A New Year’s Resolution Towards Racial Equity
Anchoring our diversity, equity, and inclusion work by defining the language we use.
As a lifelong student and teacher, time for me has long been marked by the familiar rhythm of the school year. At my core I am an optimist, a glass half-full kind of person, prone to daydreaming and ever-eager to discover opportunities and adventure in the unfolding of a “new year”. Something I particularly love about the school year is that you get to experience a new year twice - once in September when we return to classrooms, sunburned and sandy, to begin a new year of learning; and once in January, when we are in hibernation mode and a new calendar year presents a question: what resolutions will guide the months ahead? Over the years, I’ve often scoffed at the concept of new year's resolutions, when I know perfectly well that I can resolve to make a change at any time of the year, for any reason. And yet, every January, just as I do every September, I find myself in a hopeful and reflective mood, sifting through my memories of the past year, and thinking about what I would like to do, to see, to learn, and to experience in the year ahead.
At GUS, we ended the last school year in June, and began the new one in September, with a resolution to “Mean Well, Speak Well, and Do Better,” in the fight against racism in our community and in our country. Aware of the collective privilege and power held by our school as a private institution, and as individuals that form a community, we have vowed to take action as educators, as parents, and as people who are bound by a shared mission to “respect all people and value their differences,” and to “act responsibly in our community and the world.”
In September, the DEI Task Force began the year by asking our full community to engage with topics connected to racism, antiracism, and white privilege. To that end, our first step was to determine our definitions of these concepts, so that we have a common language for our work, and alignment around certain principles. The inspiration for this task came from Ibram X. Kendi, who wrote about the importance of definitions in his book, How To Be an Antiracist. Kendi wrote,
“Definitions anchor us in principles. This is not a light point: If we don’t do the basic work of defining the kind of people we want to be in language that is stable and consistent, we can’t work toward stable, consistent goals. Some of my most consequential steps toward being an antiracist have been the moments when I arrived at basic definitions. To be an antiracist is to set lucid definitions of racism/antiracism, racist/antiracist policies, racist/antiracist ideas, racist/antiracist people. To be a racist is to constantly redefine racist in a way that exonerates one’s changing policies, ideas, and personhood.”
We invite you to visit the redesigned Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion page on the GUS website, to find our definitions of racism, antiracism, and white privilege, as well as resources for deepening your understanding of these concepts and engaging in conversation and action with your children. Though we realize that these can be heavy and upsetting topics to delve into, we hope that you will find strength, encouragement, and inspiration in the example being set by the GUS faculty. As Julie Wyman wrote in her October essay about antiracist math curricula, we must seek the truth by learning the reality of our country’s history of slavery and the origins of white privilege, and how the racism of slavery follows us into the present day. Looking ahead to Inauguration Day, we can find hope in the work described this fall by Jeffrey Bartsch and Chris Draper, of helping our students learn about “the superpower of democracy” - that they can use their voice and their vote to advocate for themselves and others, as “the will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government.” Bumping up against the challenge and discomfort that accompanies learning, we find encouragement from Bre Brandt in her essay about embracing discomfort, cultivating a growth mindset, and pushing back on perfectionism when discussing equality and justice with sixth grade students in Life Skills.
As we do every January, it is time to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and reflect on the power of his words and the example of his actions, in our country’s centuries-long struggle against racism. This year, I have found inspiration in Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s article, “The Purpose of Education,” published in the Morehouse College student newspaper in 1947, when he was just 18 years old. He writes,
“Education must enable one to sift and weigh evidence, to discern the true from the false, the real from the unreal, and the facts from the fiction. The function of education, therefore, is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically… We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education.”
It is in this spirit of seeking truth, thinking critically, and developing character - hallmarks of the progressive education movement that GUS is founded on - that we are excited to announce a community-wide 21-day racial equity habit building challenge. The racial equity challenge was developed by Eddie Moore, Jr., an education leader and diversity practitioner, with the goal of “creating effective social justice habits, particularly those dealing with issues of power, privilege, supremacy and leadership”. The challenge is simple: for 21 days, each day, you commit to doing one action to further your understanding of power, privilege, supremacy, oppression, and equity. If you would like to make this challenge even simpler, you can also sign up to do it through ProHabits, and get a daily text or email with the day’s suggested action.
So as we enter into this new year, let us engage in this challenge together, as adults and with our children and students, guided by the ideals of progressive education and the words of the GUS mission that have inspired our investment in this special community. Though I know that change can come at any time, I am hopeful that if we begin the year by engaging in this shared challenge, we may truly be able to Mean Well, Speak Well, and Do Better, in 2021.