Module 4.2 Engaging in Meaningful Conversations about Race and Equity

How do we navigate conversations about race and equity?

We can begin with ourselves and our own self-awareness. As UC Berkeley professor john a. powell wisely shared:

“We are conflicted inside ourselves, which we almost never talk about, and we project that out. Part of the struggle is not just ‘getting along’ or ‘fixing the other person,’ but getting along with different aspects of ourselves. So this becomes not just a political or psychological journey, but a profoundly spiritual journey.”

To start, it may be helpful to engage in a reflection to unearth some of your thoughts, feelings, and beliefs about navigating these conversations in the first place.

Preparing for conversations: What is your comfort level?

Learning for Justice (formerly Teaching Tolerance) has created a play-by-play guide for leading critical conversations about race and equity with students, but we believe the self-inquiry questions and self-assessment tool can be useful for leading critical conversations about race with adults, too. In order to prepare to facilitate conversations, ask yourself the following question: How comfortable are you talking about race or racism in the classroom (and/or with your colleagues)? Whatever your level of comfort or discomfort, these simple sentence stems from Learning for Justice may prompt you to reflect:

• The hard part of talking about race/racism is…
• The beneficial part of talking about race/racism is…

This self-assessment tool may help you to identify your vulnerabilities, strengths, and needs in order to more thoughtfully prepare yourself to facilitate discussions about race with your students.

Reflection

• What did you discover through your self-reflection? What is the hard part of talking about race and racism? What is the beneficial part?
• What did you learn about how you might need to prepare yourself to facilitate discussions about race with your students and/or colleagues?
• What steps can you take to prepare yourself accordingly?

Navigating conversations: Interrupting microaggressions

It’s one thing to prepare to lead a conversation about race. It’s another challenge entirely to navigate the conversation in real time. Have you ever felt caught off guard when a colleague or student says something hurtful (whether intentional or unintentional) about a traditionally marginalized group of people?

Here is a short video that draws from some real classroom cases of microaggressions. You will see clips from Learning for Justice’s professional development materials to help teachers “Speak Up at School.”

Reflection

• What were examples of microaggressions presented in the video that you had not considered as microaggressions before?
• Which response methods presented in the video feel most comfortable to you to try in the future?
• Consider the two example scenarios in the video. How would you respond to each scenario?
• Think of a time you have observed a microaggression taking place. Did you intervene? If so, what was your approach? If not, what would you do if it occurred again?

4.2 Take It Deeper: Potential Hidden Bias 
Stereotypes, prejudices, and biases inevitably influence the way we approach our students and colleagues. Let’s explore our own stereotypes, prejudices, and biases. Here is a downloadable guide to help you.

Before facilitating groups, spend time in individual exploration in order to experience and embody the learning. And if you haven’t yet explored our introduction to SEL in California, make sure you explore those resources, too.