Lessons on Anti-Racism from St. Louis Education Leaders
2020 has shined a glaring light on racial injustice and racism that pervades several parts of American society. This week, SLU students and faculty have joined other members of the academic community to participate in the #ScholarStrike.
Earlier this summer the PRiME Center created a list of resources for discussing and teaching anti-racism. We also reached out to multiple school and district leaders in the St. Louis region for their views on how they approach anti-racism in their schools. Here, we share information on some of the efforts, tools, and policies these leaders have implemented to make their schools more inclusive and equitable.
What Educational Leaders are Saying
Dr. Joe Davis, superintendent of Ferguson-Florissant School District told us, “It’s never easy to talk about race, mostly because we haven’t dealt with it collaboratively. There’s not only a need to collaborate but a need to know who is collaborating.” Throughout the 2017-18 school year, FFSD’s board, community members, teachers, and students began discussing the district’s vision and commitment to equity through things like hiring practices and academic enrichment programs. These conversations produced the district’s 2018 Equity Policy, which outlines how equity is and will remain the guiding principle of the District’s work. This policy drives and informs every decision and action the district takes, as the district’s adoption statement says, “The resolution...will be the lens the Board and District uses to focus work in the coming years.”
The School District of University City has undertaken other steps to ingrain equity into their district. Dr. Sharonica Hardin-Bartley and the UCity Board have adopted multiple policies, including working with Educational Equity Consultants to train new teacher hires in the district in implementing culturally aware and responsive practices. They have also hosted guest lectures and training from Dr. Sharroki Holley, who specializes in culturally responsive pedagogy designed to help teachers know their students. UCity has also spent the last several years working closely with the ACLU to implement solutions and practices to lower the disproportionate number of suspensions for Black male students.
In Jennings School District, Dr. Art McCoy has used an approach that he described as the Three E’s: Enlighten, Empower, Engage. Dr. McCoy elaborated on what each E means in the district’s pursuit of equity and opportunity for students and the community:
● Enlighten: recognizing who you are and who you can be
● Empower: providing access to people and groups in positions of power
● Engage: making people willing to be active in the process
Each E builds off the one prior and informs the district’s approach on hiring, student project opportunities, and the continuing need to develop the district as a Center for Healing Engagement. For Jennings and Dr. McCoy, the driving maxim is “Moving at the speed of the need at the level of the need.” This includes serving the academic needs of the community, as well as the mental, emotional, and physical well-being of the students and families in the district.
Christie Huck from City Garden Montessori School said that it is important to spend time in a phase of reflection and analysis until there is a shared understanding among adults in the school of why work focused on anti-racism, equity, and justice is important and necessary. Ms. Huck described several of the efforts often associated with anti-racism as coming from a “pathology” mindset where people in power want to fix things. But, without reflecting on why anti-racism efforts and teaching are so important, we do not clearly identify the underlying advantages that we in the white community have. This is a lesson learned from SLU professor and racial equity consultant Dr. Kira Hudson Banks. Dr. Banks has worked closely with CGMS in designing and implementing an intentional Anti-Bias Anti-Racist commitment. Through this experience, Ms. Huck reminds us that we are not meant to approach racial justice and equity from a mindset of trying to “fix” the problems but to understand the underlying inequities of opportunity and advantage and identify strategies to build a shared commitment to collaborative action.
In Maplewood-Richmond Heights, Dr. Karen Hall has been working closely with her staff to build relationships that lead to meaningful efforts towards equity for over a decade. MRH leadership has worked diligently to guarantee that professional development efforts and training are not only meaningful but are subsequently infused into what teachers do in their classrooms. This includes the district’s equity policy, resolution, and commitment to educational equity. As Dr. Hall said, “Training around culturally responsive teaching and having courageous conversations often lead to an emotional awakening. The important thing is to then apply this to create inspirational spaces of learning and community.” MRH has invested heavily in creating a community of equity, the foundation of which is building relationships.
The final lesson we will leave you with comes from Dr. Hardin-Bartley. She candidly said that the white community and those in positions of power can only gain so much by having members of the Black community describe the inequalities and injustices that exist. Rather, members of the white community have to initiate and engage in uncomfortable conversations with their white peers. She referred to this as creating a counter-narrative, to bring everyone to the table to listen and attempt to understand that these issues not only exist but are so adversely affecting the Black community.
Conclusion
In sum, the work and efforts needed to make our society more equitable need to be an ongoing and iterative process. This can be difficult in a time when instantaneous solutions have become the norm. Dr. Hall said MRH has been intentionally implementing its policies, resolutions, and efforts focused on equity for more than a decade, and she believes they are still not to the point they want to be. Clearly, an immediate resolution to centuries of race-based oppression and injustice is improbable. As we’ve heard from the educators quoted here, there is not just one solution that will immediately fix the ongoing problems of oppression and systemic racism in our society and education systems. Instead, it will take a concerted and devoted effort to listen, learn, assess, collaborate, and act. This means hard, ongoing conversations about how systems benefit some at the expense of others.
Here at the PRiME Center, we commit to listening, challenging ourselves, and acting in anti-racist ways. We will continue to share resources and ideas as we learn of them. We know we have much to learn and improve, and we know we will make mistakes. But, we are committed to conducting research and providing resources that will promote educational equity and anti-racism. This includes keeping conversations and questions around issues of inequality in the public eye. We will not let these issues get stale and we will continue to push for more equity in education. We welcome feedback, conversations, and ideas on how we can better commit ourselves to this cause. Please do not hesitate to tell us how we can do better and help.