The Black Lives Matter movement inspired many to acknowledge police brutality, racism, anti Blackness, white supremacy and its impacts for the first time both in and out of the classroom, whether virtual or in person. This is only the beginning of actions necessary for change that is long overdue. -- Judith Hernandez, 11th
Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Rayshard Brooks, Ahmaud Arbery, and Tony McDade are all names of people killed in 2020 by police because of the color of their skin. In 2020, police have killed 781 people, 28% of those being Black despite being only 13% of the population. These continuous acts of police brutality and white supremacy against Black people, sparked one of the largest movements in the U.S, one in which youth were often at the frontlines.
In the midst of this uprising, COVID-19 only continued to spread. As of right now, the U.S has had 6,588,181 cases and 196,331 deaths. However, data has shown that COVID-19 is disproportionately affecting Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and other communities of color most, forcing the Black community to deal with two pandemics simultaneously. As the world witnesses many changes, students were still expected to go back to school in the fall, pushing many to ask, how would schools acknowledge this social uprising in the classroom?
On August 12, the students of Oakland School for the Arts turned on their computers, phones, and tablets, to log onto a zoom call for their first day of school. When classes began, many teachers acknowledged both COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement. Doing so often opened up conversations on race, racism, and police brutality. These conversations did not look or feel the same for everyone and not everyone experienced them in all their classrooms.
Daisha Wiliams, a sophmore in the Literary Arts pathway explains that when these conversations occur in her classes she notices that, “...usually black and brown kids are the only ones who are really willing to talk about it and because we tend to be a smaller percentage of the class it’s usually a really brief conversation.” At OSA, the demographics are 37% Caucasian; 13% Multi-Ethnic; 18% African American; 5% Asian; 15% Hispanic/Latino; 4% American Indian; 1% Pacific Islander; 9% Unknown/Decline to State.
In comparison, Simon Bhuller-Riordan, a junior in the Theater pathway states, “...mostly those conversations have been dominated by white students and I don't think they do it on purpose because also the teachers don’t know how to facilitate those conversations. They wanna bring it up but then don’t really know how to facilitate it in a healthy and positive way so that everyone can get their perspective listened to.”
Corinne DeLuca an algebra, pre-calculus, and calculus teacher describes some of the feelings of uncertainty teachers often face when trying to have such conversations in class. “I am afraid of having these conversations because I don't want to offend anyone and I want to listen,” she said. While many teachers have had diversity and inclusion training, bringing up conversations like these can still be a struggle.
Additionally to uncertainty, conversations on race and racism can lead to feelings of discomfort, fear, guilt, or even anger. This can result in unhealthy and harmful conversations, or no conversation at all, leaving a negative impact on students. Because of this, it is important to understand the root causes of these feelings to move towards anti racism and discussions that equip students with tools and motivation to better combat the injustices around them, including in their own classrooms. Kamaria Williams, freshman in the Literary Arts pathway further explains that although these conversations can be hard, they are still important because, “If we ever wanna do anything about the injustices, we have to be aware of what’s going on in our society. That way we can face the issue head on and make our voices heard.”
While discussing these topics and bringing awareness to them is important, people's allyship and activism cannot end there. In her recent book We Want to Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom, Bettina Love, professor, author, and member of the Abolitionist Teaching Network, emphasizes what it means to be an anti-racist educator. Love writes, “Anti Racist teaching is not just about acknowledging that racism exists but about consciously committing to the struggle of fighting for racial justice… They must criticize the systems that perpetuate injustice, such as the educational survival complex, while pushing for equitable communities, schools and classrooms.” Fighting for racial justice is a long process but one that is crucial especially in school, a system that in many ways perpetuates the same racism that continues to take the lives of many. Simply telling students that racism is wrong, is not enough.
Daisha Wiliams, a sophmore in the Literary Arts pathway explains that when these conversations occur in her classes she notices that, “...usually black and brown kids are the only ones who are really willing to talk about it and because we tend to be a smaller percentage of the class it’s usually a really brief conversation.” At OSA, the demographics are 37% Caucasian; 13% Multi-Ethnic; 18% African American; 5% Asian; 15% Hispanic/Latino; 4% American Indian; 1% Pacific Islander; 9% Unknown/Decline to State.
In comparison, Simon Bhuller-Riordan, a junior in the Theater pathway states, “...mostly those conversations have been dominated by white students and I don't think they do it on purpose because also the teachers don’t know how to facilitate those conversations. They wanna bring it up but then don’t really know how to facilitate it in a healthy and positive way so that everyone can get their perspective listened to.”
Corinne DeLuca an algebra, pre-calculus, and calculus teacher describes some of the feelings of uncertainty teachers often face when trying to have such conversations in class. “I am afraid of having these conversations because I don't want to offend anyone and I want to listen,” she said. While many teachers have had diversity and inclusion training, bringing up conversations like these can still be a struggle.
Additionally to uncertainty, conversations on race and racism can lead to feelings of discomfort, fear, guilt, or even anger. This can result in unhealthy and harmful conversations, or no conversation at all, leaving a negative impact on students. Because of this, it is important to understand the root causes of these feelings to move towards anti racism and discussions that equip students with tools and motivation to better combat the injustices around them, including in their own classrooms. Kamaria Williams, freshman in the Literary Arts pathway further explains that although these conversations can be hard, they are still important because, “If we ever wanna do anything about the injustices, we have to be aware of what’s going on in our society. That way we can face the issue head on and make our voices heard.”
While discussing these topics and bringing awareness to them is important, people's allyship and activism cannot end there. In her recent book We Want to Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom, Bettina Love, professor, author, and member of the Abolitionist Teaching Network, emphasizes what it means to be an anti-racist educator. Love writes, “Anti Racist teaching is not just about acknowledging that racism exists but about consciously committing to the struggle of fighting for racial justice… They must criticize the systems that perpetuate injustice, such as the educational survival complex, while pushing for equitable communities, schools and classrooms.” Fighting for racial justice is a long process but one that is crucial especially in school, a system that in many ways perpetuates the same racism that continues to take the lives of many. Simply telling students that racism is wrong, is not enough.
Uma Joshi, Ethnic Studies and World History teacher further describes the importance of being an anti racist educator. She says, “when you’re anti racist you feel confident and comfortable in calling [racism] out… When you are a non racist you feel like your own thoughts and beliefs are enough so you don’t need to stop someone else’s thoughts or beliefs... I think being an anti racist teacher is really important because everyone should feel valued... once [students] feel seen and valued then they’ll feel like they can engage in this person's class because they can trust them.” So, how is OSA actively working towards anti racism?
This school year, OSA admin hired Candice Wicks, member of Edutainment for Equity, for anti racist and equity training. Their mission is to “...activate allies and empower historically oppressed people to transform their institutions and communities.” With OSA staff, they are doing this through workshops, one on one coaching, and by following their “Anti-Racist initiative which is a 10-Step System for becoming an anti-racist organization.” However, it is important to know that the work towards equitable schools and an anti racist world does not end after 10 steps.
The Black Lives Matter movement inspired many to acknowledge police brutality, racism, anti Blackness, white supremacy and its impacts for the first time both in and out of the classroom, whether virtual or in person. This is only the beginning of actions necessary for change that is long overdue. What actions will you take?
This school year, OSA admin hired Candice Wicks, member of Edutainment for Equity, for anti racist and equity training. Their mission is to “...activate allies and empower historically oppressed people to transform their institutions and communities.” With OSA staff, they are doing this through workshops, one on one coaching, and by following their “Anti-Racist initiative which is a 10-Step System for becoming an anti-racist organization.” However, it is important to know that the work towards equitable schools and an anti racist world does not end after 10 steps.
The Black Lives Matter movement inspired many to acknowledge police brutality, racism, anti Blackness, white supremacy and its impacts for the first time both in and out of the classroom, whether virtual or in person. This is only the beginning of actions necessary for change that is long overdue. What actions will you take?
