Posts by Elizabeth Denevi
The Only Way Through is Together
As ongoing national events relentlessly remind us of the power of white supremacy, educators are working hard to have important and authentic conversations about race and racism. But we are weary and frustrated, too, and sometimes unsure of just what to say to our students. If we have learned anything in the last few years,…
Read MoreWhy We Need Racial Literacy Now More Than Ever
Given the current national landscape, it has become painfully obvious that those of us in schools need to double our efforts to teach racial literacy (Stevenson, 2014). Recently, I was working with 4/5th graders who are part of a racial affinity group program we coordinate in Portland, OR (for more about these groups, see So…
Read MoreSo What Do White 4th Graders Have to Say About Race?
As it turns out, a lot. Twice a month I get to work with fourth graders at a local school. The district has a stated commitment to racial equity and has been considering culturally responsive strategies with faculty and staff. When some middle school students of color reported a series of racial microaggressions, the administration…
Read MoreLean Into Discomfort: Developing Better Skills to Really Talk about Race in Schools
As we post this, events are unfolding in Charlottesville and across the nation that bring a new urgency to our need to increase our racial literacy. Yet, even as some of our school leaders denounce the white supremacy on display, there remain critical gaps and omissions in our words, our actions, and our understandings. Schools…
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