15 Questions That Predominantly White Schools Should Ask When Engaging in Non-Performative Anti-Racist Work

Jul 27, 2021 12:00:00 AM

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Last week, I had a consulting call with a potential client (a white teacher), who teaches in a predominantly white school/neighborhood and wants to engage in more meaningful anti-racist work this coming school year. But she isn’t sure how exactly to approach the work within her school. Quite frankly, she isn’t the first teacher who has expressed concern around this issue. Right now, we have many teachers in this predicament, trying to answer this question for the upcoming school year. In contrast, there are others who believe they are exempt from this work because there are no students of color in their classrooms and their white students are not impacted by racism.  

So, [pullquote]what does non-performative anti-racist work look like in a school where the teaching staff, student body, and the surrounding neighborhood are predominantly white?[/pullquote]

https://www.instagram.com/p/CRW7Kkos-oD/

Although I have never taught in a predominantly white school, I did, however, attend a predominantly white high school, so this question definitely hits home. Rather than provide you with a prescriptive list of things to do, I’m going to draw from my own high school experience and challenge you to think critically about the following questions as you prepare to engage in anti-racist work this school year:

  • Does your school provide affinity spaces where students of color can connect and share their experiences about race and racism?
  • Has your school done a full equity audit to identify institutional practices that are producing trends of discrimination towards students of color?
  • Does your school district’s teacher performance evaluation rubric include clear indicators for culturally sustaining and anti-racist practices?

Please do not view these questions as a prescription to racism. Rather, look at them as opportunities for growth as your school embarks on its journey toward creating an anti-racist learning environment for teachers and students. This is far from a complete list, as there are so many more questions I could’ve posed. But this list should get your school off to a great start this school year.

Kwame Sarfo-Mensah

Kwame Sarfo-Mensah is the founder of Identity Talk Consulting, a global educational consulting firm that specializes in developing K-12 teachers into identity-affirming educators. Throughout his 17-year career as a classroom teacher, author, and consultant, Kwame has earned numerous accolades for this work, which include being honored as the 2019 National Member of the Year by Black Educators Rock, Inc. and being recognized as a Top Education Influencer by brightbeam, Inc. in 2021 and 2022. His newest book, "Learning to Relearn: Supporting Identity in a Culturally Affirming Classroom", is out now.

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