As an equity coach/antiracism facilitator who currently works primarily in/with privileged international schools, I’ve found myself in a time loop of the same conversation based in the same question, “how does the work fit in with my students? They are so privileged?”(1/7)

And this right here is oppression in action. The belief that dismantling systemic injustice is the work of the oppressed. That equity and justice work is not the MORAL responsibility of the privileged. This is flawed logic. (2/7)

Yes. We should fight viciously for the liberation and freedom of all oppressed/marginalized students —support the established leaders of these movements, know our place and back the work to tear down the systems that commit violence against BIPOC (&other) oppressed children(3/7)

AND The work MUST also happen in privileged spaces, including wealthy international schools. To allow our students to remain ignorant and unaware of the systems they benefit from and therefore the ways they are complicit in oppression is also violence(4/7)

To not engage our students in critical consciousness about the role WE MUST all play in liberation is to allow them to be stripped of parts of their humanity. Paulo Freire reminds us of this...”no one can be fully human while he prevents others from being so” (5/7)

In international schools, our students deserve to think critically & deeply and beyond just “savior complexing” and empty pity; we have a moral responsibility to teach all students who operate from racial and/or socioeconomic privilege to move beyond charity & performance (6/7)

This is work that cannot be done episodically or whimsically when the desire to act benevolently strikes— it must be done apologetically and with intention. So yeah, the work of antiracism and justice fits - even if your students are privileged. That’s all. Good night. (7/7)