Teaching Hard History It’S More Important Than Ever to Teach About American Slavery

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Teaching Hard History It’s more important than ever to teach about American slavery. Our new framework can show you how. FREE WHAT CAN THE NEW TOLERA NCE.ORG DO FOR YOU? LEARNING PLANS GRADES K-12

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DEPARTMENTS 5 Perspectives 7 Letters to the Editor 9 Ask Teaching Tolerance 11 Why I Teach 19 23 Fear is a reality for Anne Garcia’s students, many of whom come from families with mixed immigration status. But she’s not going to let it dampen her commitment to RESIST on their behalf. 13 Down the Hall Ron Stahley looks back on a career that took him— and his district—where the students needed to go. 15 PD Café 59 Staff Picks Our book and film reviews can help you keep your practice fresh and informed. 62 Story Corner 64 One World As we approach the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, we share his words to honor his legacy, celebrate his work and 38 47 recognize the work still ahead.

on the cover Teaching Hard History, a new project from Teaching Tolerance, offers robust resources for teaching about American slavery. Learn more about the texts and the framework, and hear from educators who are using inquiry and primary sources to teach students that the past is present.

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2 TEACHING TOLERANCE ALL ARTICLES ARE AVAILABLE FOR EDUCATIONAL USE AT TOLERANCE.ORG/MAGAZINE/ARCHIVE. Online Exclusive Get to know Charlottesville Principal Lisa Molinaro, and learn how she used culturally responsive practices to change the “single story” of her school. tolerance.org/molinaro

FEATURES 19 Liberated Roots School gardens can be powerful— and problematic. 23 Debunking the Mobility Myth 38 W e Were Ready The American Dream discriminates on Years of equity work sheltered 35 the basis of color. How do we explain Charlottesville’s students when hate came 23 that to African-American children? to their town. 27 S tates’ Rights and “Historical 43 Why Mendez Still Matters Malpractice” How much do you know about the other One teacher tackles stubborn school desegregation case? misconceptions about the cause of the Celebrate Maya Angelou! Civil War. 47 Maya Angelou would have been 90 years 30 Statistically Speaking old this April—which also happens to How many teachers are also bullies? be National Poetry Month. How will you More than you might think. celebrate her legacy with your students? 35 A Remote Control for Learning 50 T eaching Hard History Artist and educator Gene Luen Yang Four innovative educators discuss how explains how graphic novels give they teach our country’s painful past. Plus, students greater agency over their get a sneak preview of our new resources learning and their lives. for teaching about American slavery. 55 “I’v e never experienced white guilt.” A black teacher reflects on helping her white 47 55 students explore their racial identities.

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SPRING 2018 3 TEACHING TOLERANCE

DIRECTOR Maureen B. Costello DESIGN DIRECTOR Russell Estes DEPUTY DIRECTOR Adrienne van der Valk DEPUTY DESIGN DIRECTOR Valerie Downes TEACHING AND LEARNING MANAGER Hoyt J. Phillips III SENIOR DESIGNERS Michelle Leland, Scott Phillips DESIGNERS Shannon Anderson, Cierra Brinson, Sunny Paulk, Kristina Turner SENIOR EDITOR Monita K. Bell DESIGN ASSOCIATE Angela Greer SENIOR WRITER Cory Collins ASSOCIATE EDITOR Julia Delacroix NEW MEDIA ASSOCIATE Colin Campbell PRODUCTION TEACHING AND LEARNING SPECIALISTS Jarah Botello, Lauryn Mascareñaz ACCOUNTING OPERATIONS MANAGER Regina Jackson PROGRAM ASSOCIATE Gabriel A. Smith PURCHASING PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Kimberly Weaver

PROGRAM COORDINATOR Steffany Moyer CONTRIBUTORS TECHNICAL LEAD D. Scott McDaniel Carlos Basabe, Mitch Blunt, Jill De Haan, Anne Garcia, Peter and Maria Hoey, Darcy SCHOOL-BASED PROGRAMMING AND GRANTS MANAGER Jey Ehrenhalt Kiefel, Albert Law, Alexandra Melnick, Michael Marsicano, Alan McEvoy, Josh MARKETING COORDINATOR Lindsey Shelton Moon, Tyler Murphy, Alice Pettway, Jamilah Pitts, Robert Reece, Nip Rogers, Jeffrey ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Michelle Brunke Smith, Molly Smith, Laura Swoyer, Chris Thompkins, Jing Jing Tsong, Eva Vasquez, Michael Waraksa, Sam Ward, Sarah Webb, Loveis Wise, Gene Luen Yang ADVISORY BOARD Dale Allender, Lhisa Almashy, Julie Bradley, Hayley Breden, Kimberly Burkhalter, SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER Kevin Cordi, Kim Estelle, Carrie Gaffney, Soñia Galaviz, Barbie Garayúa-Tudryn, CO-FOUNDERS Morris Dees, Joseph J. Levin Jr. Angela Hartman, Gail Heath, Michelle Higgins, Amber Makaiau, Amy Melik, PRESIDENT & CEO J. Richard Cohen Veronica Menefee, Amber Neal, Sarah Neely, Lois Parker-Hennion, David Paschall, OUTREACH DIRECTOR Lecia Brooks Celeste Payne, Kinette Richards, Joe Schmidt, Kim Siar, Scott Thomas CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS & DEVELOPMENT OFFICER Wendy Via

SPLC BOARD OF DIRECTORS Karen Baynes-Dunning, Jocelyn Benson, Bryan Fair (Chair), Bennett Grau (Vice Chair), Pam Horowitz, Alan B. Howard, Marsha Levick, Will Little, Howard Mandell, James McElroy, Lida Orzeck, Elden Rosenthal, James Rucker, Henry L. Solano, Ellen Sudow, Joseph J. Levin Jr. (Emeritus)

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E H Printed with inks containing 27.3% renewable resources L I S B M A L A C G Y A C ZI RE NE IS 100% Perspectives “Fellow citizens, we cannot escape history.” — Abraham Lincoln Annual Message to Congress, December 1862

THIS ISSUE OF Teaching Tolerance addresses believed that their race afforded them lit- some of the ways we teach—and sometimes tle or no advantage? Or that an NPR poll mis-teach—United States history. We’re wrap- reported that, in the United States today, ping up our Spring issue at the end of a year 55 percent of white people believe they during which current events, from demands to are victims of racial discrimination? remove Confederate statues to white suprema- The only way to explain it is that too cist marches replete with Nazi flags, have taken many of us are comfortable with a his- history out of the textbooks and put it into the tory that tells us that past injustices have news. And this issue comes out at the beginning been corrected. It’s certainly easier this way; if we’re not encumbered with the of a new year in which Teaching Tolerance for this clearly inhumane institution. responsibility of seeing injustice, then launches a campaign to change the way Even after slavery was formally abol- we’re not encumbered with the respon- we teach about our racial past: Teaching ished, this ideology lived on through sibility to do anything about it. Hard History. The first phase of the cam- Jim Crow laws, lynching and, later, Learning history can correct false paign will focus on American slavery. the War on Drugs. And while the civil narratives and lead us to make bet- With Teaching Hard History, we’re rights movement disrupted some of ter choices. Understanding how slav- calling on American educators, cur- these more modern forms of racial con- ery operated, how much of our nation’s riculum writers and policy makers to trol, the legacy of disparate outcomes foundation was built by black labor, and confront the fact that slavery and racial has continued in the 50 years since the how racial myths have been bred into injustice are not only a foundational assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. the bones of American life may be the part of the nation’s past, but a continu- That’s 400 years of history bearing only way we can ever reconcile with— ing influence on the present. down on the present. and triumph—over the past. Sam Cooke told the truth in his 1960 Yet we live with narratives created We invite you to join with us in hit song, “Wonderful World”: We don’t by those mainly white Americans who Teaching Hard History and to become know much about history. And we’re benefitted from social constructions of part of the journey. paying for it. race and racism, rationalized their priv- —Maureen Costello In the words of Professor Hasan ileges and cast them as earned. Jeffries, chair of the Teaching Hard How else do we explain the existence History advisory board, “Slavery isn’t of Confederate monuments and place the original sin of America; it’s the ori- names across the nation? The South didn’t gin.” For 150 years slavery provided the win the Civil War, but Southern apolo- labor that built colonial America; it per- gists wrote the history that allowed these sisted for nearly another 100 years after monuments to be raised. Today, teachers the Declaration of Independence pro- tell us that students in the most unlikely claimed that “all men are created equal” states, from New York to Iowa and Idaho, and “endowed by their Creator with embrace the Confederate battle flag as a certain inalienable Rights …” Racist symbol of their own independent spirit. doctrines and white supremacist ide- How else do we explain why, in 2017 ology developed to provide a rationale (according to Pew), most white people

@Tolerance_org teachingtolerance.org SPRING 2018 5 2 SPLC ON CAMPUS REGISTER YOUR CLUB TODAY!

FIGHT HATE AND PROTECT FREE SPEECH Check out the SPLC’s program for college students! Developed to empower student activists, SPLC on Campus provides free resources and support to club members. Do you attend college or work with college students? Start a club today and advocate for the social justice issues you care about! Order our new guide to the “alt-right”! For more #WhatDemocracyLooksLike information, visit SPLCONCAMPUS.ORG TEACHING TOLERANCE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 7 ASK TEACHING TOLERANCE 9 ARTICLE SPOTLIGHT 10 & 12 WHY I TEACH 11 DOWN THE HALL 13 LESSONS LEARNED 14 FREE STUFF 14

Reader Reactions When kneeling during the national anthem re-entered the spotlight last fall, we wanted to be sure educators were prepared for the inevitable classroom talks. Read our #TakeAKnee blog at t-t.site/takeaknee-blog.

#taketheknee is the kind of silent, non-violent protest the likes of which we haven’t seen since the first half of the 1960s, and I welcome and respect it. This is part of the history that should be in the curriculum. Deb Hartogensis Godden VIA FACEBOOK

We teachers must have these discussions in our classrooms. All of us need information, time and reflection to figure out what we believe to be true about life. In our world of tweets and interpretive news, we often form opinions without much thought. Our young people need to learn and practice critical thinking skills. Pat Ramsey PHOTOGRAPH BY AP PHOTO/ADRIAN KRAUS VIA FACEBOOK

Our latest magazine issue, SHINY NEW SITE A USEFUL TOOL EDITOR’S NOTE new website launch and The new website looks fan- From a teacher perspective, Have you tried our Build social media news stories tastic! Thank you and your it can be so overwhelm- a Learning Plan feature? inspired a lot of dialogue team for all the excellent ing trying to find articles Visit tolerance.org and start with our community. Keep work that went into this. and activities that align building your own plan by the feedback coming! There are many wonder- with standards, address selecting the blue button on ful, important and helpful real world issues and work any page or the red Teach resources here for educa- appropriately with the lon- This button on any article. tors, and we plan on using ger text we are reading. The many of them. “build a learning plan” fea- LACKING BALANCE —Alexander Wyeth, ture just eliminated all of [On “What Is the ‘Alt- VIA EMAIL that stress and pressure. Right’?”] It is important for —Olivia Tasch, students to be able to dis- VIA EMAIL cern hate from unpopu- lar or politically incorrect

@Tolerance_org teachingtolerance.org SPRING 2018 7 opinions, and what was AN INCOMPLETE STORY I cried and cried. No one noticeably lacking in the I’m typically very support- has ever recognized what article was any mention of ive of the articles posted by I do and feel every day. … left-wing hate. Extremist Teaching Tolerance. In this I’ve supported SPLC for Burrow Bunch groups exist along the polit- case, I’m a bit disheartened years and years in my small I train ECE and K–12 ical spectrum, includ- by this celebratory article way and used Teaching future teachers. ing radical identity polit- that addresses the history Tolerance in my teaching Teaching Tolerance ical advocates. Teaching with immigrant is a great tool that my Tolerance would garner children. This students love because more credibility if it even little story gives of the diverse per- attempted to present a bal- me yet another spectives offered by anced perspective. powerful rea- people or educators —Gary Court, son to continue in the field. To know VIA EMAIL my support. the law is import- —Anonymous, ant, but to know the MAKING HISTORY VIA EMAIL rights of our children MODERN is empowering. There [I] showed The Children’s “WE ARE ALL are lesson plans for March DVD to my 8th grad- TEACHERS all grade levels and ers today (third year in a AND the magazine brings row teaching this topic), STUDENTS” current issues that and the students are com- I believe we are are very useful in our pletely enthralled. In the all teachers and weekly discussions past, I haven’t used some students at one and dialogues. of the resources that allow time or another. VIA FACEBOOK modern tie-ins because I It’s become too felt as though there was easy to assume nothing significant to of women’s suffrage and the we cannot create change TELL US WHAT which my students could “victory” gained through as this destruction of our YOU THINK! relate, but in 2017, I am the ratification of the 19th society rages. Facebook, Have an opinion about grateful for the opportunity Amendment. … In some Twitter, Snapchat, all something you see in to try them out! Southern states, women of other forms of social media Teaching Tolerance mag- —Gina StMaur Foody, color were unable to freely have given rise to cow- azine or on our website? VIA FACEBOOK exercise their right to vote ards who spew hatred Email us at editor@tol- up until the 1960s. Not a without a second thought erance.org with the sub- EDITOR’S NOTE victory! Simply a step in the to the consequences. … I ject line “Letter to the Mighty Times: The right direction. appreciate your voice for Editor.” Or mail a letter Children’s March and all of —Shajaira P. Lopez, enlightenment. to 400 Washington Ave., our other film kits are always VIA FACEBOOK —Jaime Rubenstein, Montgomery, AL 36104. free for educators! You can VIA EMAIL order films and accompany- A RELATABLE STORY ing guides at t-t.site/film-kits. I read Alice Pettway’s “Washed Away” (on OCD) in the Fall 2017 Teaching Tolerance magazine, and DID YOU KNOW? STELLAR DID YOU KNOW? TWEET

Sheila Soule @HUUSD_Learns A study of a high school gardening program in upstate A reminder that in these trying times New York found that students were more likely @Tolerance_org offers great resources to pro- to select salad greens for lunch if they grew the mote appreciation of diversity in schools. #hope vegetables themselves. —Acta Paediatrica: Nurturing the Child, May 7, 2017

8 TEACHING TOLERANCE Ask Teaching Tolerance part of the transatlantic slave trade or for another reason? Broaden the assignment for the whole class rather than singling out specific students. The instructions can simply be to research a culture or community of interest. That interest can be based upon many factors, which may or may not include an ancestral connection. If students need guidance to get started, meet with them privately to generate ideas. Some ideas might be to research the frequency and popularity of certain names in a student’s community or to look at As a white male teacher, how do I have any demographic changes credibility at all talking about race to my students over time in a neighbor- Q: hood. Stay focused on the who, because of their race and gender, grow up with an overall goal: allowing students to select a topic that American experience very different from mine? is relevant to them so they become invested in the research. The first step is acknowl- How do you teach students (t-t.site/speakupatschool) edging your own posi- to engage with people who and Let’s Talk! Discussing tion and privileges when shroud hateful opinions Race, Racism and Other ASK TEACHING TOLERANCE! addressing and discussing behind “We have to respect Difficult Topics With Need the kind of advice race. By letting your stu- each other’s ideas, so you Students (t-t.site/ttletstalk) and expertise only Teaching dents know that you are have to respect mine”? for more ideas on how to Tolerance can provide? Email cognizant of your iden- Creating a strong classroom structure difficult conver- us at [email protected] with tity, you also give them per- culture is essential. When sations and handle differing “Ask TT” in the subject line. mission to embrace their solid community norms are opinions. own. Start conversations in place, comments that vio- with “As a white male who late a common value, such I’m a math teacher. In the DID YOU KNOW? benefits from...” or some- as “No hate speech,” can be past, I’ve done a project in DID YOU KNOW? thing similar. Show that addressed by the class as a which students learn about School gardens are most you honor their lives and whole. Further, approach their culture of origin from common at public elemen- experiences through your the idea of respect itself by a mathematical perspec- choices in classroom decor, having students analyze tive. How can I modify this tary schools in the West, texts and family/commu- questions like these: What project to be more sensi- particularly urban schools nity inclusion. Allow time do we mean by respect? Are tive to students who may and those with student to listen to them, and be there any situations when not know what country or populations of more open about your learning it’s not a good idea to respect region they are from, either than 450. journey regarding their cul- someone’s ideas? Look to because they are adopted, —Bridging the Gap ture, race and gender. resources like Speak Up because their ancestors at School came to this country as

ILLUSTRATION BY MITCH BLUNT SPRING 2018 9 ARTICLE SPOTLIGHT

Check out some of our most talked-about posts. Go to tolerance.org and search for these headlines: q

Ally or Accomplice? BY COLLEEN CLEMENS

We Need the Lessons of Reconstruction ARTICLE 7.18.17 // GENDER & SEXUAL IDENTITY, BULLYING & BIAS BY RIC DORINGO q Why Heteronormativity Is Harmful A Culture of Care BY SAMANTHA BY CHRIS TOMPKINS SCHOELLER

Not everyone is straight or cisgender. Yet we live in a heteronormative world, and many stu- q dents spend their days in classrooms that are extensions of the world outside them. Through Beyond the everything from pop culture to K–12 materials, the messages children receive inside and out- Privilege Walk side the classroom often put forth a heteronormative worldview. BY JEY EHRENHALT Just the other week, I was at the grocery store with my 8-year-old nephew. We were wait- ing in the checkout line, and a woman at the register complimented his brown eyes and long eyelashes. She told him, “You’re gonna be trouble for the ladies. I’m sure all the girls have a crush on you.” It’s a seemingly harmless and sweet comment, but if you scratch beneath the DID YOU KNOW? surface, the message is harmful. DID YOU KNOW? As my nephew and I left the store, I thought about how, when I was 8 years old and knew I Though National Po- was gay, comments like hers were part of the reason I hid in the closet. How did she know my etry Month launched nephew wasn’t gay? in 1996, one of its key initiatives, Poem in Your Pocket Day, didn’t begin until And a reader replied… 2002. Now, schools I made some mistakes my first year but quickly learned. … I not only no lon- across the United ger make those assumptions but make a conscious effort to weave in inclu- States and Canada sive texts and conversations. participate in Poem in Your Pocket Day. READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE: —The Academy of American Poets t-t.site/heteronormativity

10 TEACHING TOLERANCE ILLUSTRATION BY EVA VASQUEZ Why I Teach Anne Garcia teaches fifth grade at Columbine Elementary School in Boulder, Colorado.

Raids

I hear whispers in the back: “La migra “No one is coming to get anyone homes and rip families apart, detain- viene.” ICE is coming. here.” I react more strongly than I ing the parents and leaving kids in the I wind my way through the tables probably should. house alone. It’s hard to fathom, but it and chairs to find a large group of “They are doing it, maestra. They isn’t anything new. my students huddled in the are taking our parents and brothers So now, with a changing of the classroom library. and sisters.” guard and its aggressive rhetoric, “We can’t come to school tomor- A little perspective: I’ve worked in there is fear. row,” one little girl murmurs to the same school for 17 years, and I’ve Maria starts to cry. Her dad was the group. seen the changes in our immigrant deported four years ago, so now she “What are you talking about?” I population. When I started, almost all just has her mom. She visits him every ask, standing behind them. of my students were undocumented. summer, but her parents have decided “Maestra, la migra is coming to school Now I have the younger siblings of it’s best for the girls to stay in the tomorrow to round everyone up.” these former students. Almost all of United States. “Where did you hear that?” them were born here. The caveat is “What if they get my mom, maes- “It’s all over the news, maestra. Mi that now there are families with half tra? I’m scared.” mamá doesn’t want me to come. undocumented members and half “They can’t come to school,” I reas- She’s scared.” citizens. We have seen ICE go into sure her, thinking, Over my dead body

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 DARCY KIEFEL SPRING 2018 11 will an immigration officer drag any ARTICLE 8.16.17 // RACE & ETHNICITY, RIGHTS & ACTIVISM child from my classroom. RESIST. “It’s not that, but if I leave her alone tomorrow, they might take her,” Why I Will Not Be Teaching Maria explains. “You won’t let them take us from About Charlottesville here?” Pedro asks. BY JAMILAH PITTS “No, I won’t,” I state, as if it is a certainty. “And, Maria, I will help you if I sat with myself and remembered why I do this work. It is not something happens to your mom.” because I love the long hours or the emotional grappling I have to I go on to tell them I’m going to do with students to get them to focus on the material when their give them all my phone number. lives are falling apart outside of my classroom. And it is not entirely They should call me any time of day if something happens. I will go get them the realization that the events in Charlottesville and the emo- if I have to. It’s the only thing I can tional breakdowns of my students are linked; the type of oppression think of to calm them down, and the on public display there is the same type of systemic pressure that truth is, I will. I will get up in the mid- causes students to enter my classroom so heavily burdened, though dle of the night and pick them up, but they may not be able to name it. then what? I am in this work because I am a teacher. I RESIST. reminded myself that the manifestations of hate Their hearts are full of anxiety, and like those we saw in Charlottesville—and those we they feel like outsiders. My students, continue to see in the workplace, in the media, and who were born here and are being in our own (increasingly gentrified) communities— raised here, who speak two languages perfectly and contribute to the daily are really social illnesses. So I remember that I life of our school, feel like they don’t choose to view my work as art, as a form of healing. belong. I can’t have this, but what do I do? After a little bit of investigating, we learn there is a protest. It’s not an ICE And a reader replied… raid, but there is so much misinfor- I agree 100% with this teacher. The racial mix in my school is different mation that families are anxious. than in hers, but I strongly feel a responsibility to not re-victimize chil- The next day, only four of my dren of color every time there is a deeply painful incident. Children are Hispanic students make it to already hurting and I too try to structure my response in a way that is school; 14 kids out of 28 are present. empowering and healing. Everyone is feeling uncomfortable. The other children ask what is going READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE on. We tell them about the protest, t-t.site/not-charlottesville why their peers are not here. They look at me with misunderstanding in their eyes. This is how prejudice and racism are fought, I think to myself. Letting DID YOU KNOW? them see how it affects their friends. DID YOU KNOW? I feel sad inside, but I also try to Ninety percent of highly segregated From childhood to adulthood, find hope. Hope that these children schools are in areas of concentrated seven out of 10 middle-class black will stand up for each other, for their poverty with high levels of student Americans will experience down- families and for our nation. turnover and less qualified teachers. ward social mobility.

—The National Council of La Raza —The Brookings Institution

12 TEACHING TOLERANCE Down the Hall Every Student, Every Day

Equity and relationships are at the heart of every leadership decision Ron Stahley makes. Looking back over a long career in education, Stahley can trace a clear line from support programs he benefited from as a child, to the strong relationships he built as a teacher and student council adviser, to his student-centered priorities as a principal, to his school-climate focus as a superintendent. One of the most visible examples of Stahley’s commitment to equity is his role in Brattleboro, Vermont’s Community Equity Collaborative. After a hate incident shook a local high school back in 2008, Stahley joined town officials, community members, law enforcement and clergy to respond to the incident with public statements, town forums and a community-wide conference based on the Ron Stahley, the 2012 Vermont Superintendent of theme of “envisioning a community the Year, recently retired from the Brattleboro School free of prejudice and discrimination.” District after working in education for 42 years. Over the last 10 years, under Stahley’s leadership, the Collaborative has gone on to establish comprehensive programming designed to “galvanize the community,” including middle school leadership trainings, yearly school I also had some principals who were challenges your district faced relat- climate surveys, student-led school not. And I felt like I wanted to support ing to bias or discrimination? leadership teams, collegiate high my colleagues. I held people account- Our high school principal encouraged school courses that emphasize social able, but I believe developing rela- me to work with him to change the competencies, and community diver- tionships is really important. school’s mascot. Brattleboro Union sity celebrations. As a principal and superintendent, High School is known as the Colonels I always thought about how my deci- and they had this image that really How did your experience as a teacher sions as a leader would impact our looked like a [Confederate] colonel. A inform your work as a district leader? teachers and students. So, I believe young black girl had come to him with I think it’s invaluable as an adminis- I’m student-centered, I think, because her student ID. It had her picture on trator that you have a teaching back- I enjoyed teaching so much. it and the image of the Southern colo- ground. I think a lot of my decisions nel. She stated, “I just don’t feel com- came from being a teacher, knowing Can you describe your collaborative fortable with this.” He replied, “Yeah, I had very supportive principals, but approach in dealing with some of the I don’t either.”

PHOTOGRAPHY BY LAURA SWOYER SPRING 2018 13 first Bell

We worked to change that over What strategies do you use to keep Lessons Learned a two-year process that ultimately the school system focused on the Our classroom resources went really well. We had a lot of infor- needs of all students? align with the four domains of mation sessions with student and I went to a conference a couple years the Social Justice Standards: teacher input. We just kept bringing ago, and I heard this person use this Identity, Diversity, Justice and it back to the students, how they felt. quote, “Every student. Every day.” Action. Find these lessons at We changed it, and it was the right And that really struck me. That’s kind tolerance.org/frameworks/ thing to do. of the theme that we think about. digital-literacy. We had follow-up discussions and Every student. Every day. That it’s not Advertisements and forums on race, discrimination and about the school system. It’s not about You—Diversity equity issues with a broad range of me. It’s not about the superintendent. (Grades K–2) community participants. That laid It’s about every kid. This lesson shows children the foundation for the Community some of the kinds of adver- Equity Collaborative. What suggestions do you have for tisements they might run into other school leaders about how to online and helps them analyze Members of your staff describe you sustain diversity and equity initia- these ads with a critical eye. as an “active bystander.” What does tives over time? Evaluating Reliable that mean? It’s got to be part of your core val- Sources—Identity It’s part of our climate survey: “I ues. Get people in your district (Grades 3–5) know what it means to be an active who can help work with you. We do Use this lesson to address bystander.” “I know what to do to what we call Professional Learning the importance of locating stop people from hurting others.” Communities (PLCs). We have a and verifying reliable sources “I know how to help students who Diversity/Equity Committee with when working with online are targeted.” So that’s part of our representatives from all schools. We information. training. We talk about the word work to incorporate those discussions Digital Activism bystander, what would a bystander into our staff meetings. We have com- Remixed—Justice be, and kids will define it as some- munity forums to support this work. (Grades 6–8) body kind of watching what’s happen- So, in terms of other administra- Students analyze the purposes ing. And we talk about what would be tors, I think you just have to believe and themes behind hashtag cam- an active bystander and what are the in it and then think about resources paigns and consider their roles as strategies as a student that you can that you can use to support the way to creators and consumers. take that wouldn’t endanger your- do it. You just have to believe that this self. We just focus on what students is important. And the concept of the Digital Tools as a Mechanism can do. And I always felt from student school culture and climate being so for Active Citizenship—Action council work, it’s really the students important—not the standardized test (Grades 9–12) that make up what the school is like, results—as the end-all, be-all. By breaking down strengths and weaknesses, students explore the as opposed to the teachers and the Make a safe school and kids will ways in which digital tools can principal. And that gives the students thrive. advance active citizenship. quite a bit of power.

A project of the University The Global Oneness Google’s Latino Cultures Words Without Borders of Michigan Law Project highlights the in the U.S. showcases the Campus, the education FREE STUFF! School, the Civil Rights power of stories to explore influence of Latino fig- offshoot of the interna- Litigation Clearinghouse social, environmental ures through art archives, tional literary magazine These web resources offer Schoolhouse turns legal and cultural issues with a biographies, exclusive edi- Words Without Borders, diversity-rich information cases into classroom robust collection of films, torial features and other offers a searchable library and materials for educators. resources that make con- articles and photo essays resources from universi- of global writing and ideas stitutional law and civil that come with curricular ties, museums and cultural for bringing the literature rights litigation meaningful materials for teachers. institutions. into classrooms. for grades 8 and up. globalonenessproject.org g.co/uslatinocultures wwb-campus.org clearinghouse.net/ schoolhouse.php

14 TEACHING TOLERANCE PD CAFÉ OFFERS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES PD CAFÉ TO COMPLETE ALONE OR WITH COLLEAGUES.

How to Be an Ally Ally (noun) someone who stands with Being an effective ally requires significant self-reflection and a strong sense of self-iden- or advocates for individuals and tity. Any educator can become an ally, but the journey might look different depending on groups other than their own one’s identity, experience and familiarity with issues of power and privilege.

ILLUSTRATION BY PETER AND MARIA HOEY SPRING 2018 15 PD CAFÉ

Identity Mapping

Step 1 of this group mem- ability, race, gender, sexual orienta- To start, create your bership? Note: tion or other identifiers. Remember own identity map. For some group that people are complex and unique. List your iden- memberships, Someone who is gender nonconform- tity group mem- you can expe- ing or multiracial, for example, may berships, which rience both fall in between or completely outside may include gen- privilege and of those categories.” After they map der, ethnicity, race, disadvantage. out their group memberships, ask stu- familial roles, profes- Which of these dents to identify which characteristics sional roles and religious memberships are visible, are most fundamental to who they are. affiliations. Keep in mind that these and which are invisible? identity group memberships are com- Which of these memberships are Step 4 plex and should not be considered in most fundamental to who I am? Consider your own identity as well as a strictly binary fashion (e.g., black or your students’ identities. Ask yourself: white, male or female, gay or straight). Step 3 Are my students privileged or disad- Thinking of identity as either/or is Now that you have created your own vantaged because of their group mem- limiting and can be harmful to indi- identity map, have your stu- berships? Or both? viduals whose identities fall between dents map their identi- Am I acknowledg- or outside of these binaries. ties. Encourage them ing both the visible to be as descriptive Privilege and invisible group Step 2 and nonbinary as (noun) a special benefit memberships of my Consider each identity group you possible. For exam- or advantage that may students? are a part of and ask yourself these ple, you might say, be earned or unearned Am I valuing the questions: “Think about the Note: A person may or may not social groups my stu- Have I experienced privilege identity groups you be aware that they are bene- dents value or just the because of this group membership? belong to. Groups fiting from privilege! ones that are import- Have I been disadvantaged because can include nationality, ant to me?

Want to learn more? Check out these resources! Anatomy of an Ally t-t.site/anatomy-ally Ally Yourself With SOCIAL JUSTICE ALLIES LGBT Students t-t.site/ally-yourself “Members of dominant social groups* who are working to end systems of oppression Why Talk About Whiteness? that give them greater privilege and power based on social group membership.” t-t.site/talk-whiteness *dominant social groups can change depending on context. How to Be an Ally in the Classroom —Broido, E.M. (2000). The development of social allies during college: A phenomenological investigation. t-t.site/ally-webinar Journal of College Student Development, 41, 3-17.

16 TEACHING TOLERANCE Decentralizing and Distributing Dominant Identities

If not acknowledged, dominant identities like whiteness and heterosexuality can overshadow other identities in the classroom and automatically represent “the norm.” There are three distinct ways educators can deal with dominant identities in the classroom. Identity (noun) the qualities, Centralize Ignore the fact that certain traits (e.g., whiteness and heterosexuality) are dom- characteristics or inant and fail to acknowledge those traits, leaving them centralized. beliefs that make a Decentralize Acknowledge that each student is unique, but view students through the lens person who they are of socially dominant groups or your own values. Distribute Allow equal space for all identities and encourage students to tell you which core identities are most valuable to them.

Read the following scenarios, and identify whether the educator Scenario has centralized, decentralized or distributed dominant identities Students walk into class on the first day, and the room is not in the classroom. decorated. The teacher circles everyone up and leads a few icebreakers and group-building activities. Then the teacher Scenario presents her own identity map as a way to introduce the Students walk into class on the first day, and the room is activity for the students. The teacher says they will work almost completely decorated. Students fill out a short sur- on these over the course of the next week, and students will vey answering questions about themselves, their likes and share their maps as they feel comfortable. At the end of the their dislikes. The teacher notes that there is space for one week, students will decorate the classroom to reflect the or two more posters on a wall based on the interests and pas- identities and interests within their new class community. sions of the class. After reading the surveys, the teacher will The room’s decorations will guide class discussions and read- decide what to put up. When students arrive the next day, ing selections for the year. they see two posters reflecting some of the students’ inter- A. Centralized ests. The same applies for the classroom library. The teacher B. Decentralized has selected and organized books into many different genres, C. Distributed but there is limited room for the library to grow based on students’ input or recommendations. A. Centralized B. Decentralized Allyship in Action C. Distributed Adapting curriculum to reflect student interests and identities can be time consuming and, if your curriculum is Scenario scripted, may feel impossible. Try looking for ways to high- Students walk into class on the first day and notice that light and elevate diverse perspectives in the curriculum you almost all the people depicted in the room are famous peo- are required to teach. Teach about a minor character, dis- ple from dominant groups—male, white and straight. The cuss the absence of certain voices in the text or bring in an teacher gives out an assigned reading list that offers no room analysis of the text from a different point of view. You might for deviation. also give students opportunities to analyze texts from the A. Centralized perspectives of their own identity group memberships. B. Decentralized C. Distributed

Answers: B, A, C C A, B, Answers: SPRING 2018 17 You can’t tell the story of the United States without talking about lynching.

RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 9–12 AN OUTRAGE A FILM BY HANNAH AYERS AND LANCE WARREN

For decades following the Civil War, racial VIEWER’S GUIDE NOW AVAILABLE terror reigned over the United States, Download the accompanying viewer’s claiming thousands of black lives. Lynching— guide for activities and lessons that support an extralegal system of social control—left teaching about this difficult subject matter. in its wake a pain that still lingers. Help your students understand how this terrible OUR 33-MINUTE DOCUMENTARY, AN OUTRAGE, IS AVAILABLE TO SCHOOLS EXCLUSIVELY legacy affects individuals, communities and THROUGH TEACHING TOLERANCE. institutions today.

AVAILABLE FOR STREAMING ONLY AT TOLERANCE.ORG/OUTRAGE School and community gardens can be emancipatory spaces—if they’re built around culturally responsive practices. Get to know three gardening activists who have learned to ask the right questions—and listen to the answers.

BY JEY EHRENHALT ILLUSTRATION BY JILL DE HAAN

“MENTION FOOD AND SOCIAL JUSTICE NOW, and you’re in the they’ve grown in a school garden and then share their experi- in-crowd.” This is how Karen Washington, urban farmer and ence at home by requesting certain vegetables at meal time, community activist, characterizes the school garden move- they nurture a healthy curiosity about nutrition and food pol- ment. “It’s the hip thing to do now,” she says. itics that may increase their food sovereignty significantly.” The statistics support Washington’s view. The num- As the popularity of the school garden movement surges, ber of school garden programs in the United States dou- however, some educators and community stakeholders have bled between 2007 and 2013, according to research by the experienced pitfalls. Many short-term staff enter communi- Bridging the Gap program—and numerous school-aged ties with which they are unfamiliar, fulfill their requirements youth have purportedly benefitted. In her article “Serving to kick-start a school garden, and move away. Washington Up Food Justice At School,” school garden advocate Michele labels this phenomenon, common in many school interven- Israel traces a virtuous circle: “When students eat vegetables tion projects, as “parachuting.”

SPRING 2018 19 Programs not based in the before planning even begins. She and her communities they serve may students conducted community surveys also inadvertently trigger stu- in four languages about which vegeta- dents of color—for example, bles local families wanted to see at the when workers don’t take the Green Team’s mobile farmers’ markets. time to investigate a potentially They then created their crop plan based complicated relationship with on the community’s responses. agriculture. In Grace Bello’s Bloomer also recommends finding article in The Atlantic, “Farm- the experts living in the community to-Table in Communities of and partnering with them. After cre- Color,” D.C. farmer and food ating the crop plan, she and the Green activist Natasha Bowens Team identified three mentor farmers reports that some immigrant in Somerville: one from Bangladesh, youth say, “Why would I go back one from Brazil and one from Haiti. to the farm that my immigrant These mentors taught workshops on parents worked so hard to get how to grow specific vegetables like cal- us off of?” In this way, Bowens laloo, the edible leafy greens from ama- says, the movement can feel like ranth plants popular in Caribbean cui- a step backward. sine. The team also incorporated jiló, a For African-American youth type of eggplant popular in Brazil, into in particular, agriculture may the crop plan. The three mentor farm- call to mind a troubled histor- ers spoke with the youth about why ical memory of enslavement FOR JESS BLOOMER, deputy director of these crops were valuable. and racialized oppression. Groundwork Somerville, listening is a Bloomer thinks about food as a At an Edible Schoolyard site, core tenet of her anti-bias garden pro- health benefit that goes beyond scien- for instance, educator Claire gramming. Bloomer runs the program’s tific nutrient value and fat content; it’s Stanford overheard a student Green Team, a youth employment pro- also a way people show they care about remark, “This is some slav- gram focusing on urban agriculture, each other, tell stories, and find iden- ery sh-t.” When Bowens spoke environmental justice, civic engage- tity and connection. When she served with young people of color ment and job skills. As a white-identi- as the program director and garden about farming and food sover- fied, middle-class woman, she cites the educator with Edible Schoolyard in eignty, one youth responded, danger of falling into a “charity work” New Orleans, for example, her team “Why would I want to go back trap with her students. “To think that designated part of the garden space to picking cotton?” school garden programs are just about for the community to heal itself after Without adequate equity nutrition education is to fall into the Hurricane Katrina. Here, kids could training, school garden pro- ‘savior’ dynamic and miss a wealth of engage therapeutically with nature, grams may be ineffective at best opportunities,” Bloomer says. curiosity and beauty. or, at worst, unintentionally Bloomer warns white school gar- Following the success of Edible reinforce structural inequity deners to beware of the phenomenon Schoolyard’s healing space, they decided and systemic racism. But when that environmental sociology profes- to designate one of the gardens for hold- educational gardens directly sor Julie Guthman labels “universal- ing restorative justice circles—struc- address (rather than sidestep) ism”: the assumption that values held tured mediations to address interper- issues of race and class, they primarily by members of largely white sonal conflict and build community. can become a platform for part- communities are “normal” and widely Bloomer says these gardens functioned nership, healing and mean- shared. Bloomer steers clear of the false as building blocks for discussing power ingful action. The following assumption that her racial and socio- and how our decisions impact all liv- three profiles feature cultur- economic privilege afford her authority ing beings—whether we know it or not. ally responsive school garden- on any issue. Instead, she shifts the par- “Before talking about academic inte- ers who model these strengths. adigm of her work toward one of part- gration and nutrition, we asked, ‘How nership and cultural humility. can this be a place for social emotional To enact this equity mindset, learning and support, for forging healthy Bloomer suggests doing some research community bonds?’” she explains.

20 TEACHING TOLERANCE SHORLETTE AMMONS, equity in food the garden again, and it was very free- systems associate with the Center for ing,” she remembers. “That is what sov- Environmental Farming Systems at ereignty feels like.” North Carolina State University, gar- While working as a children’s librar- dens to heal and reclaim her agrarian ian and garden coordinator, Ammons African-American identity. “Young and a group of dedicated individuals people of color, especially black youth, built a garden to reflect every ethnic- sometimes get stuck relating to the ity represented in their county. After slave labor experience and they don’t researching 33 different ethnicities in want to go back to it,” she says. “I want Wayne County, they interviewed com- to put a different lens on the experi- munity members about foods popular ence. Agriculture is an innate part of in their home cultures. They built gar- UNPACKING who I am, and having the opportunity dens with “funky geometrical designs,” “PARACHUTES” to do it differently is really important.” dedicating each bed to a particular racial Parachuting perpetuates two Ammons recalls growing up working or ethnic group’s food culture. “Its pur- major myths of white suprem- for a white farmer with her entire fam- pose wasn’t just about food,” Ammons acy. First, it bolsters the prob- ily. “It was a lineage thing,” she says. “It recalls. “It was about using food as a tool lematic mentality that white was me and my twin sister and my cous- to rebuild an inclusive narrative and people are called upon to ins and my aunts and uncles. We were reclaim public space.” “save” underserved neighbor- committed to the family every sum- Additionally, Ammons sees garden- hoods of color. While individ- mer, this white farm-working family ing as a ritual for healing the relation- ual actors often possess good that was only slightly better off than we ship between people of color and the intentions, entrenched struc- were. The relationship to land and the land. She cites the work of Ruby Sales, tural racism means that these agrarian spirit was muddy for us in a civil rights icon and spiritual activist, as intentions can be tainted by way that it may not have been for them, influential to her agricultural philoso- this “savior” mindset. The but it was a shared experience that was phy. “Children aren’t born biased,” she result? White-led organiza- a part of both of our heritages.” asserts, referencing Sales’ work. “It’s tions try to “fix” communities Alongside many other local orga- rituals that indoctrinate them. We without consulting its mem- nizations and volunteers, Ammons can offer different rituals that support bers about their needs or rec- recasts that experience in the light of their being anti-racist, their awareness ognizing the expertise of the self-determination. “I found home in of what an inclusive society looks like.” people closest to the issues. Second, “parachuting” relies on white supremacist ideology similar to Manifest Destiny: the notion that whites not only can, but are des- tined to, explore and settle any region of their choosing. White privilege, in other words, comes with a sense of entitle- ment to enter into any culture that, to the “explorer,” is not native, and then leave again as they see fit. Karen Washington notes how this phenomenon is similar to colonization, exploiting people and land for profit. “That’s using people for something under the auspices of social justice,” she says.

SPRING 2018 21 City Garden also designed its own Racial Equity Impact Assessment or REIA. A REIA systematically examines how different racial and ethnic groups will likely be affected by a pro- posed action or decision. The assessment uses quantitative and qualitative questions to ensure that the school’s culture, processes and procedures— including the school garden program— match its commitment to anti-racism. For the school’s Garden Night, for example, the outdoor coordinator and the volunteer coordinator referred to the REIA to ask questions such as “What is the content of this program? What is the purpose? How does this event relate to our mission? Who’s involved in the decision making? Were students of color invited to make decisions about this program?” The REIA aggregates the data and assesses it according to a set of equity standards. FAYBRA HEMPHILL, director of racial and nurture human potential, students “If the findings show that the pro- equity, curriculum and training at City must experience the outdoors in a safe gram doesn’t relate to our mission Garden Montessori School, sees her and meaningful way. To effectively and commitment to racial justice, position as a call to action. assemble these pieces, students learn then maybe we shouldn’t have it,” At City Garden, staff members how to garden and grow their own food. Hemphill says. “We don’t need more incorporate the four core goals of anti- City Garden regularly recalibrates programs and events just to have bias education—developing identity, its evolving equity lens by participat- them. Everything that we have should appreciating diversity, recognizing ing in regional caucuses, attending be grounded in our commitment as a injustice and taking action—into all of multi-day anti-racism trainings, and neighborhood school with an anti-rac- their professional development. Each hosting an intergroup dialogue series ist, anti-bias focus.” teacher is asked to apply a racial equity called Colorbrave. Each meeting in the Hemphill emphasizes that people lens to every decision and action made Colorbrave series explores one manifes- have to be trained to use an anti-bias for the school community. tation of systemic racism, including envi- lens in order to make informed deci- The school curriculum combines ronmental racism. In its last session, the sions that will affect entire popula- these goals with the Montessori the- group discussed food access, food deserts tions of people. “You have to make sure ory of development, which emphasizes and the ways in which spending time you’re connecting with the people this that in order to educate the whole child outdoors can improve quality of life. will directly affect. Ask them what they Following this training, Hemphill want. Care about what they want and and her colleagues strategized about do what they say.” “You have to make sure how City Garden could disrupt the envi- Finally, says Hemphill, be willing to you’re connecting with ronmental quality-of-life gap between compromise. “We don’t want to con- “black and white people, between the tinue doing what we have done as large the people this will Latinx community and white people.” institutions,” she says. “We want to stop directly affect. Ask them They opened the City Garden grounds ignoring the people we were allegedly to the community on weekends, built to serve.” what they want. Care removed any signage restricting access, about what they want and designated a rotating on-call volun- and do what they say.” teer to respond to any incidents, con- Ehrenhalt is the grants and school pro- cerns or questions. grams manager for Teaching Tolerance.

22 TEACHING TOLERANCE debunking the Mobility Myth

Black children are more likely to be downwardly mobile than their white peers. But, as this scholar discovered, breaking the bad news might be one key to changing that trajectory.

SPRING 2018 23 BY ROBERT L. REECE ILLUSTRATION BY CARLOS BASABE

BOTH MY PARENTS were born on planta- upward social mobility is uncommon for downward mobility. Black individu- tions in the 1960s Mississippi Delta, years families like mine. Indeed, among mid- als born into middle- and upper-mid- after the history books claim that share- dle-class black Americans, downward dle class homes fall into lower income cropping had ended in the South. That mobility is the norm. brackets as adults at much higher rates means that I, born in 1988, was of the first Yet, research also shows that for- than white Americans born into those generation on both sides of my family not mal education can weaken the barriers same income positions. Furthermore, to be born on a plantation. After a decid- black people face can. Taken together, a 2017 study by economists William J. edly working-class upbringing in rural these facts raise vital questions for the Collins and Marianne H. Wanamaker Leland, Mississippi, I—the child of for- teachers of black children about the shows that differences in upward mobil- mer sharecroppers—ended up earning best ways to help black students nav- ity between black and white Americans a doctorate from Duke University and igate a world of discrimination. have remained consistent since 1880; working as a sociology professor at the they suggest that the lack of upward University of Texas in Austin. The Myth of the American Dream mobility for black Americans may be On its face, my trajectory from Leland Despite what we’re told about the primarily responsible for the ongoing to Austin epitomizes the American American Dream, upward mobility income gap between racial groups. Dream—proof that upward mobility is for black Americans is relatively rare. Confronted with these facts, teach- available to anyone willing to work hard According to the Brookings Institution, ers of black students, particularly low- and make the right sacrifices. Parents 51 percent of black Americans born into er-income black students, face a tall work for a better life for their children the bottom 20 percent of income earn- task. Not only must educators explore who, in turn, go on to perform slightly bet- ers remain there as adults. By compari- ways to help students survive and thrive ter in life than their parents. But despite son, only 23 percent of white Americans despite their individual challenges or the United States being dubbed the born into the bottom 20 percent of limitations, but they also must seek “land of opportunity,” my story is atyp- income earners remain there. to deconstruct the barriers students ical—particularly for black Americans. Even more alarming are the rates face—and empower students to join in Research consistently demonstrates that at which black Americans experience that process of deconstruction.

Percentage of Americans born into the bottom 20% of income earners who remain there as adults. Differences in upward mobility between black and white Americans 23% white have remained consistent since 1880. 51% black

24 TEACHING TOLERANCE The Importance of Engaging With Race just that your community is bad and ... Students perform better when their One of the first steps toward chang- people are lazy ... but to say, ‘No, this is education is situated within the context ing an unfair system is to recognize its a result of deliberate action, and let’s of their communities or their culture or existence, and to share that recogni- talk about that.’” their background.” tion with students. It may feel harsh or Incorporating discussions of race The spark that this type of engage- unkind to tell black students that they into the curriculum not only frees black ment ignites in students can have a won’t be afforded the same opportu- students from the burden of feeling as if massive positive effect on their long- nities as some of their fellow citizens. their struggles are a result of their own term success. I still remember my first But honestly engaging them about the internal shortcomings; it also engages encounter with Ralph Ellison’s Invisible limitations of their social positions can them in topics that pique their inter- Man. It was the first text I’d read (out- help them understand that the barriers est. They perform better when they side of Black History Month lessons) to they face are real. More importantly, discuss ideas that affect their lives in deal frankly with America’s racial real- it shows that these barriers are not of ways that are recognizable, immedi- ity. Like Moss’ students, I battled with their own construction. And evidence ate and significant. Cortez Moss, prin- the content of the book. I was fighting shows that addressing these issues cipal of Mississippi’s Quitman County my own resistance and a lifetime of with students can make a difference Middle School, told me that when black being told that my generation had over- for them in the classroom come the violence of racial and beyond. oppression. Eventually, A 2017 study by Erin like Gluckman’s students, B. Godfrey and colleagues It may feel harsh or unkind to tell black I realized that characteris- published in the journal tics of my hometown I had Child Development, for students that they won’t be afforded always viewed as benign— example, shows that mid- the dilapidated housing, dle schoolers of color acted the same opportunities as some of their the racial homogeneity out more when they were of my high school—were, taught that society was fellow citizens. But honestly engaging in fact, markers of per- fair. They exhibited lower sistent and pernicious self-esteem, more delin- them about the limitations of their social racial and economic strat- quency and overall worse ification. This awakening, classroom behavior. These positions can help them understand that prompted by a single text students were lashing out given to me by an educator, at a system that denies the barriers they face are real. carried me through col- them success even if they lege and graduate school. work hard. And when Ultimately, it led me to adults insisted on the fair- pursue a career studying ness of that system, they race and inequality. were implying that the students them- students take time to understand the selves were to blame for struggling—an concepts in lessons about race and Changing the System attitude that can easily breed fatalism racism—even if what they learn makes Like the teacher who slipped me the and hopelessness. them angry—their academic perfor- copy of Ellison I still own, some educa- Kate Gluckman, executive direc- mance seems to trend upward. tors have developed effective strategies tor of the Sunflower County Freedom “[T]hey struggled initially with being for helping black students occasionally Project in Mississippi, says that when able to decode the language in Invisible achieve the type of upward mobility her students learn how their lives and Man, but after some analysis work, the supposedly valued in this country. But communities have been shaped by rac- students became very enraged and very these strategies are only stopgap solu- ism that is outside their control, they frustrated with the text and what was tions and, while well-intentioned, they seem to feel as if a weight has been happening in the text and later started fall short of our ultimate goal as educa- lifted from their shoulders. moving to a place of questions,” he tors and as a society: to repair a system “I think that they maybe get some says. “Not only does the research tell us that forces students of color to work satisfaction out of knowing ... there’s an when students are engaged in high-in- harder than their white counterparts. explanation of the struggles they see in terest texts, they have a tendency to This is, of course, easier said than their communities,” she says. “It’s not perform better, but I saw that firsthand. done, and not only because of the

SPRING 2018 25 inherent difficulties of changing offering training for their teachers to Then, there’s this period of wanting to large institutions. Change requires help them better work with students do action,” she says. “’OK, I know you resources, and too often educators are who have experienced trauma—racial want to desegregate your town, but how forced to devote many of their best and otherwise. Such new policies repre- can you do that within your commu- resources to simply preventing stu- sent important, concrete steps to clos- nity? Who can you reach out to across dents from slipping further and fur- ing the persistent resource gap between those lines?’... When we have the right ther behind. schools that serve primarily black stu- balance, students can be motivated At Life Academy, a small public dents and those that primarily serve through that investigation of both the school in Oakland, California, teacher white students. But it is only a start. history, but also the current evaluation Lisa Kelly considers how the day-to- Black schools continue to lack the of their communities and schools.” day rigors of teaching limit educators’ resources—such as funding for foun- This type of student empowerment ability to enact large-scale changes in a dational courses like chemistry and brings discussions of inequality full cir- system that she says was “never meant advanced algebra—to offer their stu- cle. Not only do students become more to serve all American students.” To best dents a fair chance to compete in col- engaged with their work; they become serve black and brown students, Kelly lege. (I recall instructing my high more engaged with their communities. says, educators need to “actually create school classmates in chemistry because In this way, teaching race in the class- a new system that is meant to serve.” our school’s chemistry teacher was not room compounds positive effects by “So often, we’re bogged down by the, certified in the subject.) Closing this helping students navigate their oppres- ‘well my sixth-graders can’t write sen- gap requires the type of tenacity and sion and helping them combat it. tences, and ... I have to get their grade innovation that teachers are denied A fair amount of good fortune and reports out, and I have to call this par- the opportunity to pursue day to day. the right attention from the right teach- ent about that, and I have to do this,’” Also, activists, administrators and com- ers at critical times in my life allowed she says. “I can’t ever get my head above munity members must be prepared to me to overcome the challenges of a water to see how screwed up the system share the burden of finding ways to childhood in one of the poorest places is and to imagine how the system could permanently offer black students the in the nation. But good fortune is be different.” resources they need to succeed. labeled as such because it is uncom- Another challenge is the sheer size mon; most black children from simi- of the task at hand. What does it mean Empowering the Students lar circumstances won’t have my luck. to “create a new system”? The ambigu- Finally, we can encourage students to be Until the opportunities that now pres- ity itself makes the idea seem too big their own advocates and become agents ent as “good fortune” are the norm for to handle. of change. Students do not idly accept black students, we have a long way to go, One answer is to maintain focus inequality. Gluckman reports that her even in simply offering them equitable on the students themselves. In students are often moved to activism educational prospects—and in debunk- Mississippi, Moss was able to push his and express a willingness to take on ing the myth of the American Dream. school district to begin important sys- large challenges in their communities. temic changes in their interactions “I feel like there’s a cycle of gaining Reece is an assistant professor in the with students, including hiring a num- this understanding and being empow- sociology department at University of ber of mental health professionals and ered through that understanding. Texas at Austin.

26 TEACHING TOLERANCE States’ Rights and “Historical Malpractice” After witnessing the rise of the “alt-right,” this social studies teacher doubled down on debunking Confederacy myths.

BY TYLER MURPHY ILLUSTRATION BY MICHAEL WARAKSA PHOTO CREDIT GOES HERE PHOTO

SPRING 2018 27 THERE ARE TIMES IN OUR HISTORY Confederate cause was synonymous That student is not alone. A 2015 when cataclysmic moments are pro- with racial subjugation. Alabama’s McClatchy-Marist Poll revealed that pelled into the classroom: The attack constitution under the Confederacy 49 percent of Southerners believed on Pearl Harbor, the assassination of explicitly refers to the “Southern that slavery was “not the main reason” John F. Kennedy and the September Slaveholding Confederacy.” for the Civil War. The number was high 11 attacks are obvious examples. There The states’ rights argument has lin- nationally as well: 41 percent. are other times, however, when sub- gered for decades, in part because many Over the course of every school year, tle tremors that teachers may notice Southerners don’t want to believe their I watch as my students slowly realize in the classroom are suddenly and relatives fought for slavery, but also that slavery was at the heart of the Civil dramatically magnified into cataclys- because of the propaganda efforts of War. This isn’t an effort to “brainwash” mic moments outside the classroom. white nationalists and Confederate them or foster “white guilt” (a common The deadly “Unite the Right” white sympathizers who have rebranded the refrain of white nationalists). Rather, nationalist rally that shook the city Confederate cause to make it more students reach this conclusion as they of Charlottesville, Virginia, in August palatable to a contemporary audi- analyze various primary sources from 2017 is one such moment. ence. But the painful reality contin- the time period and carefully examine The event sparked self-reflection and ues to bubble to the surface—as it did the evidence. action across the country, including in in Charlottesville—and it exposes this To the extent that the rebel states my home state of Kentucky. In the after- argument for what it is: a smokescreen advocated for their right to act inde- math of the incident, leaders in Lexington for a white supremacist ideology. pendently, the students find, such lan- decided to remove two Confederate stat- guage was couched in arguments spe- ues, including one that loomed on the Teaching a Contested Truth cifically defending a state’s right to site of an auction block once used to Those of us who teach our nation’s preserve slavery, even as abolition- buy and sell enslaved people. But our history and perspectives on it should ist causes swept the rest of the coun- Commonwealth—a state that Lincoln see the current political context as try. Each of the 11 states that seceded struggled to keep in the Union—continues an opportunity and assess our role from the Union composed sternly to grapple with the presence of another in addressing tremors of hate before worded declarations or proclama- statue, one that stands in Kentucky’s they threaten to shake the founda- tions, all of which explicitly mentioned Capitol Rotunda: that of Jefferson tions of our society. Indeed, the mind- the desire to maintain the institution Davis, the first and last president of the set that gave birth to the Charlottesville of slavery in their states. Several dec- Confederate States of America. incident is not foreign to anyone who larations expressed frustration that Although Davis still stands (for now), teaches history. This is especially true the fugitive-slave laws were not being Kentucky’s Historic Properties Advisory of teaching the Civil War—an era in sufficiently enforced in the North. Commission did vote unanimously to U.S. history that foments discord even They bemoaned the 1860 election of remove a plaque on the statute that today, particularly in the South. Abraham Lincoln. South Carolina’s deems him a “Patriot, Hero, Statesman.” When I asked my students what they General Assembly declared his elec- As DeBraun Thomas, an organizer of the knew about the Civil War at the start tion had been based on “open and movement to remove the Lexington stat- of the school year, one replied that he avowed hostility.” Georgia’s seces- ues, notes, “someone who defects from was aware of it. When I pressed him for sion document labeled Lincoln’s their country” most certainly does not more, he replied, “It was a war between newly formed Republican Party the warrant those descriptors. people who liked slavery and people “anti-slavery” party. Former South What we cannot remove, though, who didn’t.” That was a proverbial Carolina Representative and delegate is the reality that Davis presided over “from the mouth of babes” moment. to South Carolina’s secession conven- a political system rooted firmly and Another student, however, imme- tion Laurence M. Keitt argued that resolutely in the institution of slav- diately balked at this characterization. the state had arrived at its decision ery. As much as revisionists would like “No, no, no! It wasn’t just about slavery. to secede “on the question of slav- to reframe the Civil War as a battle for There were other issues …” I braced for ery.” Jefferson Davis himself declared the elusive idea of states’ rights, the his- what I knew his next words would be: black people to be “our inferior, fitted torical evidence makes it clear that the “It was also about states’ rights.” expressly for servitude.”

28 TEACHING TOLERANCE If we truly want to honor our country’s history, we must recognize both the progress we have made and the work victory in the Civil War. That strug- that remains undone. gle endured through Reconstruction, Jim Crow and the civil rights era, and it endures today. Until we grapple with that reality inside and outside the class- Revealing the Monster of Slavery Address makes it very difficult to room, the people who carried torches Writing poignantly from the per- argue that the values and views of the in Charlottesville will continue to be spective of an observer at Lincoln’s Confederacy could be reconciled with empowered by our indifference or by Gettysburg Address, a student last the values and views that became widely our willingness to perpetuate a false year compared the issue of slavery accepted after the speech was delivered. narrative—a narrative that allows our to a “monster” that “was being built To argue otherwise is historical mal- public spaces to house symbols that up [while] all of the people in power practice; it ignores the ideals that define, dehumanize so many of our citizens. claimed they could not see it.” The if not the true character of the country, And our students will be denied an monster grew so massive, the student what we aspire to be as Americans. opportunity to develop the prerequisite surmised, as the issue was ignored by skills for maintaining a healthy democ- leaders (including, at first, Lincoln him- The Power of Symbols racy: critical thinking, perspective tak- self) until eventually it was “released Symbols of the Confederacy, be they ing and discerning fact from fiction. If to wreak havoc on the U.S.A.” The stu- flags or statues, don’t just represent a we truly want to honor our country’s dent’s fictional character found com- heritage or a romanticized past. They history, we must recognize both the fort that “we still [have] hope to tame represent a system whose values and progress we have made and the work that monster.” Allowing our students to tenets run counter to the very freedoms that remains undone. draw such conclusions empowers and that generations of people have strug- equips them to spot modern-day mon- gled—and still struggle—to make man- The New Birth of Freedom sters and intervene before the conse- ifest in the United States of America. Lincoln spoke, over 150 years ago, of quences of indifference make those And there are few places where being the “great task remaining before us” monsters nearly impossible to wrangle. informed of that struggle is more involving a “new birth of freedom.” It is true that, in the beginning of his important than in the realm of educa- And, as Howard Zinn reminds us, that presidency, Lincoln’s priority was pres- tion, where a society is given its life, its new birth was made possible by the ervation of the Union and not the abo- merit and its guiding principles. countless black abolitionists—many litionist cause. But as the war dragged Symbols are important to unnamed and unnoted in our his- on and became much deadlier than Kentuckians—and to people in general— tory books—who “won their freedom anticipated, his views evolved. Lincoln especially when housed in the quintes- because for 30 years before the Civil came to believe that preservation of the sential temple of our Commonwealth’s War, they participated in a great move- Union was dependent on the dissolu- democracy. We can no longer ignore ment of resistance.” tion of slavery. Extending that idea even the imagery created when Jefferson But the monster looms and we, too, further after the bloodiest battle of the Davis’ statue looms in the corner even must heed those abolitionists’ exam- war, in his iconic Gettysburg Address he as Abraham Lincoln’s takes center stage ples of resistance. framed the war as a fight over the very in Lexington’s Capitol Rotunda—a place Today, such is our “great task,” and ideals and values upon which the coun- that should be reserved, as DeBraun the fight for freedom endures: It is the try was founded—casting the bloody Thomas says, for the celebration of our responsibility of each successive gener- conflict as a test of whether a nation shared history. ation (and those of us who teach them) “conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to The Union and its values of liberty to preserve the Union, stoking not the the proposition that all men are created and freedom survived a brutal civil war, flames of hate but nurturing the eternal equal” could even survive. This moment but the hate, bigotry and terror of that youth and vigor of that freedom. Are we marked a shift in the widespread inter- divide still hover in our democracy’s up to the task? pretation of our country’s founding val- shadows, and they threaten the values ues and principles. we claim to espouse. The struggle for Murphy is a social studies teacher in A close reading of the Gettysburg justice did not end with the Union’s Woodford County, Kentucky.

Put this story into action with this toolkit. visit » tolerance.org/tool/malpractice SPRING 2018 29 80

40 Teacher bullying is a real phenomenon, but it’s always been hard to quantify—until now.

30 BY ALAN MCEVOY & MOLLY SMITH

STUDENTS, PARENTS, TEACHERS and administrators seem to accept it as an unfortunate but inevitable feature of school life. There is a knowing shrug of indifference or resignation when it happens. Even when there is a complaint, it is rarely addressed. The “it” in question refers to bullying behavior by teachers toward students. Nearly all schools, to their credit, have embraced policies and protocols 20 intended to address how students treat one another. The appellation “bullyproof” is routinely applied to programs schools adopt to reinforce civil behavior. Such programs focus almost exclusively on student interactions with their peers, while a pall of stony silence shrouds the phenomenon of “teacher as bully.” Although there is scant empirical research examining bullying by professional educators, anecdotal evidence abounds. Teachers who bully students often have a reputation within the school system. Colleagues who are bystanders often 10 are aware of problematic conduct, but little is known about exactly what these bystanders observe, how often they observe it, how the school administrators respond, or how bullying behaviors by teachers affect school climate. With the assistance of Teaching Tolerance, we at Northern Michigan University conducted an online survey of 1,067 educators during July 2017. To our knowledge, this is the first significant survey of its kind.

30 TEACHING TOLERANCE 80

Our survey defined teacher bully- HOW OFTEN HAVE YOU OBSERVED A ing as “a pattern of conduct, rooted in TEACHER DISPLAYING EXTREME EMOTIONAL a power differential, that threatens, 70 1 OUTBURSTS TOWARD A STUDENT (E.G., harms, humiliates, induces fear or YELLING, BERATING, SWEARING)? causes students substantial emotional distress.” We then listed behaviors that reasonably conform to this definition and asked teachers to indicate how often they observed such behavior by colleagues during the past year. We also asked 60 HOW OFTEN HAVE YOU OBSERVED about how schools attempt to address A TEACHER UNNECESSARILY this concern. 2 EMBARRASSING A STUDENT IN FRONT The survey data presented here OF OTHER STUDENTS OR TEACHERS? lead us to conclude that the phenomenon of teachers who bully their students is something every school needs to 50 consider. A small number of bullies can do enormous damage to a school’s effec- NEVER tiveness. Bullying contributes to a 1-2 TIMES harmful, discriminatory and hostile HOW OFTEN HAVE YOU OBSERVED A climate in which learning is under- 3 TEACHER PUBLICLY SUGGESTING 3-4 TIMES mined and intolerance flourishes. THAT A STUDENT IS STUPID? 5-9 TIMES It may also cause a contagion effect: 10 OR MORE TIMES 40 Mean behavior by a teacher encourages students to be mean as well. We also find that marginalized students may be especially Our survey identified examples of bully- vulnerable as targets of this expression of behav- ing behaviors by teachers that stand in opposi- ior. For the sake of students, educators and larger tion to the NEA’s Code of Ethics. These include communities of learning, we must do better. embarrassing students unnecessarily, display- We hope the results presented here, though ing extreme emotional outbursts toward stu- 30 disturbing, will serve as a basis for thoughtful dis- dents and publicly suggesting a student is stupid. cussion and action. Graphs 1, 2 and 3 (above) illustrate the frequencies of these behaviors by teachers toward students as Bullying Behaviors Observed observed by other teachers in the last year. Bullying is most often expressed as the hos- The data suggest that public displays of humil- tile, often repeated, ritualized humiliation of iation by teachers toward students occur regu- another person in public. Teacher codes of eth- larly. In fact, never observing problematic conduct 20 ics emphasize that such behaviors are antitheti- toward students—the ethical ideal—seems to be the cal to the educational mission of the school. For exception rather than the rule. Even the extreme example, the National Education Association’s of publicly suggesting that a student is stupid was (NEA) Code of Ethics of the Education Profession observed by more than half the respondents. One states that educators must strive “to help each early childhood teacher reported that, “[Some student realize his or her potential as a worthy teachers] are unreasonably judgmental and have and effective member of society.” This includes a lack of respect for children as human beings.” 10 two fundamental obligations: (1) The educator Particularly troubling are observations at high- “shall make reasonable effort to protect the stu- end frequencies. Our conclusion is that significant dent from conditions harmful to learning or to numbers of students—both bystanders and tar- health and safety”; and (2) “they shall not inten- gets—experience bullying microaggressions by tionally expose the student to embarrassment some teachers as a commonplace aspect of school or disparagement.” life. This raises two questions: What percentage

SPRING 2018 31 of teachers behave like bullies? Which students at their private, religious, suburban high school are selected as targets and why are they selected? “want to maintain control of the classroom, but When asked to specify what percentage of do not know how with challenging students, esp[e- teachers in their school bully students, 65 per- cially] those who are not high achievers in this age cent of respondents indicated “less than 10 per- of high stakes tests that teachers get judged on.” cent,” and just under 14 percent indicated “none” Teachers who bully can justify to themselves (Graph 4). These findings are consistent with pre- and to others that their conduct is appropri- vious research that suggests the presence of a few ate because, after all, the student needed to be teachers who bully is common in most schools, “disciplined” or “motivated” to perform. In fact, though they constitute a minority of the teaching offending teachers may claim they areobligated to

4 5 6

WHAT PERCENTAGE OF TEACHERS IN HOW OFTEN HAVE YOU OBSERVED A IF YOU OBSERVED ANY OF THESE YOUR SCHOOLS WOULD YOU IDENTIFY TEACHER EXCESSIVELY REPRIMANDING BEHAVIORS, WHICH TYPE OF STUDENTS AS BULLIES OF STUDENTS? ONE STUDENT FOR BEHAVIORS THAT WERE TARGETED? (SELECT ALL THAT APPLY) MANY STUDENTS ARE DOING NONE STUDENTS WITH: LESS THAN 10% NEVER BEHAVIORAL DISORDERS 10-29% 1-2 TIMES COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENTS MORE THAN 30% 3-4 TIMES LOW ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT 5-9 TIMES POOR ATTENDANCE 10 OR MORE TIMES OTHER

staff. Several respondents indicated this in their use aggressive tactics with “difficult” students. A comments, reporting that “I only encountered teacher who works at a public urban elementary one teacher in all of my years of teaching who was school explained, “I think they are scared of being unkind to her students,” and “[Certain students] seen as less powerful or authoritarian, and so they are often targeted by a few of my colleagues.” Yet overreact to minor infractions.” even these small few can do enormous damage to Our data also suggest one student may be sin- students and to a school’s instructional mission. gled out and excessively reprimanded for behav- Their conduct adversely affects school climate iors that many students are exhibiting (Graph 5). and the morale of colleagues. This raises the question: What student character- Especially troubling is the finding that one in istics are the basis for being singled out? five respondents identifiedmore than 10 percent of Respondents identified low-achieving students the teaching staff in their school as bullies. When and students with behavioral disorders as the most asked if teachers who bully students also bully their targeted by bullying teachers, followed by students colleagues, 63 percent of the respondents said yes. with poor attendance (Graph 6). Open-ended com- The survey data do not offer a full understand- ments from respondents indicated that teachers ing of the process of “target selection” by teachers. feel frustrated when dealing with students who The data suggest, however, that students who pose misbehave, who lack motivation or who seem behavioral challenges, lack motivation or possess poorly prepared for school. Such frustration, they immutable characteristics that are not valued by suggest, is part of the reason why some teachers the school are more likely to be targets of bullying. may lash out at students in unprofessional ways. One respondent stated that the teacher bullies Open-ended responses to the “Other” category

32 TEACHING TOLERANCE in Graph 6 reflect another concern. Eighty-four often emphasize the need for bystanders to report respondents in this category, almost one-third, what they observe in order to activate appropri- indicate that students of color and students from ate interventions. There is a normative message other nondominant groups (e.g., LGBT students of responsibility coupled with a protocol for stu- and English language learners) are targets of bul- dents to follow. But what is the protocol for teach- lying by educators. According to one urban public ers who observe bullying conduct by a colleague? high school teacher, stereotypes are exacerbated The principle of bystander activation relevant by “a lack of cultural connection, authoritative to peer-on-peer bullying should also apply to pro- practices, racism, power dynamics and patriarchal fessional educators. As Graph 7 indicates, how- biases.” A teacher at an urban public elementary ever, two-thirds of the teaching staff do not have a

7 8 9

IF A TEACHER IS OBSERVED BULLYING A DOES THE CURRENT BULLYING POLICY HAS THE PROBLEM OF TEACHERS WHO STUDENT, IS THERE A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING AT YOUR SCHOOL INCLUDE SPECIFIC BULLY STUDENTS BEEN ADDRESSED IN ANY IN YOUR SCHOOL OF WHO SHOULD RECEIVE LANGUAGE ABOUT TEACHERS WHO PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SESSIONS A REPORT OF THIS BEHAVIOR? BULLY STUDENTS? WITH YOUR STAFF IN THE PAST TWO YEARS?

BEHAVIORAL DISORDERS YES YES YES COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENTS NO NO NO NOT SURE SOMEWHAT

school also noted that students of color were the clear understanding of where to report—or if they primary targets of teacher bullying, referring to should report—instances of a colleague bullying a them as “the so-called ‘usual suspects.’” student. A suburban public middle school teacher In some schools, students of color may become admits that teacher bullying “is handled however scapegoats for a teacher’s inability to connect with the observer feels it should be: not at all, talk per- members of the class. In addition, when the teach- sonally to the teacher, report to administrator or er’s race differs from that of his or her students, it gossip with another teacher about the situation.” may create a level of discomfort that becomes an This range of responses suggests there is a com- excuse to bully students into forced cultural assim- pelling need for schools to establish protocols to ilation. When asked why some teachers bully their guide bystanders when they observe such behav- students, nearly 9 percent of respondents volun- ior. The absence of guidelines for reporting unpro- teered that students of color are the primary tar- fessional conduct is a recipe for inaction. gets. A teacher at a suburban public middle school The absence of reporting guidelines is com- explained, “They [teachers] can get away with it pounded by the absence of teacher-specific lan- when it is done with students of color.” guage in existing school bullying policies. Less than 13 percent of respondents can say, unequivocally, School Response their school’s policy indicates that bullying could Given the unfortunate reality that a minority of involve teachers as well as students (Graph 8). This teachers behave in unprofessional ways toward points to the need for broader policy language that students, how do schools respond? sends a clear message: Everyone in the school is Programs that address peer-on-peer bullying accountable when it comes to bullying behavior.

SPRING 2018 33 WHEN ASKED WHY SOME TEACHERS BULLY THEIR STUDENTS, NEARLY 9 PERCENT OF RESPONDENTS VOLUNTEERED THAT STUDENTS OF COLOR ARE THE PRIMARY TARGETS. A TEACHER AT A SUBURBAN PUBLIC MIDDLE SCHOOL EXPLAINED, “TEACHERS CAN GET AWAY WITH IT WHEN IT IS DONE WITH STUDENTS OF COLOR.”

Although reporting guidelines and policies that teachers who bully students, respondents were address bullying by teachers are positive steps, more likely to report they never observed the bul- formal policies alone are unlikely to reinforce lying behavior. Approximately 39 percent of those codes of professional conduct. Intentional dia- with training had “never” observed bullying, com- logue about professional norms is an essential ele- pared to 26 percent without training. Training ment in creating a prosocial school climate. Most teachers about unprofessional conduct reinforces teachers, we believe, are upset when they observe professional codes of ethics and lessens punitive a colleague say and do things that undermine stu- treatment of students. Even if bullying teachers dent well-being. Unless schools provide a safe aren’t motivated by a schoolwide shift in culture, forum for educators to discuss how best to han- they may at least realize that a training means dle such observations, it is unlikely that bystand- their behavior can no longer fly under the radar. ers will risk speaking up. Bullying constitutes a form of educational Graph 9 indicates that intentional dialogue discrimination that demands active interven- about teachers who bully students, in the form tion rather than passive acceptance. It is not, nor of professional staff development, is absent in should it ever be considered, an inevitable feature most schools. It may be that discussing problem- of school life. Bullying by even a few teachers is a atic conduct by colleagues is outside the comfort corruption of the teacher role that harms students zone of many educators. This is where adminis- and undermines the ability of nonoffending teach- trative leadership providing ongoing in-service ers to educate our youth. Of particular concern are training is essential. vulnerable populations, including ELLs, students of color, students with disabilities and LGBT stu- Recommendations dents, who disproportionately may be the targets Although the phenomenon of teachers who bully of bullying based on negative stereotypes or deval- exists in many schools, most teachers do not abuse ued immutable characteristics. their power over students. If schools embrace pro- For all students to thrive as learners and citi- active measures (e.g., changing policy language and zens of a community, the school must be a place providing professional development), we believe where their physical and emotional safety is not in the frequency and severity of bullying will abate. question. Most educators are appalled when con- A closer examination of the data reveals two fronted with a colleague who is mean and abusive important findings. First, teachers are somewhat toward students. Yet they feel powerless to act or less likely to observe bullying behaviors when are otherwise frustrated into silence by bureau- their school’s policy includes specific language cratic indifference. For the sake of our students— about teacher conduct. At schools where such and for the sake of our shared sense of justice and language was included, nearly 35 percent “never” fairness—it is time to speak up. observed bullying behavior, compared to 22 percent without such language. In other words, the McEvoy is a professor of sociology at Northern existence of a policy does not eliminate teacher Michigan University. bullying entirely, but it does lessen the prevalence. Second, in schools that provided a professional Smith is an education researcher and elementary development session in the last two years about special education teacher.

34 TEACHING TOLERANCE Put this story into action with this toolkit. visit » tolerance.org/tool/statistically-speaking INTERVIEW CONDUCTED BY MONITA K. BELL ILLUSTRATION BY GENE LUEN YANG

GENE LUEN YANG’S APPROACH TO TEACHING AND LITERACY PUTS STUDENTS IN CHARGE OF HOW THEY EXPERIENCE CONTENT

AWARD-WINNING GRAPHIC NOVELIST and cartoonist Gene Luen Yang has had a busy couple of years. Not only did he just wrap up his tenure as the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, but he also teaches creative writing in Hamline University’s Writing for Children and Young Adults MFA program. In 2016, A Remote he received a MacArthur Foundation “Genius Grant.” Yang hit his big break in 2006 with his trailblazing graphic novel Control American Born Chinese, in which he explores themes that he personally grappled with as a youth reconciling his cultural identities. Yang talked for with Teaching Tolerance about growing up on comics, teaching high school for 17 years and amplifying diverse A Remote Learning identities in his work. Controlfor SPRING 2018 35 Learning How did identity play into your con- Second Books is called Secret Coders. control for their learning. What did sumption of comics as a kid and beyond? It’s a middle-grade series that teaches you mean by that? I love superheroes. I loved superhe- kids the fundamentals of computer sci- There are these different visual story- roes as soon as I read my first super- ence. It’s basically me taking the les- telling media to convey information. hero comic. It was a Superman comic. sons that I used to teach in my com- There’s comics, there’s animation, In part, I think it’s because at the heart puter science classroom and translat- there’s film. Out of all of these differ- of every superhero is this idea of dual ing them into comics. ent visual media, really the only one identity—that Superman has to live I feel like I’ve learned a lot about that is not time dependent—that is time both as Superman and as Clark Kent. teaching through comics by doing this independent—is comics. When you’re He kind of has to hide one identity series. I want to keep trying to figure that watching a film, when you’re watching when he’s inhabiting the other one. All out. I first used comics in an Algebra II a YouTube video, the rate at which that that just felt very familiar to me. class. … I think, in that information is transferred to you, the I actually think the immigrant story way that story is told to you, is deter- is embedded in the superhero genre, mined by the creator of the content. because almost every major super- That is not true for comics. For comics, hero out there was created by the rate at which the information flows the children of immigrants AMERICA FROM THE VERY is firmly in the hands of the reader. A and created by these children of reader can determine how quickly or Jewish immigrants from Europe. BEGINNING WAS DESIGNED how slowly she wants to read the comic. That’s true of Superman, of Batman, TO BE A COLLECTION OF It seems like a really small thing, of Captain America, almost every- but I think in educational settings, body out there. Spiderman, the X Men, SUBCULTURES. I WOULD that control can make a huge dif- Hulk, Iron Man, all of them. ENCOURAGE KIDS WHO ference for certain kinds of con- I think the other thing that I loved tent and for certain readers. about comics is the bar of entry was just MIGHT FEEL LIKE OUTSID- What is your Reading Without so low. Anybody, even a kid in the ’80s, ERS IN THEIR IMMEDIATE Walls Challenge, and what could create their own comic. inspired you to choose it What led to your shift from teaching VICINITY TO GO AND LOOK as the platform for your to writing comics for a living? national ambassador role? I taught for a long time. I really liked it. FOR THAT SUBCULTURE Every national ambassador chooses a I was actually very reluctant to leave. class, WHERE THEY BELONG.within platform. About three months before my For the second half of that, I was part- math, there’s certain ambassadorship started, the Republican time. We were on a block schedule, so topics that are algorithmic, where you [presidential primary] debates were I would go in one day to teach and the basically have to go through a series of going on, and there was a lot of talk about other day I would be at home working steps. First you do this, then you do this, walls in the media. I think that was kind on comics. then you do this, and then you do this. of on our minds. We ended up settling on I started making comics and I That sort of content worked really well the idea of reading without walls, and that started teaching around the same time, with comics. Instead of reading those centers around a challenge. The chal- but comics I always saw as a side gig. steps as text, you actually get to see a lenge that I’ve been issuing kids during I never really expected to make a full- visual of what each step looks like. When my ambassadorship is to do one of three time living at it. When I was starting in a student has to recall that, they’re things. It’s to set a due date for yourself— the ’90s, the American comic book mar- recalling a set of pictures. As a species, you can either do this as a community or ket was just not very healthy. we’ve only dealt with words for—I don’t individual reader—and by that due date, In the beginning, I was a self-pub- know—in terms of history, it’s the blink either read a book about a character who lisher. Every time I would put out a of an eye, whereas we’ve dealt with doesn’t look like you or live like you, or comic, I would lose money. The turning images for much, much longer. For read a book about a topic that you might point was when American Born Chinese things like memory, images just work not know anything about, or, three, read a came out in 2006. better. Comics leverage that aspect of book in a format that you don’t normally Do your education and comic worlds the human mind. read for fun. ever collide? You mentioned in your TEDx Talk If a kid normally only reads chap- Absolutely. In a concrete way. My most that comics became a way for you to ter books for fun, I want him to try a recent graphic novel series with First give your students a kind of remote graphic novel or a book of poetry. If a

36 TEACHING TOLERANCE When Gene Luen Yang isn’t writing award- winning graphic novels, he’s challenging young people to “read without walls.”

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kid normally only reads comics and back this up. This is a cockamamie the- many Japanese manga fans in America graphic novels, then I want them to try ory that I came up with out of the top of is sort of the tip of a larger iceberg that something with no pictures in it. my head: that comics are an incredibly comics can be a way of bridging cultures. Why those three things in particular? effective way of bridging cultures. For What would you say to young people I think I’m interested in diversity in instance—we’re still kind of in the mid- out there who, like you did, might be every sense of the word. For the first dle of it—there’s this craze for Japanese struggling with their identities? challenge, to be perfectly transparent, manga. Japanese manga in America is Something that was very powerful for I want to find a way of maybe driving incredibly popular, right? me—and this didn’t happen till I was some demand for books that feature I think some of that is because comics older, till I was in college—was realizing diverse characters, that feature char- translate very well from one language to that America is not a single monolithic acters from non-mainstream back- the other. If I were to watch a Japanese culture. There’s no such thing, really, as grounds, from non-mainstream cul- live-action movie, it might be subtitled American culture. America from the very tures and religious groups. or it might be dubbed. In both of those beginning was designed to be a collection For topics, I think there’s some- cases, the experience that I’m getting as of subcultures. Just because you don’t fit thing about reading a topic that you an American is kind of different than the in with the subculture that you find your- don’t know anything about, but by the original audience gets. If I read a novel self in now doesn’t mean that there’s not a end of that book you know something. that was originally written in Japanese subculture out there, that is truly a part of That is empowering. That’s happened and then translated into English, the America, where you’ll fit. I would encour- to me over and over and over again. If I experience that I’m getting is filtered age kids who might feel like outsiders in don’t know something and I read a book through a translator. If I’m reading a their immediate vicinity to go and look about it, that book is a way of conquer- Japanese comic, the words are filtered for that, to go and look for that subculture ing fear for me about that topic. through a translator, but the actual where they belong; look for that subcul- How do you think that comics in partic- drawings are not. I’m still seeing the ture that calls to them. ular might help to work toward that goal movements of a Japanese artist’s hands of learning new things and perspectives on a page. I think there’s something very in today’s divisive climate? personal and powerful about it. Bell is the senior editor for

PHOTO BY ALBERT LAW ALBERT BY PHOTO I have this theory. I have no research to I really think the fact that we have so Teaching Tolerance.

Put this story into action with this toolkit. visit » tolerance.org/tool/remote-control SPRING 2018 37 WHEN HATE CAME TO CHARLOTTESVILLE …

BY CORY COLLINS ILLUSTRATION BY MICHAEL MARSICANO

38 TEACHING TOLERANCE do we address this within the classroom? How do we address this within ourselves? It just so happened that one of the school districts most ready to respond to the crisis was at its epicenter. On Saturday, August 12, the rally marched past the offices of Albemarle County Public Schools (ACPS) administrators. The offices were empty, but the staff still felt the presence of the marchers. “There were tears in my eyes,” says Superintendent Pamela Moran, recalling seeing her building on television. “It was almost as if they were insulting the work of the people who are in this community trying to do the very best that we can do for our kids.” ONE MONTH AFTER THEIR CITY BECAME That work has been a decade in the making—the result of a districtwide com- A HASHTAG, STUDENTS AT MURRAY HIGH mitment to culturally responsive edu- SCHOOL IN CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA, cation led by the Office of Community Engagement and its executive director, ARE BUILDING BIRDHOUSES. Bernard Hairston. Although shaken by the visceral images on the news, ACPS officials For some students, it is the first time they’ve built found strength in this foundation. something with their hands. The process requires School leaders exchanged phone calls. care—and time. The students all start with the same Long-established plans went into motion. raw materials, but each shelter is unique; different According to the district’s strategic birds require different kinds of habitats to thrive. communications officer, Phil Giaramita, The birdhouses bear messages intended for the this made all the difference. individuals who sought to bring hate into their com- “There was a value in having these things munity. Painted on one: “Humans are born to love.” in place around the issues of diversity and The naked display of hatred in Charlottesville openness and responsiveness,” Giaramita sent shock waves across the United States. says. “And those things, in a crisis situation, Educators scoured the web for resources to answer really provided a good foundation so we the question burning in torch-borne flames: How didn’t need to do anything special.”

SPRING 2018 39 That’s because, in Albemarle County, school year—equity teams of various Moran puts it, “if we really want to effect Hairston and others know that building sizes surround those teachers. These change and positivism in our communi- a shelter for all students requires care— teachers meet monthly and evaluate ties … we really have to learn how to shift and time. The raw materials must be their efficacy at the end of each year. power from the teacher to the kid.” malleable, because the mission calls for DRTs create workshops and provide At Murray High, unique identities it: Different students require different supports for teachers in their respective and needs are honored. Conflicts are resources to thrive. buildings. These supports are tailored to handled through mediation. The bird- “If you don’t have that kind of mind- the needs of the students in their schools. houses now hanging in the hallway are set in place, frankly, there aren’t enough The district incentivizes teachers to take a metaphor for the building around resources anywhere that you can go out a deeper dive into culturally responsive them, itself a microcosm of the dis- and find when the situation is blow- pedagogy by offering a rigorous, one-of- trict’s goals. ing up,” says Student Services Officer a-kind certification program. And so—in a nontraditional class- Nicholas King. “It’s long-term work.” “Part of a culturally responsive room featuring armchairs and dim light- And it’s replicable. teaching model is to make sure that ing—students are talking about what people are able to talk about these happened on August 12 and the ways to The House That Care Built issues,” Hairston explains. “And now cure what ails a divided United States. The work, according to Hairston, began we’re coming back to those courageous The students start to talk about solu- in the early 2000s with an emphasis on conversations.” tions: modeling behavior and having Glenn Singleton’s call for courageous Knowing their students and how to empathy for how environmental factors conversations about race. But in 2008, talk to them served teachers like Murray can shape people’s perspectives. And the elimination of a district-level posi- High School’s Catherine Glover well. you can see the rewards of culturally tion focused on equity and diversity Her students experienced August 12 in responsive teaching work in real time. catalyzed a broader movement cen- a variety of ways. Some were shielded, “Stop hiding from uncomfortable tered on culturally responsive teaching. taken out of town. Others attended the conversations,” one young woman Now, instead of one person tasked with rally. Most students could put names to offers. “We’re all one race, the human promoting equity, the responsibility is faces on the news. For one boy, Marcus race; that’s lovely. But we have to

shared across a team of trained edu- Martin is not just the man famously address times that everybody isn’t true ALBEMARLE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT MAP: DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT OFFICE OF GRAPHIC DATA SERVICES cators and bolstered by professional photographed, midair, after saving his to that. We can’t let it slip by.” development and collaborative meet- fiancée from the oncoming car. He’s “the Another student says, meekly, “I ings focused on best practices. man who works with Dad.” wonder if it will ever go back to normal.” Each of the district’s 25 schools Murray High is Albemarle County’s His peer challenges him. “But what employs one or more diversity resource nontraditional school. An underlying is normal?” teachers (DRTs), and—since the 2015-16 mission informs the culture there. As

Albermarle Equity Model Culturally responsive practices are infused into each of the district’s 25 schools in a symbiotic, circular relationship.

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Albermarle County, Virginia The Office of Community Engagement encodes its mission and works with administrators. Each school has at least one diversity resource teacher to enact that mission. Those DRTs have Equity Teams of allied colleagues to help carry it out. And instructional coaches help facilitate 40 TEACHING TOLERANCE PD and monitor teachers adopting culturally responsive practices. When Nicholas King held a virtual meeting with After August 12 … principals on August 18, he understood that the events Albemarle County Public Schools of the previous weekend would have a lasting effect on was ready because they had the way students interacted with leadership, activism response plans in place. This timeline summarizes the actions and politics. School leaders embraced the opportunity district leaders took in the days to talk about their fears and how to address them. immediately following the deadly “Unite the Right” rally. “We’ve not been one of those places that “It’s kind of a point of departure,” has had our head in the sand,” King says. Haas explains. “If you don’t address AUGUST 14 ACPS Superintendent Over the 10 years of equity initiatives, what your vision is through policy, it Pamela Moran and Charlottes- ACPS has responded to many challenges is kind of a Wild West where people do ville City School superintendent and changes, both in its population and whatever they want.” Rosa Atkins release a joint state- in the surrounding community. Today, This approach has helped reduce ment, declaring, “Our schools students from 95 different countries of suspensions across the district and are where we make acquain- origin attend school in the district. The increased the number of social emo- tance with civic responsibility.” enrollment of English language learn- tional learning specialists in schools ers has increased tenfold as compared with the highest populations of margin- AUGUST 15 Instructional coach to student population growth. The dis- alized students. But perhaps the most Lars Holmstrom and TT Award trict is recognized for its high graduation influential district-level mission is the Winner Leslie Wills-Tay- and low dropout rates, and for its inno- one that allows teachers to lead the lor lead professional develop- vative programming. But it keeps going. way: Hairston’s credentialing program ment sessions, helping teach- As Principal Lisa Molinaro says of for culturally responsive teaching. ers in the district to unpack the Woodbrook Elementary—where the “When you push something out like events of Charlottesville, then majority of students are children of culturally responsive teaching, that’s a bring that conversation into color and nearly half experience eco- carrot,” Haas explains. “It’s a program their classrooms. nomic disadvantage—“I believe that if that you can get involved in, feel pas- we can do it here, we will send a message sionate about.” AUGUST 17 Bernard Hairston, everywhere else to say it can be done.” The program isn’t easy. Only eight ACPS executive director of com- teachers, thus far, have completed the munity engagement, sends Support at Every Level certification. But the positive results are resources to his colleagues. He Years of advocacy and conversations already obvious, as evidenced by the lead- reiterates the focus on “align- have created a unified front in Albe- ership by teachers like Lars Holmstrom, ing classroom activities with our marle County, and the ramifications are Leslie Wills-Taylor, Brandon Readus, core values, excellence, young huge. Equity is the lens through which Monica Laux and others; they are spread- people, respect and commu- all decisions are made. ing the word—by design. nity as well as the benefits that Most importantly, classroom and “Everybody’s a teacher and every- come from culturally responsive school leaders engaging in equity work body’s a learner,” Moran says. “How [can] teaching strategies.” receive support instead of pushback. the work that Dr. Hairston has put in place “You can’t both hold the power close with a team of people ... start to go viral?” AUGUST 18 Nicholas King, ACPS and also give it away,” Moran says. “It’s That “ever-expanding group” was key student services officer, holds a the people who try to consolidate to many teachers finding their way for- virtual meeting with all district power that end up probably having the ward when #Charlottesville went viral. principals stressing how staff least influence.” “There was an open wound in our should respond to personal and Instead, district leaders like Hairston, town,” Wills-Taylor says. “If I go to the student needs after August 12. “It Moran and Deputy Superintendent downtown mall, it feels different to me.” is our responsibility to respond Matt Haas use their positions to cod- Wills-Taylor spent much of that to student needs in a way that ify the mission of equity into the poli- weekend finding solace in her col- is measured, supportive and cies (and budgets) of Albemarle County leagues, knowing they shared a com- non-judgmental,” he says. Schools. The district is even working to mitment to providing students a safe, make sure all policies pass an equity test. but engaged, space.

Read more about Lisa Molinaro’s journey to Woodbrook Elementary School. tolerance.org/molinaro SPRING 2018 41 THE THREE CHARACTERISTICS OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING at Albemarle County Public Schools responded without the current support system in place. Communicating and Acknowledging and Building positive “I honestly can’t imagine it,” she practicing high expec- incorporating the rele- relationships with and says, explaining the domino effect tations to empower vance of cultural heri- among students in the that spreads best practices from pro- all students, with an tages of students into context of culture and fessional development to diversity awareness of differing instructional strategies their communities. resource teachers to instructional cultural lenses. and design. coaches to schools across the district. That network of educators empowered Catherine Glover to respond to the “I had a refuge,” she says. “I had peo- you flatten the hierarchy?” Moran says. events of August 12 with urgency. ple that I could call and reach out to and Even an abridged tour of Albemarle “I felt more strongly than ever that figure out how we could use our peda- County’s schools reveals a company of … the fact that we are a community is gogy, how we could use our discourse principals and teachers recruited to going to sustain us,” Glover says. among teachers, to begin to heal.” enact a districtwide commitment to So when Wills-Taylor and Holmstrom equity and to shape and evolve what that Looking Forward led professional development sessions commitment looks like. At ACPS, they now call the “Unite the following week, they gave their fel- “I feel confident that I can be put on the Right” rally “what happened on low educators a chance to unpack. record to say, yes, that does make my August 12”—an attempt to disem- “Before we teach, we reflect,” Wills- work easier,” says Lisa Molinaro. power white supremacists and nation- Taylor says. And Molinaro’s work isn’t easy. When alists by omission. Confronting the fear of address- she became Woodbrook’s principal in “When people hear the term ing August 12 in class helped teachers 2010, Molinaro encountered a school Charlottesville, their immediate associ- repackage their own reactions and find with kids of color sitting in the hallways ation with that is intolerance and divi- a comfort zone—because they had to. and a full-size trailer serving as a suspen- siveness,” Giaramita says. “It’s not rep- “As tragic as this event was,” says sion center out back. A dozen or more resentative of our school division. And Wills-Taylor, “I’m incredibly enthused kids spent their entire days there, silent. we don’t want to be defined by that.” and excited about what our division has “I had arrived to a school that really The work of educators in in place to press that ‘activate’ button. had its culture stripped,” Molinaro says. Charlottesville is helping the next gen- “The tools are here.” Seven years and an almost entirely eration define their values and the types different staff later, Woodbrook is barely of schools they want to attend. When Flattening the Hierarchy recognizable. There is no suspension they go out into the community, when The Office of Community Engage- center. There is no classroom with tra- they listen and empower diverse voices, ment offers resources to district teach- ditional, industrial seating. Across the when they emphasize the importance of ers, including the work of Zaretta Ham- building, staff share a collective mis- context and empathy—it trickles down. mond, Teaching Tolerance, EduColor sion to serve a diverse student popula- And so the students at Murray High and more. tion responsively. have ideas as to how they can halt hate But Hairston’s work has RESPONDING “It’s no longer a single before it marches again. gone far beyond dropping TO HATE voice,” Molinaro says of the “Taking ownership of your commu- resources into at-risk envi- AND BIAS culturally responsive teaching nity,” one girl says. ronments. A nonprofit he effort. “I have, I don’t know, 18 “Care,” another boy adds. “Just do small If a hateful founded helps recruit young classroom teachers, a staff of things. Make sure people are cared for.” event happened teachers of color to Albemarle roughly 45 and our diversity Different students have different ideas in your school County, and he offers learn- resource team is 20 people. about how to inoculate their community or community, ing and leadership oppor- And they’re there because against hate. But outside in the hallway, would you be tunities to young, culturally they want to be there.” the birdhouses communicate a common ready? Create responsive teachers so they Before moving into an message: Hate does not belong in Murray a plan with can more quickly become rec- administrative role, Wills- High or in ACPS or in Charlottesville— our resource, ognized in the district. Taylor taught at Woodbrook. because humans were born to love. Responding to “I think one of the most After the events of August 12, Hate and Bias important things that I she wonders how the school Collins is the senior writer for at School. really believe in is, how do and district might have Teaching Tolerance.

42 TEACHING TOLERANCE Put this story into action with this toolkit. visit » tolerance.org/tool/ready Why Mendez Still Matters Meet the school desegregation case that still affects ELL instruction today.

BY JOSH MOON

THE STORY OF SOLEDAD VIDAURRI and Vidaurri refused to enroll any of the when a federal court in California ruled her brother, Gonzalo Mendez, should children. Mendez identified four other that the segregation was illegal. have had a happy ending. That might fathers in similar circumstances, and It was a great victory, a precur- explain why it’s almost always given together they filed a federal lawsuit sor to the Brown decision and a land- one when it’s mentioned in American against the district, alleging it was in vio- mark triumph in the fight for Mexican- history classes. lation of state laws prohibiting school American civil rights. At least, that’s In the mid-1940s, Vidaurri went to segregation based on race. The district the simplified synopsis—one that, as enroll her three children and her broth- quickly folded and offered Mendez a Michigan State University Professor er’s three children in a California ele- compromise: We’ll enroll your kids— Maribel Santiago puts it, fits nicely mentary school. Her children, with and only your kids—if you drop the law- with our country’s collective tendency their light complexions and French suit. Mendez turned it down. to view the civil rights movement as a surname, were enrolled easily. But In 1947, a full seven years before Brown model of constant progress instead of Mendez’s children, who had darker skin v. Board of Education of Topeka, Mendez acknowledging the starts, stops, stut- and a Spanish surname, were relegated and the other plaintiffs struck one of the ters and backward steps that slow any

COURTESY OF THE FRANK MT. PLEASANT LIBRARY OF SPECIAL COLLECTIONS OF SPECIAL PLEASANT LIBRARY OF THE FRANK MT. COURTESY CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES AT LEATHERBY & ARCHIVES, to the school for Mexican immigrants. earliest blows against school segregation movement toward equality.

Gonzalo Mendez Jr.’s second-grade class picture from the 17th Street School in Westminster, California. Gonzalo was allowed to enroll in 17th Street after his father (along with Thomas Estrada, William Guzman, SPRING 2018 43 Frank Palomino and Lorenzo Ramirez) brought suit against the city of Westminster. The Legacy of Mendez While the Mendez case was certainly not a step backward, neither was it the analogue of Brown it’s sometimes understood to be. For one thing, the ruling applied only within the boundaries of the Ninth Circuit. While the Mendez decision was referenced in later court cases, it did not hold the national authority of a Supreme Court decision like Brown. More significantly, the court did not ban racial segregation with Mendez; it only determined that Orange County officials had imposed a form of segregation that California law did not allow. The court ruled against the district because, in California at the time, Mexicans were considered white. Had COURTESY OF THE LOCAL HISTORY COLLECTION, ORANGE PUBLIC LIBRARY, CA (RAMIREZ FAMILY); ORANGE, COURTESY OF THE MENDEZ FAMILY (MENDEZ FAMILY); the Mendez children been Asian, for example, the outcome might have been different. The constitutionality of racial COURTESY OF THE FRANK MT. PLEASANT LIBRARY OF SPECIAL COLLECTIONS & ARCHIVES, LEATHERBY LIBRARIES AT CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY (PALOMINO) Top Left: Lorenzo, Ignacio, Josephina and Silvino Ramirez of segregation in schools—the larger ques- El Modena, California, in 1935. Lorenzo Ramirez (far left) was tion the U.S. Supreme Court would have one of five plaintiffs in the Mendez case. Top Right: Gonzalo to answer in Brown—was not under Mendez Sr. and Felicitas Mendez with their son, Gonzalo scrutiny in this case. (California did Mendez Jr. Bottom Left: Arthur Palomino, age 7, son of Mendez plaintiff Frank Palomino. pass a law shortly after Mendez outlaw- ing racial segregation in schools.) To recognize the limits of the Mendez ruling is not to suggest that the on grade level. Over time, they fell fur- progressive victories in the 1940s and case is unimportant. On the contrary, ther and further behind their English- we’re still litigating these issues today.” a key reason to study Mendez today speaking classmates. relates to another persistent means The question the Mendez rul- Litigating Toward Equity of school segregation: language-based ing failed to address still challenges Beginning in the late 1960s, states with separation. After Mendez, schools in schools—and courts—today: How can high numbers of Spanish-speaking stu- the Ninth Circuit could no longer seg- schools ensure equal education to dents witnessed an endless string of regate children on the basis of their non-English-speaking students with- lawsuits, all aimed at either expanding Mexican ancestry. Left unanswered out segregating them? or diminishing programs that helped was the question of whether those same “All of these years later, we know English language learners better assim- children could be segregated based on what the research says, but the law ilate (the assumed goal for ELLs at the specific learning needs, such as English has not entirely caught up with the time). Those lawsuits and the resulting language learning. research,” said attorney Zoe Savitsky, rulings didn’t provide perfect answers, Many state and school officials a deputy legal director at the Southern but they shaped the basic expectations at the time argued that Mexican- Poverty Law Center who has litigated of what public schools need to provide American students who struggled to several cases on behalf of English lan- when it comes to educating ELLs. understand English needed special guage learners (ELLs). “Education One of the earliest was the 1974 U.S. training. While Spanish-speaking stu- researchers know that it is not just pos- Supreme Court case Lau v. Nichols, dents did receive focused language sible but better for ELLs to teach them which originated in San Francisco. training, they were also isolated from in settings where they interact regu- Several Chinese-American students their peers and unable to consistently larly with their English-speaking peers. filed a lawsuit because the school dis- attend the classes in math, science and I think it speaks to the complexity of the trict had implemented no language history that would allow them to stay issues that there were all of these really courses for ELLs. The district, on the

For more on how to make your instruction and classroom culture 44 TEACHING TOLERANCE more accessible to ELL students, visit » tolerance.org/ELL other hand, took the position that by not offering special classes, they were treating Asian-American students equally. The Supreme Court disagreed: “[S]tudents who do not understand English are effectively foreclosed from any meaningful education,” Justice William Douglas wrote for the majority. “We know that those who do not understand English are certain to find The Importance of Teaching Mendez their classroom experiences wholly incom- prehensible and in no way meaningful.” Mendez v. Westminster has gone largely unrecognized in history The Lau opinion had lasting influ- instruction. If it is mentioned at all, the case is often tagged as ence and, years later, resulted in the U.S. a precursor to the civil rights movement or as the Mexican- Department of Education establish- American version of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. ing a number of ELL guidelines requir- “We have a tendency in the U.S., especially in our class- ing schools to identify English language rooms, to believe that the country is always moving for- learners, establish a timeline for leveling ward, always improving, always getting better,” Michigan State and placing students, identify teachers’ University Professor Dr. Maribel Santiago says. “That isn’t standards and determine a best course of always the case, as we see with our current climate. Teaching the action. Lau also resulted in the Department Mendez case as if it’s the Mexican-American version of Brown of Education’s Civil Rights Division updat- fits that narrative nicely. It makes people feel good. It’s easy to ing its anti-discrimination policy to include understand. But it is not accurate.” discrimination based on language. Santiago is on a mission to do two things: 1) Get the Mendez “Basically, Lau made it clear that you case into the lesson plans of history teachers, and 2) make sure couldn’t just sit a non-English-speaking the case is taught properly, with all of the nuance left in. student in a classroom and pretend that The Mendez case definitely has nuance to spare. In addition to all is OK,” Savitsky said. “There had to be a the court unintentionally endorsing the legality of language-based good-faith effort to educate the students.” segregation, the plaintiffs’ lawyers appealed to laws that, at the But what the Lau case didn’t—and time, classified Mexican-American students as white people. In couldn’t—do was establish clear ways for other words, a case that is often characterized as a blow against districts to meet the new guidelines. After racial segregation is actually an example of a case that staked its all, it’s one thing to say that all ELLs must success on a claim of what we now call white privilege. be educated properly. It’s quite another to The details of the case, Santiago believes, can draw in juggle the educational needs of hundreds Mexican-American and other Latinx students. or thousands of students, especially in In her paper “Erasing Difference for the Sake of Inclusion: How high-poverty school districts. Mexican/Mexican Americans Construct Historical Narratives,” Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, New Santiago encourages teaching more specific lessons about York, California and other states have Mexican-American history and including the nuanced account of dealt with federal lawsuits over the ambi- those events as a way to increase relevance and spark engagement. guity that has lingered since the Mendez Santiago’s goal is to provide teachers with lessons that dig and Lau rulings. There have been law- into the complexities of the Mendez case. suits over the availability of ELL courses, “This has to start with the teachers, because otherwise it’s up the degree of segregation imposed by ELL to state legislatures and state laws, and that ship just moves too programs, the quality of instruction, the slowly,” she says. “Even in California, a state with a large Latinx effectiveness of the programs and the state population, it took nearly 20 years to change the curriculum. We resources devoted to them. have to stress this to teachers, to impress upon them the impor- In some of these cases, courts have tance of this history.” recognized fundamental requirements for ELL instruction. Most derive from Castaneda v. Pickard, a 1981 case in which the Fifth Circuit held that, at a minimum, ELL programs had to be based on sound “Basic English skills are at the very core of what offers the following suggestions for how to balance social inclusion with robust these public schools teach. Imposition of a language learning opportunities: requirement that, before a child can effectively Limit pull-out instruction time. Pulling ELLs out of class for separate participate in the educational program, he must instruction limits contact time with already have acquired those basic skills is to peers. Students who spend a significant amount of time outside of the classroom make a mockery of public education.” are put at a disadvantage for forming —Justice William O. Douglas on behalf of a unanimous new friendships and learning new skills. United States Supreme Court in Lau v. Nichols (1974) Level the playing field. Provide lev- eled reading material in a student’s native language, and be sure to give educational theory and had to work in of Latino immigrants have found they ELLs the same curriculum that every- practice. Many courts across the coun- are more likely to attend elementary one else is using. English language try have adopted this twofold standard schools in high-poverty areas that learners may need additional scaf- for ELL programs in their own states. struggle with less-experienced and less- folding or alternative texts, but every- Some of the programs that end up in skilled teachers, fewer resources, and one should be given access to the same court are implemented and taught by lower-than-average academic outcomes essential questions, learning targets talented and well-meaning administra- than their white, U.S.-born peers.” and enduring understandings. tors and teachers. Often referred to as There is no indication that a uniform Make the curriculum relevant. “immersion programs,” they generally solution is likely in the near future. Embed stories, readings and perspec- require that students spend up to five Several border states are currently tives that focus on history, immigra- hours per day essentially segregated dealing with at least one lawsuit over tion and community into the units you from their English-speaking peers. ELL courses, and across the United teach. This will create opportunities This segregation can be trau- States more lawsuits are popping up to bring personal stories to the class- matic for immigrant students, who regularly. As recently as July 2017, for room. Including these perspectives are already more likely to experience example, a Thai student sued St. Paul shows students how their lives can also both racial and economic segregation. Public Schools in Minnesota, alleging be read as a part of a larger American Because they are missing instructional that he had been placed in regular high story of the history of shifting borders time in their other subjects, students in school courses despite being able to and movements of people. these programs can also fall behind in read at only a second-grade level. Use a variety of teaching modalities. their courses. Described by University Movement, call-and-response, claps, of Texas Professor Jennifer Keys Adair Toward a Culturally Responsive Solution stomps, chants and cheers are all ways as “multi-layered discrimination,” the Nearly 75 years after Soledad Vidaurri to get—and keep—the attention of stu- segregation enforced by these pro- and Gonzalo Mendez attempted to dents who may not understand every grams could dramatically lower stu- enroll their children in school, ques- word. These approaches also offer dents’ self-worth and result in serious tions about language segregation opportunities to make memorable con- academic and behavioral issues later in remain unresolved. The legal battles, nections to the curriculum. their education. however, have made one thing clear: The same solution may not work for In her work on migration policy, The courts might be able to determine every school or for every ELL popula- Adair also points out that the segrega- the minimum threshold for services, tion, but equitable solutions are possi- tion and discrimination experienced but they are not the most effective sys- ble. Through research, ingenuity and by some ELLs is not the unfortunate tem for establishing best practices. conversations with students and fam- result of well-meaning teachers and Culturally responsive educators ilies, the equal educational opportu- administrators. who work with English language learn- nities Soledad Vidaurri and Gonzalo “A 2003 class-action suit on behalf of ers have long held that, while these Mendez once sought for their children poor children in California highlighted young people need differentiation, can one day become a reality. the state’s use of inferior facilities and they also need to learn alongside their curricula, and poorly designed assess- peers. The Teaching Tolerance publica- Moon is an award-winning columnist ment instruments to teach ELL chil- tion Best Practices for Serving English and investigative reporter working in dren,” Adair writes. “Studies of children Language Learners and Their Families Montgomery, Alabama.

46 TEACHING TOLERANCE CELEBRATECELEBRATE MAYAMAYA ANGELOU!ANGELOU!

IN OBSERVANCE OF WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN HER 90TH BIRTHDAY, TAKE A MOMENT TO INTRODUCE YOUR STUDENTS TO LEGENDARY WRITER AND ACTIVIST MAYA ANGELOU.

Who Is Maya Angelou to You? Ask five people who Maya Angelou was, and you’re apt to get five different answers. Over the 86 years of her life, she pushed the world toward a more equitable future through her work as a poet, civil rights activist, essayist, director, editor, playwright, dancer, singer, actor, composer and historian. In April of 2018, Angelou would have cele- brated her 90th birthday. What better time to introduce your students to a woman who over- came tremendous obstacles to become a leader in the fight against injustice and inequity?

BY ALICE PETTWAY ILLUSTRATION BY JEFFREY SMITH SPRING 2018 47 Still I Rise Maya Angelou You may write me down in history With your bitter‚ twisted lies‚ You may trod me in the very dirt But still‚ like dust‚ I’ll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you? Why are you beset with gloom? ’Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns‚ With the certainty of tides‚ Just like hopes springing high‚ The Power of Poetry Still I’ll rise. When Amanda Jensen saw her third- and fourth-graders struggling to process feelings of fear and uncertainty during the 2016 election, she decided Did you want to see me broken? to get them thinking and talking about power and agency. Armed with a Bowed head and lowered eyes? shelf full of books about diverse leaders, Jensen set out to teach her stu- Shoulders falling down like teardrops‚ dents about people who have made a difference in times of adversity. Weakened by my soulful cries? In the process, she found that kids happens, she will keep on going and Does my haughtiness offend you? were particularly drawn to one per- going,” wrote one student. “This Don’t you take it awful hard son—Maya Angelou. “There’s some- makes me think she’s saying she ’Cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines thing about that poem, ‘Still I won’t give up. It makes me feel Diggin’ in my own back yard. Rise,’” says Jensen. “Once you confident. She makes me feel find its meaning and make EDUCATOR strong,” wrote another. You may shoot me with your words‚ connections with it, it’s a poem SPOTLIGHT The project became col- You may cut me with your eyes‚ that stays with you forever.” laborative as students took

You may kill me with your hatefulness, Knowing that her class had the concepts from their personal © 1978 BY MAYA ANGELOU, FROM AND STILL BY I RISE MAYA ANGELOU. USED BY INC. PERMISSION OF RANDOM HOUSE, But still‚ like air‚ I’ll rise. engaged well with art projects in the illustrations and added them to a large past, Jensen decided to use art to help class mural featuring Angelou’s poetry Does my sexiness upset you? students connect with the message in both English and Spanish. By the Does it come as a surprise of empowerment in Angelou’s poem. time everyone had contributed to the That I dance like I’ve got diamonds She asked students to read a por- painting, it was almost too heavy to At the meeting of my thighs? tion of the poem, explain what they hang, says Jensen. thought the passage meant and how The mural still hangs in the hall- Out of the huts of history’s shame it made them feel, and then illustrate way outside Jensen’s classroom I rise their thoughts. where it can continue to help stu- Up from a past that’s rooted in pain Jensen says the reactions to dents to see themselves as “active I rise Angelou’s poem were inspiring. “I members working toward an inclu- I’m a black ocean‚ leaping and wide‚ think what she is trying to say is that sive, empowering, affirming and safe Welling and swelling I bear in the tide. nothing can stop her. And whatever world for all.”

Leaving behind nights of terror and fear PHOTO COURTESY OF AMANDA JENSEN I rise “The poem makes me feel stronger Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear I rise than I am right now. It also makes Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave‚ I am the dream and the hope of the slave. me feel that I can do more than I rise I can right now.” — ELEMENTARY STUDENT I rise I rise.

Put this story into action with this Teaching Tolerance toolkit. 48 TEACHING TOLERANCE visit » tolerance.org/tool/celebrate-angelou Q&A A GRANDSON’S PERSPECTIVE

COLIN JOHNSON, Angelou’s grandson, was at his grandmother’s side at just about every event she attended during the last 25 years of her life, he says. She—and her friends—called him “The Grand.” In celebration of what would have been Angelou’s 90th birthday, Johnson spoke to Teaching Tolerance about who Angelou was when she was outside of the public eye. THE LIFE OF A LEGEND What would you like people to know about your grandmother that can’t be gleaned from a biography citing her work and awards? 1928 Maya Angelou is born Marguerite Annie There are plenty of people who have gotten the individual awards Johnson Angelou in St. Louis, Missouri. she has gotten. … But the difference for me is the way in which my 1935 Loses her ability to speak after being sexually grandmother did it and her style and spirit while doing it. She had assaulted by her mother’s boyfriend, who is sub- an amazing laugh and a singing voice that was full of life. And after sequently killed. the tough life she lived, it’s just amazing the spirit that she kept. 1940 Regains her voice with the help of mentor We talk about my grandmother finding her voice twice: first after Bertha Flowers. her mutism and then, once she grew up and had the number of expe- 1945 Graduates from George Washington High riences that she had, the voice School in San Francisco and gives birth to a son; that rose in her that would becomes the first black female street car conduc- never be quieted. She felt like tor in the city. injustice and inequality were 1954-1955 Tours the country as a cast member in just not right for this world. … the musical Porgy and Bess. And she believed even before 1959 Becomes the northern coordinator for the this phrase was popular that Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). art is action, that you can 1961-1962 Becomes associate editor of The Arab move mountains, and you can Observer in Cairo, Egypt. move people, through your art 1964 Helps found the Organization of Afro- form and giving truth. American Unity (OAAU). Angelou is well known as both 1964-1966 Moves to Accra, Ghana, and becomes a poet and activist, but perhaps feature editor for African Review. less well known as an educator. 1969 Publishes her memoir I know Why the Caged How did she turn art into action Bird Sings. in the classroom? 1972 Becomes the first African-American woman What she said is that she to have a screenplay produced (Georgia, Georgia); thought for a long time that Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water ‘fore I Diiie is she was a writer that could teach, and eventually she realized that nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. she was a teacher who could write. … My grandmother believed that 1973 Receives Tony Award nomination for Look Away. books were freedom from ignorance and that they could transport you 1974 Returns to the United States. anywhere. And in that very moment, when you transfer someone to 1977 Is nominated for an Emmy Award after work- West Africa or Egypt or Rome or London, you are taking action in that ing on the TV miniseries Roots. kid’s life and exposing them to something and somebody else’s ideas 1982 Receives a lifetime appointment as Reynolds and the beauty that comes from everywhere and everybody’s writing. Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest What would you say to students to help them realize the world University. your grandmother worked to create? 1993 Reads “On the Pulse of the Morning” at Bill I would say that if you live with an open heart and you trust your gut Clinton’s inauguration. and you love hard, you’re probably going to live an amazing life. And the 1998 Directs Down in the Delta. only problems in life really come when you become calloused and you 2000 Receives a National Medal of Arts. start to be jaded about what the opportunities in this world are and that 2005 Receives NAACP Image Award for Hallelujah! people are innately great. Period. Everybody is innately great. Things The Welcome Table. might happen to them and make them worse people, bad people. … But 2009 Receives NAACP Image Award for Letter to in the heart of everybody is a really great person and everybody wants My Daughter. about the same thing you do. They want to eat, raise their kids, be suc- 2010 Receives Presidential Medal of Freedom.

GETTY IMAGES cessful, laugh a little bit, love a little bit. That’s it. 2014 Maya Angelou passes away at the age of 86.

Pettway is a freelance writer and poet. She lives in Shanghai, China. SPRING 2018 49 50 TEACHING TOLERANCE Teaching Hard History EDUCATORS TALK ABOUT HOW TO TEACH AMERICAN SLAVERY

INTERVIEW CONDUCTED BY ADRIENNE VAN DER VALK ILLUSTRATION BY SAM WARD

A terrible legacy of slavery and white supremacy undeniably influences life in the United States today. It is present in the U.S. system of mass incarceration, in police violence against black citizens, and in white society’s acceptance of poverty and poor educational opportunities for people of color. Learning about this country’s history of slavery and white supremacy is essential if we are ever to bridge the racial differences that continue to divide our nation.

Unfortunately, even as more and more teach- plenty of questionable lessons online, and only a ers rise to the challenge of teaching about racism patchwork of solid advice offered by interpretive and racial justice, many struggle to teach effec- centers, museums and professional organizations. tively and responsively about slavery—the institution that poured racism into our national founda- Teaching Hard History tion. The subject material is undeniably complex How can we fill this void? Teaching Tolerance recently and difficult; when we talk about slavery, we are conducted a review of available materials and asked talking about hundreds of years of institutionalized thousands of teachers, students and researchers to violence against millions of people. Their descen- tell us what they knew and what they needed to know dants—and those of the people who benefitted from about this critical topic. Based on this research, we their forced labor—sit in our classrooms. And even developed a collection of materials titled Teaching though educators may strive for robust conversa- Hard History, rolling out in February of 2018. The tions about this topic, they are poorly served by collection features a library of texts, a set of inquiry state standards and frameworks, popular textbooks design models and a podcast, all focused on best and their own history instruction. Compounding practices for effective and responsive teaching about these factors is the reality that there is no consen- slavery and white supremacy, and all vetted by an sus among experts on how to teach about slavery, advisory board of leading scholars in the field. The

SPRING 2018 51 As a result of our investigation, we identified materials hinge on an original frame- workers coming over to this country. We work for teaching about slavery and talk about all those things so that my several guiding princi- white supremacy—the first of its kind— students feel prepared to discuss this, I ples for teaching about that we hope will influence textbook think as all of our students want to, as publishers, state standards and anyone historians at the end of the day. slavery: who writes or teaches about this history. Jackie: A huge shift for me has been shifting from teaching slavery as victim- Teach that slavery is foundational. Teachers Talk ization to agency and trying to find ways Slavery defined the nature and lim- Meet four secondary educators whose to incorporate ways that enslaved peo- its of American liberty; it significantly teaching about slavery reflects the ple tried to change their own situation, influenced the creation and devel- principles of Teaching Hard History: so that I wasn’t just presenting negative opment of major political and social Laura Baines-Walsh of Brookline, stories where they’re just the victims all institutions; and it was a corner- Massachusetts; Jackie Katz of the time. [Without that shift] it becomes stone of the American prosperity that Wellesley, Massachusetts; Ryan New problematic; it almost seems like, “Well fueled our industrial revolution. of Danville, Kentucky; and Kevin Toro then it’s white people’s jobs to save black Acknowledge that slavery existed in of Arlington, Massachusetts. people. Because they’re the victim.” the North and the South. Slavery was We assembled these innovative edu- legal in every one of the colonies that cators to discuss how they teach about Can you describe one of the most chal- declared independence in 1776. Fewer slavery with their predominantly white lenging moments you’ve had while than half (44 percent) of the high students. (As part of the Teaching Hard teaching about slavery? school seniors we surveyed knew that. History initiative, we’ll be publishing a jackie: A challenging moment that Talk explicitly about racism and white series of similar discussions with teach- comes up frequently is when students supremacy. White supremacy pro- ers who teach predominantly African- say, “Oh, well it doesn’t sound that vided the oxygen slavery required to American students and teachers who bad.” Because I think the double-edged persist—yet none of the 15 sets of teach in racially diverse classrooms.) sword of teaching about agency is all of state standards we reviewed for this a sudden, kids are like, “Oh, well then report mentioned racism or white As you’ve gained experience as an they can run away.” Or, “Oh, they can supremacy in the context of the his- educator, how has your approach to collect coins.” Or, “Oh, they sing songs, tory of slavery. teaching about slavery changed? so everything’s fine.” I have kids all Rely on responsive pedagogy that is well ryan: I’ve found that using sources, the time who say things about how, suited to the topic. When we asked especially with an inquiry, forces stu- “Oh, well this wasn’t so bad. See how teachers to tell us about their favor- dents to have to figure things out for Douglass was able to get away.” ite lessons when teaching about slav- themselves. They have to deal with the So I think trying to predict how kids ery, dozens described classroom sim- fact that the source says this thing and are going to respond to the primary and ulations, which are inappropriate for there’s nobody else telling them what secondary sources and be able to have teaching about the deeply traumatic to think. I was finding that students had enough strategies that you can redirect events surrounding enslavement. a hard time distinguishing between my them toward what was a horrible insti- Center the black experience. Our ten- thoughts on something and what the tution is really important. dency is to focus on what motivated history was. And so by pulling back, laura: One of the things that keeps the white actors within the system of becoming much more of a facilita- coming up is this idea of, “This is so chattel slavery. But, whether discussing tor, and allowing the sources to speak awful, it can’t possibly have happened. the political, economic or social impli- for themselves. I can then be a person Why didn’t they just realize this was cations, the experiences of enslaved who’s going to prod them with ques- wrong and stop?” Or, they want there to people must remain at the center of the tions or introduce new sources that will be the good master. “Was Jefferson nice conversation to do this topic justice. challenge their points of view. to his slaves? What about Washington?” Connect to the present. Teach about kevin: Getting a clear and precise history Like they’re looking for some sort of the influences of African culture that I think is so important to teaching this. good guy in this. And trying to find a still surround us. Point to examples of We teach the economic reasons for slav- way to talk to them in a developmen- structural racism that can be traced ery when we start out, and the reason tally appropriate way, so we’re not over- back to slavery and white supremacy. why it started being this massive agricul- whelming them, but also bringing them Students must understand the scope tural need and how that compares with to the awful truth that, even if a mas- and lasting impact of enslavement a sort of narrative going out now about ter wasn’t whipping their slave, they to gain a complete understanding of this history. 52 TEACHING TOLERANCE are depriving them of bodily autonomy. be worried about?” Students need to broaching this topic with students? And there is not a kind way to do that. So have a lot of space to have so many dif- ryan: I show them all these beautiful bringing them to that is a very difficult ferent reactions. And that they need cities, and I sa[y], “Tell me the name of thing, while also, like Jackie, looking their teachers to just be accepting of this city and if you can’t get the name of for places of agency. Slaves were more any reaction that they have. the city, maybe where it’s from, maybe than just property. They were wives and kevin: It’s super interesting because I a continent or something like that.” husbands and children, Christians and was that kid for a while, sitting in class, And every single one of [the cities], Muslims. And so trying to get that wide and now I’m obviously a teacher of color. of course, is in Africa. And no student variety of slave experience. [I]n Arlington we have a lot of white in the 20 students that I have, none of students. A majority, by far. But I have them identified the continent of Africa What you have noticed that your had students of color in my room while for any of the cities. And we had a con- African-American students need from I’m teaching these subjects. And it hasn’t versation about this. And I think that you? And, for the white teachers in the come up as a problem to me so far, but … you’re never going to be able to talk discussion, do you feel about slavery in a very like that’s different for meaningful way if peo- you as a white teacher? ple don’t see Africans ryan: Because we have as people first, and such a large white that they were just population and such as equally capable in a small black popula- every single way. tion, oftentimes I have Jackie: I’d say some one or maybe two of that groundwork black students in my happens with just class. There’s always talking about issues a difficult moment of power and privi- where I have to pull lege and equity and the student aside and hierarchy with things be like, “Look. We’re that are super safe and going to be talking innocuous. I talk ini- about some issues and tially about how hier- everybody’s going to archies were set up in look to you, and you the colonies. Because don’t have to speak on kids don’t have a lot behalf of everybody invested in that. But if else.” That’s always an they can understand issue. … So the biggest, that those hierarchies biggest issue for me is existed early on, if you figuring out how to dis- start with stuff that’s rupt the narrative in a way that’s effec- it may be because I am the black teacher not heavy, it takes the defensiveness tive, but also safe for all of the students. in the room and they’re looking to me for away from kids. When you get to stuff jackie: My mom’s from the Philippines. I that, instead of the students themselves. that’s like, “This is a legacy that you are identify to my students so that they know I also preface these standards, when living in,” it feels a little safer than if you where I’m coming from and where my we have discussions, speaking from the just start with, “You live in a racist coun- perspectives lie when I start off the year. I, not speaking for everyone. I do pref- try, it’s been racist since its founding.” I’ve made mistakes where I’ve put ace [with] a lot of my own personal kevin: By the time we talk about [slav- feelings on to [students of color]. Like troubles with race as I’ve gone through ery] in my class, they’ve gone through I’ve said, “You might be uncomfort- my life, so we do talk about these some- the ideas of inequity, inequality, and the able because we’re going to be learning times-awkward moments when I was fact of the matter is, even though they about slavery,” instead of just posing asked to talk or speak for all black peo- know that people will use other people, more open-ended questions, like, “Do ple or speak for all Hispanics. the greed, all these bad things that peo- you have any concerns as we approach ple do throughout history that we’re all this unit? Are there things you might What groundwork do you lay before so well acquainted with, so that when

Preview one of the inquiry design models featured in Teaching Hard History! visit » tolerance.org/tool/hard-history SPRING 2018 53 “Get drenched in the content the time comes to get to slavery, and because, once you’re in it, it ready for the struggles, right? Even I’ve we’re talking about how that leads up had struggles as a black teacher teach- to civil rights, they are equipped to talk is so clear how so many of ing about slavery. Sometimes I feel like about how someone could feel like they the problems that we face I’m almost militant in class. Which own someone else and then breed a cer- I feel like I’ve scared away some stu- tain race for agricultural means and in the United States stem dents from the subject. And not to be an profit off of that and really stick to that. apologist, but there is a certain balance laura: My groundwork begins in the from our founding period as there that I need to check, especially summer, with their summer reading when teaching to white students who book. They read Hang a Thousand Trees a slave nation.” may not open up to me because they With Ribbons. It’s a historical fiction feel like I’ll yell at them because of it. about Phillis Wheatley, the first black worrying about where it was made. So ryan: [T]he advice I would give to teach- woman published in the New World that’s one of the ways I try to connect it ers is to make a clear distinction between for her poetry. She’s great for my school to current social justice issues. heritage and history. And this is some- because she’s 13 years old, she’s a black jackie: There’s a lot at stake if your dis- thing I do at the very beginning of my girl, a slave, and she’s living in Boston. comfort with teaching about slavery year for all my classes. So that heritage is What I like about this book is it intro- makes you not do it or do it in a way the celebration of, the unquestioning of, duces us to Africa, that people in Africa that’s really superficial. The disservice it’s exactly what it is that we don’t want had families and they loved each other. that you’re doing to students is greater to do. That history is very critical, it’s full It introduces us to human evil that is than the mistakes you might make of questions, it’s filled with discomfort. everywhere. And it teaches the girls that, when you try teaching it and some- [W]e just had a monument that was here is this black girl who’s like you, who times fail. We’re all going to make mis- removed in Lexington; it was a big deal. has the same wants, needs, desires, aca- takes teaching, but be reflective about We actually have a Confederate monu- demic ambitions that they do, but that where is your discomfort coming from. ment down the street here at Centre her life is being defined in some ways by I would say get drenched in the con- College. No one’s made a big deal about this incredibly evil institution. Even as tent because, once you’re in it, it is so clear it yet, but being able to have [conver- her owners are kind to her, she still has how so many of the problems that we face sations] about, “Well, that’s not really to deal with oppression. That’s one of in the United States, not only with race, history. That’s more heritage. Let’s the things that I try very hard to do, is to but also with how we treat women and talk about heritage. Where are all the make everybody that we study human. how we deal with labor, stem from our … monuments to slaves who had to founding period as a slave nation. endure this? Martin Luther King Jr. What advice do you have for teach- kevin: We see a legacy that lasts, and is marched on Frankfort, which is our cap- ers who are uncomfortable teaching so prevalent in just everything that we ital, but there’s no monument to Martin about slavery? are doing today. I see it less as pieces Luther King Jr.” So it’s getting into this laura: Because my students are so of history that are separated than [as] larger conversation about how it is that young and they’re northerners, they chapters in the same book. You can’t we’re going to view what we view. I often want to think [slavery was] a mention a time in this country where think it’s very important for teachers to Southern problem. Or they’re really racism and the effects of slavery haven’t do this, specifically, being able to cleave curious about “How could Northerners been full force. We come out of [slav- between what heritage means and what allow this to happen?” ery]; we get Jim Crow. We come out it represents and what history’s about. And so one of the things I like talking of Jim Crow; we get the prison-indus- jackie: You need to be comfortable about is the fact that most of them own trial complex. Some would argue that talking about race, and it’s OK to say black clothes that were made in Bangladesh or the civil rights movement is still going and white and talk about skin color—and an iPhone that was made in a sweatshop on today. This is just the next chapter those things matter. And I think that if in China. Did they consider that? Did in this book that we’re in. And so, in you’re going to be uncomfortable talking they worry about that? Are they writ- talking about slavery, the connections about that, you’re not going to be effec- ing their elected officials or boycotting to today, for me, are so obvious. tive talking about slavery. So get comfort- Apple? And again, not to put white guilt When teachers ask me about this able with naming skin color, naming race, onto them, per se, but to have them look stuff and how to teach about it, I feel like because it does matter. at the complexity of these issues. And at the best way to really start is to really, the end of the day, they probably bought just like Jackie said, dig in and learn van der Valk is the deputy director the T-shirt that was cheapest, without everything there and then get ready. Get for Teaching Tolerance.

54 TEACHING TOLERANCE How does a black woman teach her all-white class about racism and racial privilege? BY SARAH L. WEBB ILLUSTRATION BY LOVEIS WISE “IS THAT, LIKE, white guilt?” asks a student in my sophomore writing class. The small class is composed of only white students. I, a dark-skinned black woman, look around the circle, throw my hands up and say, “I don’t know. I’ve never experienced white guilt.” My students and I get a good laugh from this and continue with our discussion. I return to that moment now as an example of the question I had asked myself since the day I began planning the class: How does someone like me teach a class of white students about racism and racial privilege? In discussions about this topic, I most often hear such questions posed by or for white teachers. The assumption might be that, as racial minorities, teachers of color are naturally better prepared to talk to students about racial issues. It’s not often enough that we examine the difficulties educators of color might face in teaching about race, ethnicity and privilege, particularly in predominantly white settings. While I don’t speak for all teachers of color, there is a set of unique challenges we often face. These racial and gender stereotypes in order These biases are likely to exist regard- are the challenges as I see them—and to reach and connect with students in less of the race or ethnicity of the students my general approach to clearing those meaningful ways. and regardless of the subject matter of hurdles last school year. Gloria T. Hull and Barbara Smith the course. However, these challenges write in their introduction to All the become more complicated when rac- Anticipating Bias Women Are White, All the Blacks Are ism and privilege are the subjects, as was All teachers must learn to effectively Men, But Some of Us Are Brave that “our often the case in my class. The bias itself position themselves within the learn- oppression as Black women can take on is one thing, but the mere anticipation of ing environment, but our white and/or forms specifically aimed at discrediting bias, for some teachers who are women of male colleagues do not have the added our intellectual power.” Other writers, color, is a challenge in and of itself. Why burden of combating certain negative such as Jacqueline Jones Royster and do I anticipate this bias in the first place? cultural stereotypes that discredit their Karla FC Holloway, have written about Where do my doubts stem from? intelligence and overall professional the common skepticism and disbelief of My anxieties as a teacher come from competence. As women of color, we black women’s testimonies, arguments my experiences as a student, particu- have to climb the additional hurdles of and general credibility. larly in college and graduate school.

56 TEACHING TOLERANCE prepare for class feeling empowered instead of anxious (although the but- terflies never really go away).

Letting White People Talk About Race While white teachers sometimes say they struggle to relate to racial oppression and certain lived experiences of their students of color, as a black teacher, I can’t relate to white privilege—or “white guilt,” as my student’s question revealed last year. My own experiences may limit, though not entirely inhibit, the support I’m able to offer white students in their processes of understanding racism and racial privilege. My approach was to bring in white people, in person or via their writing, who have done useful work on race and racism. Some might find this counter- intuitive, and there are certainly people who would disagree with this tactic. But I think it works, particularly when you are trying to address an aspect of the racial reality that white people live in—a reality that certainly includes white privilege and may include white guilt as well. I recall overhearing white male class- professor, erupt in a loud and abusive mates at a public Mississippi university temper tantrum. Painfully, I recall feel- No Hidden Agendas openly discussing their disapproval of ing unheard, patronized and dismissed In addition to general racial stereotypes, an architecture professor who taught by my peers, most often white men, in when black teachers talk about racial about global systems of oppression—as spaces ranging from academic seminars issues, others might assume a high level if she couldn’t possibly know and under- to my own Facebook page. And I subcon- of racial bias on the part of the teacher. stand the facts of history. I recall seeing sciously carry all of these memories with White students who have not engaged some of my black women professors at me when I step into the classroom. in critical discussions about race and public universities in Louisiana and pri- My coping strategy was to embrace racism might assume that black teach- vate colleges in California under threat my anticipation of bias as a planning ers are being “too sensitive” or that we of losing their jobs due to the dissatisfac- tool. In planning for the day-to-day cannot be objective about the issue. tion of their white students. I recall two activities of the class, I strategized While no racial or ethnic group is “neu- cisgender white men in my Shakespeare against bias the same way we teachers tral” in discussions about race, people of class, after a semester of their build- strategize against boredom or a lack color are typically the ones suspiciously ing resentment for the queer woman of prior knowledge. That way, I could viewed as having personal agendas.

SPRING 2018 57 My coping strategy In response to this challenge, I evidence to support that opinion?” prioritized transparency. No hidden was to embrace my “What is the counterevidence?” These agendas. I openly and directly posi- general questions meant to challenge tioned myself in the classroom. I anticipation of bias as a ideas about race connect directly to the spoke about the various dynamics of general research and analytical skills being the instructor, a Ph.D. student, planning tool. In planning we hope all students learn. a black woman, able-bodied and so Before class conversations, I usu- forth, explaining the various aspects for the day-to-day ally provided prompts or questions to of my identity that have historical sig- which students had time to respond. nificance and social meaning. I did this activities of the class, In fact, I devoted significant time to partly to model how one might exam- students’ individual and personal ine their own position in social settings reflections on the topics and readings. and in society as a whole, and to dis- I strategized against Students completed reflections after pel the myth that any position is the discussions, assignments and activ- neutral, objective position. It was also bias the same way we ities to help them integrate and syn- a way to very clearly establish the fact thesize new information or to explore that, in this classroom, we do see color teachers strategize lingering questions. I believe I kept my and all other various parts of people’s students so busy in self-reflection that identities—not to reinforce hierar- against boredom or a they hardly had time to think about me. chies, but to correct for them. Since my class was a social justice lack of prior knowledge. What the Students Said focused class, it was also quite fitting Based on my students’ reflections, I that we dispel the myth that anyone or am confident we had a successful class any entity is agenda-free. In fact, we despite the challenges I’ve described learned to embrace agendas, as long here. Students expressed gratitude as we were ethical and transparent The knowledge I thought I already had for an eye-opening and transforma- about them. no longer seemed sufficient when pre- tive class. However, they still had some paring to teach my students. I needed big questions and concerns about rac- A Freire Lesson to learn more, so I did. ism that had not been fully worked out, Finally, the notion that teachers of namely: Although racial discrimination color are naturally better prepared to It’s Not About Me is still happening, is it still possible that teach lessons about race and privilege Ultimately, what allowed me to over- some people are too sensitive or finding is a myth. As author Paulo Freire illus- come the obstacles was a commitment new ways to be offended? and What can trates in Pedagogy of the Oppressed, to student-centered pedagogy, remind- we do about all of these issues? those oppressed within a society do ing myself that my primary objective is The variables can seem infinite, so not automatically have the perspective, not my own comfort but my students’ there’s no guarantee that using the tools and skills to critique the oppres- growth. I worked hard to dethrone same approaches with another class sive nature of that society. Such per- myself as “the professor.” will produce a similar result. However, spective and skills must be learned This was a writing class, so I gave a this experience showed me that, with regardless of one’s identity, role or couple of lectures about writing skills, intention and diligence, educators can social status. but I never lectured on social justice, make significant strides in teaching As a result of this challenge, I found race, privilege, etc. I always approached racial justice—even if our racial iden- myself expanding my own understand- these topics as discussions, which I tities and experiences do not match ing of race, racism and related issues. prompted and guided with questions those of our students. In my efforts to provide students with and passages from class readings. I diverse content, I had to dig deeper consciously phrased everything as a Webb is a Ph.D. candidate who into the histories and contemporary question, even when offering “cor- focuses on literacy, colorism, race, realities of other races and ethnicities. rective” feedback: “Is there sufficient gender and media.

58 TEACHING TOLERANCE staff picks

Teaching Tolerance loves to read! Check out a few of our favorite diverse books for diverse What We’re Reading readers and educators.

Strange Fruit: Billie Holiday and the Power of a Protest Song, written by Gary Golio and illustrated by Charlotte Riley-Webb, tells the story of Billie Holiday’s haunting, iconic “Explore the power song “Strange Fruit.” A young and prominent jazz singer, Holiday had been unsure of how of music to her audiences would respond to the song’s challenge injustice.” vivid lyrics. But she chose to sing it anyway —Gabriel A. Smith in protest of racial injustice in the United States, particularly the lynching of African Americans in the South. That choice came with a hefty price, but she continued to sing it to voice the suffering of her people—and helped galvanize the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Maud Macrory Powell’s City of Grit and Gold vividly portrays the PROFESSIONAL harshness and uncertainty of immigrant life in 1886 Chicago during DEVELOPMENT the Haymarket Affair. Addie, a 12-year-old Jewish girl, struggles to Juárez Girls Rising: keep her family intact as her beloved uncle joins laborers’ protests for Transformative fair treatment while her father tries to assimilate in hopes of achieving Education in Times of the American Dream. This book provides a clear connection to the Dystopia by Claudia G. Teaching Tolerance Social Justice Standards as it explores the themes Cervantes-Soon of family, nationalism and standing up to injustice. HIGH SCHOOL MIDDLE SCHOOL The Boys in the “A powerful story guaranteed to get students talking and Bunkhouse: Servitude making connections to current events.” and Salvation in the —Hoyt J. Phillips III Heartland by Dan Barry Michael Jackson once said, “The greatest education in the world is watching the masters at work.” In his book The Pedagogy of Teacher MIDDLE SCHOOL Activism: Portraits of Four Teachers for Justice, author Keith Catone As Brave As You by gives readers the opportunity to watch teaching masters at work as Jason Reynolds he paints dynamic portraits of four teacher activists. Each portrait shows an educator’s unique journey to activism and education, as well as their daily classroom ideologies and practices. In each ELEMENTARY vignette, readers will understand that becoming a teacher activist is SCHOOL complex, continual and—most of all—possible. Step Up to the Plate, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Maria Singh by Uma “An excellent resource for educators committed to Krishnaswami changing the world.” —Jarah Botello

SPRING 2018 59 staff picks

“A tender story of acceptance and love for readers young and old.” “A sharp, well- —Lauryn Mascareñaz researched and thoroughly convincing read.” —Jey Ehrenhalt

Billy Merrell’s Vanilla gracefully chronicles the Just once, Jade would like people to see her as twists and turns of the emotional chemistry someone who doesn’t need “an opportunity,” but between two male high school lovers who instead as someone who can give and doesn’t inhabit an environment where they are more always need to receive. But it seems like so or less allowed to be who they are. Even still, a many adults in her life think otherwise. As Jade wrinkle in the boys’ romance develops: One of navigates the intricacies of living in a low-income them isn’t yet ready for sex. An ingenious work household, being one of very few black kids at a of prose poetry, this story realistically captures private school, and becoming friends with Sam the internal worlds of adolescents as they inquire (a white student who doesn’t always understand into homosexuality, asexuality and nonbinary her), she owns her voice as an artist and develops gender identity. a fuller sense of herself. Dive into Jade’s journey HIGH SCHOOL in Renée Watson’s Piecing Me Together, and use this free discussion guide to explore the book’s This touching, simple story about a boy named themes of race, class, gender and intersectionality Erol and his teddy bear is sure to leave a mark on with your students: t-t.site/piecingtogether. your heart. After a few days of feeling down, Teddy HIGH SCHOOL reveals to Erol that she feels more like a girl than a boy. But her fear of speaking up is quickly turned In the book When Grit Isn’t Enough: A High into self-confidence, as Erol and his friend Ava School Principal Examines How Poverty and embrace the newly-named Tilly just the way she Inequality Thwart the College-for-All Promise, is. Through author Jessica Walton’s delicate verbal author Linda F. Nathan debunks the five gestures and Dougal MacPherson’s beautiful foundational beliefs on which our college- artwork, Introducing Teddy: A Gentle Story About access “myth of meritocracy” is built: money Gender and Friendship evokes empathy and joy. is no obstacle; race doesn’t matter; just work ELEMENTARY SCHOOL harder; college is for everyone; and if you believe “A coming-of-age story in yourself, your dreams will come true. While by a young author with Mia Lee is beyond ready to take on her sixth- persistence may pay off and determination can firsthand knowledge of grade year. Her goals? Make new friends, generate success, Nathan argues that these what it takes to navigate convince her mom to give her more freedom attributes do not account for the structural school as someone with and become president of the video club. But Mia barriers that black and brown and low-income a physical disability.” faces some challenges—some typical and some students face daily. She presents a piercing —Adrienne van der Valk specific to her life as a girl with Charcot-Marie- critique of the exaltation of “grit,” which “no- Tooth, a form of muscular dystrophy. Despite excuses” schools push as an imperative to the embarrassment of a socially awkward best success and which they allow to absolve friend and the antics of a competitive classmate, educators of the responsibility to examine unjust Mia keeps her eyes on the prize as she shows sociopolitical systems. middle school what she’s made of. Find out how PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT she does it in Melissa and Eva Shang’s Mia Lee Is Wheeling Through Middle School. MIDDLE SCHOOL

60 TEACHING TOLERANCE The Talk: Race in America

Dim the lights and get ready to learn What We’re Watching with these TT-approved films!

The Talk: Race in America, a Sam Pollard sacred wild rice lakes protected under the free for middle and high schools. Most of film, conveys the gut-wrenching reality Ojibwe tribe’s 1855 treaty with the U.S. Youth in Motion’s previous collections are parents of color face when they speak to government. The pipeline poses the threat available for $25. their children about what to do if they are of irreparable damage, not only to the frameline.org/distribution/ stopped by police. In six segments filmed in land’s ecosystems but also to the tribe’s youth-in-motion/collections different cities, the documentary explores traditional ways of life and individuals’ MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL // PROFESSIONAL critical conversations occurring nationwide physical health. In addition to examining DEVELOPMENT among families, police, activists and the challenges of protecting sacred community members about policing and indigenous lands from corporations, this race. The film’s strength lies in its ability to film examines the intimate connections How Does Fake News Become News?, a give necessary voice to the fundamentally between Native peoples and the earth, short film from Teaching Tolerance, takes unjust, disproportionate policing that heritage, tradition and family. (94 min.) a humorous look at the journey of an young people of color can face from an inaccurate tweet that ended up becoming amazon.com/dp/B07451JV97 early age. While the spotlight on this harsh a mainstream news story. Fun animations MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL truth may be difficult viewing for those and a quirky host help students still unaware, the conversation—across all understand digital literacy vocabulary like communities—is long overdue. (114 min.)* Youth in Motion, a project of Frameline, filter bubble and signal booster—concepts *This film contains content that students offers to educators a library of films they need to be familiar with to create may find disturbing. TT recommends that reflecting LGBTQ experiences. The and consume high-quality material on educators preview the film before deciding collections cover diverse topics, the web. This is the first of five films whether to show it to students. from LGBTQ history and activism to rolling out over the course of the year to unapologetic and humanizing portraits support the Teaching Tolerance Digital pbs.org/video/ of what it’s like growing up queer in Literacy initiative, a multi-faceted project talk-race-america-talk-race-america/ communities across the United States. including K–12 lessons and professional HIGH SCHOOL The 2018 Youth in Motion collection development. The films support teaching features two films centered on trans of the Digital Literacy Framework, which First Daughter and the Black Snake, a film youth experiences, including Deep Run, presents the key knowledge and skills by Keri Pickett, provides a unique look an intimate documentary featuring Cole that students need to be safe, engaged into the present-day struggle between Ray Davis’s life in rural North Carolina, and productive members of their online indigenous peoples and the petroleum where his identities as a trans man and communities. (7 min.) industry. In this film, Winona LaDuke undocumented immigrant cause tension tolerance.org/magazine/ leads the charge against Enbridge Inc.’s in his quest for faith, work, acceptance how-does-fake-news-become-news plans to route an oil pipeline through the and love. The current year’s collection is THIRTEEN PRODUCTIONS LLC PRODUCTIONS THIRTEEN MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL

SPRING 2018 61 ONE WORLD tolerance.org GETTY IMAGES/FAMILY COMMUNICATIONS, INC. COMMUNICATIONS, GETTY IMAGES/FAMILY

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