high school that I had gone to How did white supremacy show up for the theory.” because, clearly, I had some things to resolve. I was like, “OK, fine. I guess I’m you as a student? engineer; that other person is actu- back.” It was so much. As I was there, I grew up in a town where most of my ally a lawyer. In the same way, I would I was like, “OK, the way I’m going to classmates were, like me, brown children, think about how my grandfather was a stay sane here is to remember what I’m but most [teachers]—and probably all, up science teacher in the U.S., but he’s an doing, that I am here to be the teacher until high school—were white women. engineer in Dominican Republic. Oh, that I never had.” It all really started my grandmother is a seamstress, but then: having to re-envision, to recon- Is it bad to have a white woman over there she was at the Department sider, to rethink what teaching meant teacher? No. Is it bad to have all white of Education. I was always very aware and looked like. The workbook comes women teachers over x many years? of that duality. I had a consciousness out of all of those years of trying to fig- Yes. Because there’s so much that hap- of, “Yeah, we might be whatever this ure that out and wanting to be practical. pened in terms of how I perceived edu- experience is here in the U.S., but I cation to be, how I functioned in the also know that I have a whole nation of What do you see that needs chang- classroom and the tangible cultural people.” It was always very much like, gaps that I experienced. “This might be my reality, but this ain’t ing? How do you see white supremacy the truth.” The memories I have, unfortunately, showing up in curriculum and instruc- are overwhelmingly negative. I didn’t You turned much of your experience ever have powerful teachers of color in as a student and graduate student tion today? my field, English, until graduate school, into a resource for educators, The Anti It looks like this overwhelming sense which is where I met Dr. Django Paris of urgency to meet particular dead- and his wife, Rae Paris, who were both lines that don’t necessarily speak to amazing educators. I also met Dr. David actual student growth. It’s like, “Well, Kirkland and Dr. Adam Banks: I ended we have to cover this book because up getting flooded. It was a wonderful that’s what’s on the test and we have over-compensation for everything that more, more, more.” It’s about quantity I went through. But if education was over quality. I think it’s really hard for not something that in my home meant English teachers to consider, “Oh, we everything, I wouldn’t have made it will just read two books this year.” If there. Why would I go to graduate school an English teacher said that, somebody after the types of experiences I had? somewhere would faint. That would be dope, that the whole first semester Being an immigrant, particularly you go so deep into a rich book and you from our Black and brown country, one [work just] with that book. Young peo- interesting aspect of that experience is ple learn it, and you use it to not just that we come here and while we’re taxi read the word but read the world. drivers, or we’re somebody’s cleaning lady or we’re a barber, in Dominican This value for individualism, this Republic, actually, that person is an idea of “you pull yourself up by the bootstraps”—we see that in classrooms, 30 TE AC H I N G TO L ER A N C E

that you do the work all by yourself, This overemphasis on some of this this. Activism could be anything—start- you got the A and you’re at the top of is, in fact, indoctrination. We have to ing a book club with colleagues, push- your class. Instead of, “Look, this group revisit it. We have to. ing your principal to do PD, joining your took on this work together, and every- professional organization at the national one explored their strengths, improved Can you explain why this work should level and just learning. All of that counts. in their areas of growth and there was learning that was both curricular and not solely be the concern of human- Describe a classroom that’s decolo- extracurricular.” That’s the real world; that’s professional life, and we don’t ities teachers? nized, that’s culturally sustaining. necessarily value that in classrooms. If the institution is problematic, then It does require us to reinvent the wheel. It requires stepping back, being hon- all aspects of it need to be reimagined We have to envision something that is est and reevaluating a lot of the things and reevaluated. There’s this big nar- not what many of us experienced grow- that we’ve taken as orthodox practices. rative in education and among teach- ing up. It looks like a classroom where ers that’s like, “Oh, English and his- people, regardless of age, are able to Why is it necessary to talk about these tory, that’s the easy part, because you come in and be their full selves, mean- guys can talk about books with people,” ing that they don’t have to lose or deny things? Folks will say, “Why are we and it feels really obvious. But when we any element of their identity or their think about the way that racism was culture at the door to achieve success. talking about this when we have actual even thought of, it was actually [framed That’s culturally sustaining pedagogy. as] science. We have to deconstruct the Then, as a teacher: What am I doing in work to do?” way that science is taught, the concepts this room to celebrate their strengths, Because that is the work to do. These that are included and the concepts build on their weaknesses and help are not mutually exclusive. A lot of peo- that are excluded, because what we’re them learn actual skills, so that they’re ple who say, “Just teach the standards” not talking about is also a problem— not just reading words on paper and or “Just teach your content” don’t those silences in our curriculum are doing things on paper but participating understand that I’m already doing problematic. The same goes for math: in thinking critically about our society? political work just by saying that I teach We need to think about the way that the standards. I am already indoctri- math has been implicated in the proj- That’s where social justice comes in. nating, if you will. For example, in the ect of racism. For example, the idea of This has become a real catch-all phrase. English field, this whole pedestal that three-fifths of a person—that’s math. Or It’s another term for civic engagement we have the five-paragraph essay on— when you think about Indigenous peo- and fighting for what you believe in and it’s problematic! Continuing to demand ple who have to use DNA to prove their the betterment of others. Education that students perfect this five-para- Nativeness—which nobody else has to is supposed to do that—to push us graph essay is actually not prepar- do, anywhere in this country—that is towards social justice. Otherwise, what ing them for college, which is what we both science and math. is this? And it looks like a classroom think we’re doing. In college, you don’t where there’s joy, there’s pain, there’s need to write five-paragraph essays, Educators need to understand that silence, there’s talking, there’s activity, number one. Number two, what we’re it’s important to unpack their own biases there’s academic learning, but there’s doing is this factory-model approach and interrogate the ways that their val- also personal learning. It’s inside, it’s where everybody can crank out the ues and their biases show up in how outside, it’s talking, it’s in groups, it’s same thing. It’s very much an American they design their content and lessons. individuals, it’s with partners. It’s a social construct. If I go to Turkey, Then it’s important to move past that classroom where social justice is a term they’re not telling me to write in five and think more critically about their that everybody understands. paragraphs. If I go to Brazil, they’re just approach, their practices and the impact writing! If I go to the Cochiti people in that they’re having on students and how Brown is the principal academic offi- New Mexico, they’re not even writing. to take action, both through their con- cer at Stand for Children’s Center for They’re like, “We’re a storytelling peo- tent area in their classroom, and also in Antiracist Education. Keels is associate ple, so you can take your paper and put their field outside of their classroom. editor at Teaching Tolerance. it in the trash.” That’s why activism has to be a part of 31SPRING 2021 

MTHAETPHEEDMAGAOTIGCYSOiFnLCIBoEnRtAeTIxOtN: Math education has harmed students, but it can also repair that harm. BY MARIAN DINGLE AND CATHERY YEH PHOTOGRAPHY BY PETER NGUYEN AND STEPHANIE ELEY 32 TE AC H I N G TO L ER A N C E

AS AN ELEMENTARY teacher with a pas- the power of mathematics to quantify availability of PPE and statistics on sion for math and an assistant pro- the past and present and to also serve rising xenophobic and racist attacks. fessor of education who specializes, as a tool for liberation. The easy action would be to analyze in part, in math education, our paths this real-life data with our students have crossed because we both believe Math Is Political in mathematics classes. But data and in the humanizing power of mathemat- Math—including math education—is mathematical models include and ics. Engaging in mathematics educa- absolutely political and has been used exclude information to capture a snip- tion with a humanizing love can allow in violent ways to subjugate, harm and pet of the world at a particular time and students to see themselves as complex even kill. The use of data science to place. Failure to consider the context, human beings who are affected by insti- identify suspects or sentence people politics and history behind the data is tutionalized racism but not defined by to prison has been widely criticized in itself failure. it. As educators, mothers and organiz- for bias. And the legacy of racist ide- ers of color, we make this argument out ologies can be found in the use of data How can we use math, acknowledge of radical love for our students and the and mathematics today. the harm it does and also drive libera- education community. tion? Educators must spend significant For example, the spirometer, a med- time understanding some basic truths. In Pedagogy of Freedom: Ethics, ical tool that measures lung capac- We must start by acknowledging that Democracy, and Civic Courage, Paulo ity, was once used on plantations to we all lead very different racialized Freire describes radical love as an unjustly argue enslaved Black peo- lives and that legacies of racism and “armed love.” In Women, Culture & ple were most fit for field labor. The white privilege permeate our work. Politics, Angela Davis argues that rad- tool’s settings, often including a but- ical means “grasping at the root.” In ton that “corrects” for race, are still in For too many of our students, doing this spirit, we invite you to consider use today. This is one of many medical school mathematics consists of sit- how education, specifically mathe- tools shaped by anti-Black racism. ting silently, using algorithms that are matics education, has harmed stu- foreign to them and solving problems dents and, importantly, how it can In the beginning of the COVID-19 irrelevant to their interests and expe- also repair that harm. We believe in pandemic, we were inundated with riences. Their knowledge and per- charts and graphs of infection data, spectives are pushed to the margins, 33SPRING 2021 

leaving them, especially students of concepts and my ability to connect How Marian humanizes math color, silenced and misinformed. them to life were what mattered. For most of my career, I have taught ele- As educators of color, even we must Similarly, long sessions at the mentary students multiple subjects, yet unlearn our conditioning to hold space kitchen table with my dad as he students past and present refer to me for whiteness. We must recognize the revealed the secrets of numbers and as their math teacher. I carry that title ways math education functions to algebra made me believe he was mag- with pride. This mathematical part of destroy students’ cultural identities. ical. That math was magic. I loved my identity, along with my Blackness, We must intentionally center folks of mathematics—it was as natural to me informs the reframing of math we’re color and marginalized voices. as breathing. My parents both allowed arguing for. me to emerge confident in my mathe- We work daily to bear this out in our matical reasoning. On a nondescript day, I’m read- lives and pedagogy. ing aloud to my fourth and fifth grad- Is it possible to teach mathemat- ers the picture book The Other Side by Marian’s Context ics this way? It is, and I do. The educa- Jacqueline Woodson. As children dis- I am a Black tor in me thinks mathematically. The cover a different set of expectations for woman, mar- accepted mathematical canon is full of Black and white characters in the book, ried to a Black Eurocentric postulates and formulas. symbolized by the fence that separates man, with adult Cathery and I sense, though, that math- their properties, I encourage them to Black children. I ematics is far more intuitive. dig deeper, relating this story of a time don’t know much before they were alive to now: about my ances- Why did both the white and Black tors beyond a few tales parents want their children not to cross of great-grandparents. I do know they the fence? What was different about were enslaved. There is a certain shame their reactions? Who created the fence? about not knowing your true country of Whose job is it to cut it down? origin, not knowing your native tongue. Honestly, there is a certain envy I carry I want them to see the interpersonal of those who do. biases and the systemic forces that create and maintain the fence. I then I also know that mathematics is the direct them to the present and connect lens through which I see the world. It’s it to relevant mathematics: not something I became; it’s who I have always been. My parents raised me to You have said that the neighborhoods quantify everything. in the book were segregated. Are your neighborhoods segregated today? What My educator mother, who did not about schools? Is this school segregated? describe herself as a math person, Has it ever been? would periodically dump the contents of her purse onto the bed to reveal shiny I bring in pie charts of the school’s coins of every color. The ongoing chal- current and past racial demographics. lenge? To correctly count it in any way Students also analyze historical data I chose and then present her with my of the city’s racial demographics. I ask, findings. If I could do that successfully, “What story are the numbers telling?” the bounty was mine. In pedagogical language, I had engaged in productive Looking at history through a mathe- struggle, persevered, made use of struc- matical lens is a step toward humaniz- ture, modeled with precision, used reg- ing math. As children learn how to cre- ularity and constructed my argument. ate their own graphs and charts, they can also interrogate how the nexus Did I know I was doing this? Did my of history, math and humanity lies in mother make sure that I knew those the formation of the question to be words? Of course not. She knew that the answered. Whose story is not being told? What question was not asked? 34 TE AC H I N G TO L ER A N C E

The data is only as good as the ques- what mathematics is and who can or literacy. Do you see yourself represented tions that birthed it, and if the assump- cannot do mathematics. Mathematics is in the data? Who is included? Who is tions under which the questions were a human activity tied to languages, his- missing? How do the data display, labels formed are biased and racist, then the tories, lands and culture. As a classroom and scales convey a particular message? math is inevitably racist as well. teacher, I visited over 300 students’ What is the message? From whose per- homes while community members and spective? These questions allow stu- The lesson using Woodson’s book members of grassroots organizations dents to see the subjectivity in all text, continues with an analysis of local gen- came into my classroom. We taught les- including mathematical text, and to trification—with math at the root. sons together centering on the mathe- examine the histories and backgrounds matics that takes place within homes that inform the data. Cathery’s Context and communities—from braiding hair, I am Chinese baking bread, doing carpentry and shop- Naturally, students want to look up keeping to examining homelessness, and create data displays that honor American, an gentrification and affordable hous- their social identities, including their immigrant and a ing. These experiences and communi- membership in multiple groups, as mother of a child ty-based pedagogies bridged classrooms well as honoring their peers. Using this with a disability. to community and social movements. approach, my math education students These social iden- have had their K-12 students share their tities shape who I Now, as a teacher educator with own data displays with their peers, the am and what I see future mathematics teachers as stu- school board, city council and curricu- and feel about the world around me. I dents, I use the Teaching Tolerance lum publishing companies to stand up am exhausted. I can’t sleep. My heart Social Justice Standards as a road to exclusion and injustice. aches. I can’t get the image out of my map for humanizing mathematics head: Tou Thao, the Asian American education. Within my mathemat- police officer who stood by as Derek ics methods course, I ask my stu- Chauvin kneeled on George Floyd’s dents to develop and implement jus- neck. He stood by in silence, with his tice-aligned math lessons that address hands in his pockets, even as onlookers both a mathematics standard and a pointed out that Floyd wasn’t moving, social justice standard. didn’t seem to be breathing and cried out for his mother. Thao remained The TT standards offer a way to use silent. Indifferent. mathematics to locate inequities and Within the Asian American com- to look critically at how mathematics munity, I have seen us join our voices is used inside and outside the class- in ongoing protests speaking up room. For example, data on issues of against anti-Asian xenophobia and race in the United States are cast along racist attacks normalized by a leader the lines of Black and white. Asian who called the current pandemic the Americans and other communities of “Chinese virus” and the “kung flu.” Yet, color are intentionally included in sta- too many remain silent in the face of tistical models at times and excluded injustice toward Black lives. at others when the data perpetuates Within the mathematics educa- the model minority myth. Such use tion community that I call home, how of data creates a monolithic identity often do we speak boldly for justice but for Asian Americans and also drives a actually continue to inflict violence on wedge between communities of color. Black lives? Mathematics is used to divide. How Cathery humanizes math Attending to the TT Social Justice Humanizing mathematics begins with Standards shifts a math lesson from challenging racialized myths about mere statistical calculations to the development of critical statistical 35SPRING 2021 

Third World Liberation Front, the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the for- mation of the United Farm Workers Movement by Latinx and Filipinx labor workers and the Black Lives Matter movement all started with a few people who mobilized millions. For decades, social justice organizers have modeled nonlinear growth and the fact that our sum is greater than our division. I am inspired by these narratives despite the social and structural inequalities at hand. Our lives are interwoven; our numbers matter. Our liberation is intri- cately bound together. What is missing from mathemat- United States, Douglass highlighted The Path Forward ics education is the mathematics of the nation’s diversity and used mathe- Conflict has always been a central part solidarity and interracial resistance. matical language to argue for equality: of mathematical stories, but we need Asian American liberation builds on “Only one-fifth of the population of the to highlight working together and a history of solidarity between the globe is white,” he argued in 1869, not- the day-to-day work of finding solu- Asian and Black American communi- ing that “the other four-fifths are col- tions to problems. Now, as the United ties, starting from Frederick Douglass’ ored and ought to have some weight States sees mass uprising against racial denouncement of anti-Chinese laws and influence.” injustice and police brutality, we need and continuing to current fights against to center the mathematics of solidarity the racism of the pandemic. When Let’s use Douglass’ work as an exam- and challenge the mathematics of divi- it came to welcoming Asians to the ple and create lessons on the mathe- sion. The way we teach math is key to matics of community organizing. The this shift. We don’t need to reimagine teach- ing mathematics for liberation. Mathematics—data, mathematical models and numbers—lives every- where, especially in our organizing. We need only to look to current and historical moments of strategic, math- ematical insurgence against structures of oppression as blueprints for libera- tory mathematics education. Dingle is an elementary teacher in Georgia and a member of the Teaching Tolerance Advisory Board. Yeh is an assis- tant professor of education in California. 36 TE AC H I N G TO L ER A N C E

When Black male educators build community, they find healing, learning and growth. BY COSHANDRA DILLARD ILLUSTRATION BY ESO TOLSON AND ALEX TROTT IN FEBRUARY 2020, 65 BLACK MALE EDUCATORS ASSEMBLED receive what they crave in their school communities: a safe space to revel in joyfulness despite the way the world views on the campus of Clayton State University just outside Black men and the expectations placed on them. This full Atlanta for a day of community building. They workshopped, breadth of Black men’s humanity, which includes joy, often encouraged each other and shared experiences from their goes unrecognized or is undervalued. respective classrooms. The Atlanta event, BMEsTalk LIVE, is a culmination of The men high-fived, hugged, laughed heartily and online engagement in weekly Twitter chats and at social expressed gratitude during workshopping sessions. It was gatherings. Organized by education consultant and for- in those moments that they were free of the white gaze and mer teacher Ayodele Harrison, it is a way to give this small filled with joy. When Black male educators gather, they 37SPRING 2021 

segment of the nation’s educators a chance to bond and grow participating in the school community, impacting their abil- professionally. The day focuses on personal and professional ity to be effective and ultimately their desire to remain in success analysis, mentorship, pedagogical techniques and the profession.” school community empowerment. BMEsTalk spaces help Black male educators feel part of Attendees assert that the meeting counters the daily iso- a community. They feel valued. They feel seen. lation many of them feel at school. “I don’t think I’ve ever been in a space that was specifically That’s because Black male educators make up only focused on Black male educators and engaging with each about 2% of all public school teachers in the United States. other, sharing the successes, the challenges and the oppor- Recruiting and retaining Black male educators has been a tunities,” one attendee says in a BMEsTalk LIVE recap video. struggle for schools. In addition to isolation, the “invisi- ble tax”—the expectation that educators of color handle This community building—and its subsequent joy—is issues around cultural competency, discipline and relation- essential work, the men say. It’s necessary to stay motivated, ship-building with students of color—makes it more difficult a feat that can become difficult for those who are thrust into for them to thrive. This pervasive charge means that Black disciplinarian roles or feel tokenized and burned out. educators are left with less support or end up “typecast” into non-academic roles. BMEsTalk isn’t the only group of Black male educators doing this work. There are numerous organizations and alli- Just as society doesn’t see Black men’s full humanity, ances across the country creating spaces to celebrate and the education community also doesn’t see Black male edu- uplift these educators while helping to broaden their mem- cators as multi-dimensional beings with skills vital to nur- bers’ career opportunities. turing young minds. The fact that these men must find heal- ing, learning and joy in platforms outside of their schools But it’s not enough to acknowledge the need for Black acknowledges the tokenization and pigeonholing they face. male educators to have a safe space for professional devel- These phenomena result from existing white supremacist opment or celebration. School communities must recon- structures prevalent in schools, making it more difficult for sider how they perceive Black men’s roles in education. students and teachers of color to flourish. They should act more intentionally so that Black male edu- cators feel included in students’ learning. Colleagues need According to a 2016 Education Trust report, Through to respect their skills and abilities and see them more fully. Our Eyes: Perspectives and Reflections From Black Teachers, Black educators “face racial discrimination and stereotyp- IN THEIR SHOES ing that leave them feeling alienated and restricted from Now in his second year of teaching, Eric Parker can’t imagine himself doing anything else. When he decided to become a 38 TE AC H I N G TO L ER A N C E

“Seeing other people just expressing the same feelings and having that open, safe space to talk about your thoughts, your dreams, desires and things like that—it’s been really nice.” ERIC PARKER social studies teacher, he remembered that he’d never had a “I think I’m seen as a rebel,” he says. “I don’t feel that, teacher who looked like him or had similar life experiences. but people have told me that.” He adds, “You may see my He was going to be that for future students. Today, he teaches passion as angry. ... I’m just speaking my truth.” middle school students who reflect a very racially diverse part of northern Oklahoma City, including students from Beyond being pigeonholed into disciplinarian and coach- immigrant families spanning from Central America and ing roles, some Black male educators also feel they must Africa to Asia and Europe. prove themselves to colleagues or administrators. One of the youngest teachers at his school, Parker is Parker says some coworkers aren’t confident in his con- empathetic, committed to social justice education and eager tent knowledge. He feels supported by colleagues in his to learn new pedagogical techniques. But he admits some social studies department but not by others. colleagues look beyond that and instead assume he’s there for one reason. “I keep having to prove myself, especially to some of our newer teachers that haven’t spent time with me, that I “The first thing I got from a lot of my colleagues was, know my content matters,” he says. “I research these things, ‘What do you coach?’... So, it gets annoying, just those lit- learn more every day about what I teach because I’m con- tle microaggressions like that. They’re saying, ‘Oh, you stantly challenged.” coach?’ I’m saying, ‘No. I just do this.’ And they’re just like, ‘But you want to coach something.’ I’m like, ‘At In Parker’s case, the scrutiny comes from coworkers and the moment, no. That’s not what I’m focused on. Let’s caregivers. He has submitted primary sources to some care- talk about what I’m doing in my room rather than any givers when challenged about his content knowledge. other stuff.’” He’s felt the sting of the generations-old view that Black Black male educators are often seen as their schools’ people must work twice as hard in their workplace. “managers of behavioral misconduct” by default. While they assert that they can effectively manage their class- BMEsTalk Director Ayodele Harrison embraces a participant rooms, they note that all teachers should commit to during the live convening themed \"Connect. Grow. Lead.\" doing the same. It shouldn’t be their burden to manage multiple classrooms. “As Black male educators, we use our knowledge, exper- tise and experience to improve school culture, climate and equity in our school communities, which extends far beyond regulating student behavior,” Harrison explains. LaMar Timmons-Long, an English teacher in Brooklyn, concurs: “It is a piece of the profession that needs to be amplified. We’re only looked at from one lens. ... We’re the ones who are stern and firm. We bring that to that space and [are] not looked at as something else.” Timmons-Long also couldn’t imagine being anything other than a teacher. He dreamed of that opportunity in the fifth grade. “I had really good teachers,” he says. “I thought, ‘If I can feel this happy as a student, then I’d probably be happy as a teacher.’” But being a youthful Black male educator who is pas- sionate about social justice education has earned him some labels he doesn’t necessarily appreciate. PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANTHONY HUDSON 39SPRING 2021 

A group of men engage in discussion during the February 2020 BMEsTalk LIVE event at Clayton State University in Atlanta, Georgia. RESISTING WITH JOY, SUPPORT AND COMMUNITY “When it boils down to it, our jobs aren’t easy. Whether it’s In 2018, the hashtags #Blackboyjoy, #Blackmenjoy and battling curriculum, battling colleagues or dealing with the #Blackmensmiling began to trend on social media platforms. things that our students have to deal with, you always need The messages and the images of men laughing, embracing that time to just recharge yourself. That’s what it feels like and frolicking served as a reminder to imagine Black men it is: It’s like a recharge, a needed quick moment, a breath of beyond media stereotypes that portray them as stoic and fresh air, then back to work.” hardened. It was also aspirational. It was liberating for Black men to unapologetically tap into joy despite the many ways Black male educators uplifting and celebrating one society attempts to rob them of their dignity. Whether in another in communal spaces is also a way to resist a white their neighborhoods or as professionals in classrooms, Black supremacist culture that shows up in school communities. men must continuously fight for their dignity. “What we experience as a Black man and as an edu- Establishing connectedness through platforms like cator can be difficult and tough, so we have to stand on BMEsTalk is part of that fight. the backs of each other in order to support each other, whether it is emotionally, mentally, pedagogically,” “Seeing other people just expressing the same feelings Timmons-Long says. “There’s like an automatic broth- and having that open, safe space to talk about your thoughts, erhood that happens when we teach together, especially your dreams, desires and things like that—it’s been really when we are on the same page of equity for students nice,” says Parker, who has participated in BMEsTalk chats. of color.” 40 TE AC H I N G TO L ER A N C E PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANTHONY HUDSON

But the BMEsTalk gatherings don’t always focus on discrimination, inequity or microaggressions. Connecting with other Black male educators reminds Parker to be mindful of self-care. “It can be a little taxing when everything you talk about is something negative or an issue,” Parker says. “[A topic] usually opens up with something like, ‘Tell me a story about something funny, or a time when you did this or a time you did that.’ Not everything has to be bad. That’s a lesson I’ve had to figure out throughout my life: that anger’s taxing. Especially when you’re aware of things, you always have to set that time aside to relax and enjoy something.” Organizations that cater to Black male educators also provide support through mentoring programs, recruiting initiatives, leadership trainings and annual conferences. All efforts are intended to help these men thrive—not just sur- vive—in their careers and at their respective schools. It helps that they know they’re not alone. Timmons-Long says he didn’t have a Black male educator as a colleague until three years into his profession. “He took me under his wings like a little brother,” he recounts of that colleague. “When we became close and we started to support each other as teachers and Black men, it was pure Black boy joy. ... Our experiences are similar yet dif- ferent, and we are always learning from each other. There’s nothing like the power and love of Black male educators sup- porting each other.” THE FUTURE OF BLACK MALE EDUCATORS “All educators, particularly white educators, should do Studies about Black male educators support the same con- an investigation of their own identity and understand the clusion: Schools need more of them in classrooms because way they show up,” Harrison says. “Because, honestly, that’s all students, particularly students of color, benefit from where the work is, right? It really is about going internally having Black male educators in school. Their presence and looking at, ‘Well, what is it that I need to do to be a better means lower dropout rates, fewer disciplinary actions and educator, to be a better colleague, to be a better contributor improved test performances. to this community so that it’s welcoming to all?’” This is why there have been concerted efforts in cities such Black male educators say it all comes back to wanting to be as New York City, New Orleans, St. Louis and Indianapolis to themselves and be respected for their skills. School adminis- attract more Black male educators. But Black male educators trators and colleagues, they say, must trust that their pres- say these initiatives must be for the right reasons. ence in the classroom is integral rather than ancillary. While finding connection in safe spaces brings Black male educa- Through Ayodele Harrison’s consulting work, he often tors joy, they need to feel that same happiness at work. fields questions from school administrators who want to know how to recruit more Black male educators. Dillard is a senior writer for Teaching Tolerance. “Just tell me how you support and celebrate the current ones in your schools,” he tells administrators. “If you don’t have an answer to that, it’s going to be a huge uphill climb to get Black male educators to come. How can we create schools that are welcoming of Black male educators, that will support them, allow them to be who they are to be and not only disciplinarians?” Harrison says white educators must first be mindful of how they contribute to an environment that hinders Black male educators’ professional growth. 41SPRING 2021 

IT WAS ALWAYS ABOUT CONTROL How Schools Maintain Order White Supremacy BY CORY COLLINS ILLUSTRATION BY JOHN JAY CABUAY 42 TE AC H I N G TO L ER A N C E

LASTSEPTEMBER,INLOUISIANA,9-year-old were overrepresented in every punish- All systems Ka’Mauri Harrison was taking a test ment measure evaluated, regardless of create what they in his bedroom—a reality for many poverty level or school type. were designed to students engaged in online learn- create. Sadly, the ing during the coronavirus pandemic. The numbers’ severity and lon- education system His brother walked in, tripping over a gevity underscore a systemic and has been designed BB gun in the background. Ka’Mauri seismic pushout of Black students, to weed out, to picked it up and carried it toward the whose disproportionate contact with discriminate and to computer. His teacher kicked him off law enforcement leads to disproportion- provide success for the video conference. ate rates of dropouts, disengagement and incarceration. Disrupting that cycle of kids of privilege. For briefly brandishing a BB gun in punishment will be necessary to end the his own bedroom, Ka’Mauri faced nearly school-to-prison pipeline and protect —Miriam Rollin two weeks of suspension and a social the students most disproportionately worker was sent to his home. harmed by such policies—namely Black, COMPLIANCE AT THE ROOT Indigenous and Latinx youth. “It is our policy that teachers and Dr. David Stovall, a professor of Black administrators may employ reasonable But experts in school discipline say studies, criminology, law and justice at disciplinary and corrective measures,” a there is something more insidious and the University of Illinois at Chicago, spokesperson for Jefferson Parish Schools emblematic behind distance learning draws a distinction between schooling said at the time, “to maintain order.” discipline measures. It hasn’t just been and education. “Schooling in its tradi- suspensions. In a moment when stu- tional sense is not necessarily about Ka’Mauri is Black. So is Isaiah Elliott, dents needed grace and leniency amidst learning as much as it is about order a Colorado seventh grader who was sus- brand-new challenges, a reliance on and compliance,” he explains. “And pended for holding a toy gun during art compliance emerged again and again. [historically marginalized students] class. So is the 15-year-old girl who, in a Students had to keep cameras on in are the ones who will be compelled to now infamous case, was incarcerated in their homes. Students got in trouble for adhere to this order and compliance Michigan for not doing her homework missing school days or assignments as because schools have always reflected and thus violating her parole. they were forced to work or care for sib- a desire to control them.” lings. Schools enforced dress codes and The en masse switch to distance codes of conduct most Zoom-bound This function of schooling echoes learning was unprecedented. But these adults could not follow. All designed, in the history of assimilation schools, outsized discipline measures against as the Louisiana spokesperson put it, where Indigenous children were forced Black students, sadly, were not. Zoom to maintain order. to abandon their homes, languages, suspensions followed similar patterns hair and customs. It echoes in the his- to in-person classroom management Experts say these stories underscore tory of policies that have increasingly tactics that feed Black students into the the limitations of fixing disproportion- regulated Black students’ hair, dress, school-to-prison pipeline. ate discipline outcomes strictly in terms behavior and speech. of removing school police or eliminat- “It’s a pathway that is sadly well-worn ing the school-to-prison pipeline. The Stovall pushes people to think and very visible,” says Miriam Rollin, the U.S. school system is dependent on beyond the school-to-prison pipeline director of the Education Civil Rights control and compliance—and histori- and consider what he and others call Alliance assembled by the National cally this dependence reaffirms and is the school-prison nexus. The pipeline, Center for Youth Law. inextricably bound up with tenets of he says, is an argument that schools put white supremacy. Whether advocates students on a pathway to prison based According to analysis of public data by call for reform measures or for a more ProPublica, Black students, nationally, systemic abolition of all school practices are 3.9 times more likely to face suspen- that resemble the carceral state, it’s clear sion than white students. In some states, that they agree on one thing: Equity like Wisconsin (7.5 times), Minnesota requires understanding and excavating (6.2 times) and Connecticut (6 times), those white supremacist roots. it’s even more stark. And according to a 2018 analysis by the U.S. Government Accountability Office, Black students 43SPRING 2021 

on dehumanizing actions, including One definition of white supremacy “So you just had a history in which arcane discipline policies. that gets at its many systemic tendrils, Black students have never been fully including in schools, comes from Dr. accepted in any educational space,” “What those of us who are arguing Frances Ansley, who has described it as Bell explains. about a school-prison nexus are saying “a political, economic and cultural sys- is that we have to pay attention to the tem in which whites overwhelmingly Bell says that students he interviewed fact that the logics of those schools and control power and material resources, often felt targeted based on the way they the logics of those prisons are almost conscious and unconscious ideas of dressed, their hair (e.g., locs) and their identical, especially when we talk about white superiority and entitlement are culture. One student Bell interviewed discipline,” Stovall says. He draws direct widespread, and relations of white dom- was facing financial hardship and there- connections between hallway protocols, inance and non-white subordination are fore didn’t have consistent access to restrictive bathroom policies, surveil- daily reenacted across a broad array of laundry. When the student didn’t have lance cameras and metal detectors that institutions and social settings.” clean, white-collared shirts to wear, he exist in both spaces. came to school out of dress code. He In schools, this concentration of received a 30-day suspension. “It’s something a little more insid- power and resource control might look ious” than the school-to-prison like the overwhelmingly white stake- It’s an all-too-common occur- pipeline, Stovall explains. “[Students] holders who create curricula, decide state rence—and one that didn’t end during are reminded based on the discipline standards, determine school funding and, distance learning. and curriculum policies that they’re in yes, teach. Superiority and entitlement a de facto prison in those spaces.” might look like codes of conduct and “What we’re finding is it is just a curricula filtered through a Eurocentric continuation of bad practices from Stovall links the continued use of lens. Dominance and non-white subordi- in-person spaces that has moved into punitive policies and whitewashed cur- nation often play out in the enforcement the virtual,” says Dr. Nataki Gregory, ricula to a history of racism in schools. of policies; this includes the obvious (dis- the CEO of CT3, an organization that He says we know that more inclusive proportionate punishment) and the provides training focused on relation- and less punitive environments lead to more subtle (tracking for AP classes). ship building and student engagement better learning outcomes. in service of high student achievement. “All systems create what they were “But under white supremacy,” he says, designed to create,” Miriam Rollin says. Gregory says policies must be con- “the argument is that [a more inclusive “Sadly, the education system has been nected to learning and equitable approach] works for the wrong people.” designed to weed out, to discriminate and outcomes. She instructs school leaders to provide success for kids of privilege.” to consider who a policy benefits and for The truth is there whom it might be harmful. are some of these It’s a painful message sent loud policies that just and clear to Black students and their “Because the truth is there are some make zero sense families. Dr. Charles Bell, a profes- of these policies that just make zero and have nothing sor of criminal justice at Illinois State sense and have nothing to do with learn- to do with learning. University, has devoted much of his ing,” she says. “It’s really just about It’s really just research to speaking to Black students compliance or oppression. And if that’s about compliance and caregivers about their perceptions what you’re trying to bring into the or oppression. of school discipline. school, then you have the wrong focus.” —Dr. Nataki Gregory “[Black students’ and caregiv- And that focus—endemic in schools ers’] experiences suggest that school across the United States—is doing inherently functions as an anti-Black active harm. institution because they criminal- ize Black students’ behaviors in ways THE HARM CAUSED BY COMPLIANCE they do not criminalize white students’ behaviors,” Bell says. Over the years, Bell says he’s seen two competing, but interconnected, narra- Bell points to the resistance to inte- tives. He has witnessed Black parents gration from white caregivers, educators removing students from predominately and schools, and the creation of the Black schools where they felt punish- school-to-prison pipeline that followed ment tactics were putting their kids “on shortly after the final court-ordered a pathway to prison.” And he has wit- ends to segregation. nessed Black parents removing students from predominately white schools, which they saw as anti-Black. 44 TE AC H I N G TO L ER A N C E

“What that does,” Bell says, “is it cre- children that look a lot like post-trau- “Our system is failing kids,” Rollin ates a dynamic of, ‘I’m not safe anywhere.’” matic stress disorder. says, “and we need to hold that system accountable.” That lack of safety is tangible and has “In adolescence and early child- lasting effects. The educational harm is hood, there are buffers against negative In an ideal world, advocates say, obvious. Bell’s interviews supported effects of trauma, including peer con- transformation happens from the bot- what we know empirically: Suspensions, nectedness and school connectedness,” tom up: Educators take the steps they time out of the classroom and school González says. “And when you remove can take today to interrupt their own climates wherein certain students feel someone from a classroom environment harmful practices. And going forward, unwelcome or undervalued hurt those or a learning environment or a school coalitions of students, educators and students’ grades and engagement. community, you tear that apart.” families shape more culturally sustain- Students become more likely to tune ing school communities. School policies out and drop out. Bell has also seen this firsthand in encode a more restorative approach. his work. “I’ve seen some students State policies and codes are amended to Gregory says this educational harm internalize school rejection or being incentivize a severe reduction in suspen- contradicts the stated mission of targeted,” he says, “to the point where sions and policies imbued with racism, schools: to center learning and develop- I had a few students who told me that such as dress codes or modes of compli- ment. And for some students, punitive they were considering suicide as a ance. And if all of that hits a roadblock, policies become an escape valve. In set- result of this continuous targeting and Rollin says, it may be time for a lawsuit. tings that frequently dehumanize or rejection from educators.” humiliate them, students may act out But while long-term solutions must to get kicked out. Focusing on health outcomes, be found systematically and delib- González stresses, does not mean erately, educators and students face “If the goal is to get students to ignoring the ways in which racism, urgent need—and immediate conse- engage more, do more, achieve more, white supremacy and social control quences. Whether learning at a distance and ‘discipline’ doesn’t get them more lead to punitive discipline policies. But or in person, the harm perpetuated by excited about doing that, then the dis- it stresses the urgency and stakes for punitive policies is happening to stu- cipline is ineffective,” Gregory says. demanding change. dents right now. “Because then the discipline is just pun- ishment. And if punishment is your goal, “It’s about saying, ‘How do we make Before a Colorado school suspended then you’re never going to get to a place this change, and how do we disrupt these Isaiah Elliott for holding a toy gun, they where students attend to their work, to drivers for young people that will con- sent a police officer to his home. “You your leadership, to your teaching in a tinue to persist if we can’t get rid of—or put his life in jeopardy,” his mother said way you want. Because now I feel like at least purge to a large extent—this to the school—a school that had fol- this is the place I come to be punished. whole structure that is about social con- lowed its systems and policies exactly And punishment is always a threat that’s trol of a particular set of bodies?’” as designed. looming over my head.” AN URGENT NEED FOR CHANGE Collins is a senior writer for Teaching For Dr. Thalia González, the effects of Tolerance. that looming threat are key to reshaping Across the country, schools will have to the way advocates talk about school dis- take a systematic approach to undoing cipline practices. A nationally renowned structures that rely on compliance and expert in restorative justice, González punitive discipline. says much of the discourse surrounding discipline focuses solely on the fact that, over time, Black students are more likely to face punishment and pushout. But she says that ignores, in some ways, the real- time disproportionate health effects. “It’s a public health issue at its core,” González says. She notes that data show high school graduation can increase life span by as much as 15 years. She points to research that illustrates how removal from school and classroom environments causes symptoms in 45SPRING 2021 

The Classical Roots of White Supremacy A whitewashed history of the ancient world lays the foundation for white supremacy across the curriculum. BY DANI BOSTICK ILLUSTRATION BY FATINHA RAMOS 46 TE AC H I N G TO L ER A N C E

i have taught ancient greek and latin, collectively organization for teachers of Greek and known as classics, for most of my adult life. When I started Latin languages, literatures and cul- studying Latin in seventh grade, I bought into the value of tures. Recently, ACL acknowledged classics promoted in pamphlets from the American Classical that it “has been involved in, perpetu- League (ACL)—as the demarcation between what was ated, and tolerated acts of racism and worth knowing and what wasn’t worth even acknowledging. intolerance within [the] organization.” Even today, a tie to the classical used by Southern enslavers and Lost Bethany Hucks, a Black classicist, world often provides an instant sense Cause Confederates. explained the impact: “It requires the of legitimacy, context and greatness. descendants of enslaved people to talk There’s a reason why, when President One textbook, for example, unques- with white kids and teachers as though Donald Trump wanted to “make fed- tioningly reproduces the myth of the this kind of thing didn’t directly affect eral buildings beautiful again,” he benevolent enslaver. Students read our families through violence for cen- exhorted architects to design buildings that when Davus is sold at auction, turies until the present day.” in the style of ancient Greek temples. “[H]e was filled with fear and doubt as to what might happen to him. But he Today, high school Latin class- But there are real consequences needn’t have worried. Old Titus proved rooms are overwhelmingly white, even to positioning ancient Greece and to be the kindest of masters.” in schools that are otherwise diverse. Rome as the foundation of “Western One of the few sources of data about Civilization,” as the unquestioned A discussion question again reduces high school classics, the College Board, standard of quality for everything systemic oppression to an interper- reveals that only 3.62% of AP Latin from literature to sculpture to archi- sonal matter when students must imag- Exam test-takers in the last decade tecture—especially when “Western ine themselves as enslavers: “If you were Black. It’s unclear whether this Civilization” is aligned with whiteness. were a Roman slave owner, would you lack of diversity explains how the field In schools, the glorification of classics use strict discipline or relative kind- has maintained racist ideas and prac- and its artificial linkage to whiteness is ness to manage your slaves? Why?” tices for so long or whether the hostile a toxic combination. spaces created by racist policies and A question from the 2015 National practices explain the overwhelming Maintaining Hostile Spaces Latin Exam (NLE) required students whiteness of the field. There is a centuries-long tradition to select an adjective to describe a per- of white Americans abusing classics son who says to his father, “The slave Whitewashing the to justify enslavement and, by exten- is valuable. Sell the slave and keep Classics Curriculum sion, to promulgate anti-Black racism. the money.” The NLE is taken by over In 1933, historian Carter G. Woodson This is part of a history of intentional, 125,000 students annually. The answer wrote that the education system “dis- overt white supremacy within classi- to the question was “practical.” misses the Negro as a nonentity” and cal education. noted, “[Black students are] taught The problem is pervasive. As late as to admire the Hebrew, the Greek, the Even now, as school districts and 2019, events held under the National Latin and the Teuton and to despise departments of education challenge Junior Classical League (NJCL) brand the African.” the ways slavery is taught, classics featured fundraising auctions, in which instruction too often supports a san- students posing as enslaved people Classics is often ground zero for the itized, inaccurate version of slavery, were “sold” to the highest bidder. The positioning of Europe as the pinna- one that relies on the same tropes NLE and NJCL are not rogue organi- cle of human achievement. Although zations; they are part of the American ancient Rome encompassed parts of Classical League, the professional Africa and the Middle East, in text- books, the ancient Romans are often all white. Even ancient Greco-Roman temples and statues are shown as 47SPRING 2021 

white, although the marble would Furthermore, according to Miller, assumption that Greco-Roman have been painted vibrant colors. “most English curriculum doesn’t even antiquity is admirable, foundational Today, classics curricula still elevate include ancient writers from Africa or and refined. Thus any presentation whiteness and devalue contributions Asia.” Instead, students are taught that that promotes uncritical admiration to American culture that originate “The Odyssey has ‘universal’ themes.” for the ancient world, by presenting outside of Europe. Chinua Achebe spoke to this phenome- it as a source of ‘timeless’ models and non in 1974: “In the nature of things the wisdom, has the potential to be com- “Whenever I learn about the ‘his- work of a Western writer is automati- plicit in white supremacy.” tory of medicine,’ I learn that the cally informed by universality. It is only Greeks and Romans invented sani- others who must strain to achieve it.” Cassie Miller, a senior research tation practices,” said Queen McKee, analyst at the Southern Poverty Law an undergraduate at Wake Forest Beyond the Classroom Center, said the use of classical imag- University. “[And] the Egyptians Those framings have a real-world ery is “common in white suprema- and Babylonians did nothing to fur- impact. Curtis Dozier, an assistant pro- cist propaganda.” ther the progress of medicine aside fessor of Greek and Roman studies at from herbal remedies. ... I learn that Vassar College, directs Pharos, a proj- “For example,” she explained, Hippocrates invented the standard of ect that documents the ways classics is “American Identity Movement, a medical care—the oath that everyone deployed by white supremacists online. white nationalist group that formerly takes to ensure proper medical care— used the name Identity Evropa, has and no one else. But that’s not true. ... “The civilizations of ancient Greece used images of classical sculptures I know that my ancestors and many and Rome have always been attractive on their flyers along with phrases people of color have made technolog- to European nationalist and racist like ‘Protect Your Heritage’ and ‘Our ical advancements, discoveries and movements, and in more recent years Future Belongs to Us.’ significant contributions to the field have been adopted by other so-called of medicine.” alt-right groups,” the project’s web- “In 2018, they concluded their first site explains. Those who have histor- national conference  by hosting a Across education, curriculum sig- ically deployed and exploited clas- demonstration at the Parthenon replica nals the superiority of knowledge sics to justify white dominance have in Nashville, where participants held from ancient Greece and Rome. In included American enslavers, Hitler a banner that read ‘European Roots, math classes, for example, Euclid and Mussolini, and members of mod- American Greatness.’” and Pythagoras figure prominently, ern white identity groups. while contributions from Babylonia, This connection to classics, Miller Egypt and Arab-Islamic cultures are “The white supremacists I docu- said, “helps legitimize white nation- often invisible. ment on Pharos,” Dozier said, “turn to alist goals: They are, they claim, the Greco-Roman antiquity for validation inheritors of a culture passed down for An uncritical veneration of a white of many of their political views.” centuries that deserves to be preserved classical world has a foothold in K-12 and protected.” schools, where ancient Greeks and The problem for educators, as Romans are protagonists across the Dozier explained, is that these views Given the ways classics has been lev- curriculum. In the humanities, this “all depend on the widespread eraged to legitimize white supremacy focus influences what history is taught in our communities, it is imperative and which texts are viewed as scholarly that educators consider how they pres- or rigorous enough to be worthwhile. ent this content in their classrooms. “Traditional humanities curricu- A Critical Approach to Classics lum associates multiculturalism with There is a cost to an uncritical teach- modernity ... as if before we had the ing of classics. Students of color can modern world, we had a white world,” receive an education that amounts to said Henry Cody Miller, assistant pro- intellectual abuse and betrayal, while fessor of English education at SUNY white students end up with a sense of Brockport and TT advisor. As a result, inflated dominance. he explained, “works like Gilgamesh are positioned as the start of the con- Educators can interrupt this harm structed West.” by refusing to teach classical content through a Eurocentric lens. They can expand their learning and teaching 48 TE AC H I N G TO L ER A N C E