Thread: While so many people are outraged at the death of #GeorgeFloyd, I am wondering in which sustainable actions educators are engaging to show #BlackLivesMatter beyond reading a book or two? 1/20

Yes, reading books matters, specifically books by Black authors. This is a critical way to learn from the Black community without placing added stress by soliciting advice. It also pays them for their work. 2/20

But what else are we doing? Here are some of the ways I have worked and continue to work to be an anti-racist teacher: 3/20

*Reflecting on my own identity and experiences as a Latina—the racism I have dealt with along with the privileges I have. Through writing and conversations with friends, this piece of fundamental for change. 4/20

*Discussing identity and affirming identity with my students. We use a variety of picture and chapter books to root our conversations. Giving each student the windows and mirrors (Dr. Sims-Bishop) to love themself and others is, again, fundamental. 5/20

*Prioritizing the social-emotional health of my students. Using restorative practices, developing mindfulness techniques and learning about the brain, creating a safe classroom environment, developing authentic, caring relationships with caregivers. 6/20

*Ensuring my classroom “management” is rooted in liberation and collectivism by developing group agreements together and discussing how we will repair harm and restore peace when people inevitably break those agreements. 7/20

*Modeling my own learning and growth by getting feedback from my students, being responsive to their needs, and apologizing when I make mistakes by acknowledging and repairing the harm done. 8/20

*Examining the curriculum for bias. I chose not to use our social studies textbook this year after analyzing its lack of representation and misrepresentation of women and BIPOC. I replaced the text with higher quality short articles and primary sources. 9/20

I also choose to use different read alouds than the traditional ones used in my district. 10/20

*Having explicit conversations about injustice. This is integrated daily in playground matters and other real experiences my children have, but also developed in specific units. 11/20

Last year I developed a unit to study Michigan’s economic history around the question, “How have diverse groups of people resisted economic injustices in Michigan’s history?” 12/20

The critical piece here was resistance. We CANNOT just talk about injustice. It’s exhausting and deflating. We must also discuss acts of resistance and focus on how change is made. That is where the empowerment comes from. 13/20

*Challenging school and district practices that uphold White supremacy and heteronormativity. This means having tough conversations that make people uncomfortable. You lose a lot of “friends” that way. 14/20

*Promoting opportunities for the community to get involved in change. With colleagues, I started a social justice book club for our families after so many caregivers reached out to me. 15/20

Many caregivers had thanked me for having tough conversations with their children and expressed that they never knew where or how to start these conversations but always wanted to have them. 16/20

*One area in which I know I need to grow is getting more involved in the community. I tend to make excuses for myself because my partner and I keep moving and I just finished my masters degree last year which took a lot of my time. But that’s honestly not good enough. 17/20

Making excuses to yourself is a huge sign of privilege. I’m looking into community organizations with which I can get involved. My grandparents modeled this for me. They took me to events and meetings that were rooted in love and community. 18/20

So educators, what are you doing? Where do you need to go next? Being an anti-racist educator is not a destination to which we arrive. It’s a continuous process of learning and striving to be better. 19/20

The end goal is liberation—the abolishment of racism as we know it. And we have a lot of work to do. How will you ensure that #BlackLivesMatter in every facet of our society? 20/20