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BOOK DISCUSSION: “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?’
Patrice McCarthy Executive Director & General Counsel, CABE
The CABE Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee recently selected Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? by Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum as their common read. Members of the CABE Board of Directors and staff were also invited to participate.
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In March, the group was delighted to have Dr. Tatum join them for their virtual discussion of the book. Dr. Tatum shared that her mother was a school board member. Dr. Tatum served from 2002 to 2015 as the ninth president of Spelman College, the oldest historically black women’s college in the United States. Prior to that she was a professor of Psychology at Mount Holyoke College, also serving as department chair, Dean of the College and Interim President. During the past year she returned to Mount Holyoke College to again serve as interim president.
Dr. Tatum discussed how the culture of silence around race issues is contributing to calls for removal of books and limitations on curriculum.
“You can’t fix what you can’t talk about”. In response to questions about what school boards can do to create an inclusive environment she emphasized the importance of supporting school leaders who are creating a supportive school culture and serving as allies. Dr. Tatum discussed the “A, B, C’s” as:
• affirming identity
• belonging through building community
• cultivating leadership
By reaching out to others with differences we can attempt to reengage with them and create a sense of inclusion in order to move forward on behalf of all students. Even among people who disagree, acknowledging that various viewpoints have been heard is critical. Recognizing that our collective fate is intertwined, reflect on who is in the circle and outside the circle, and what we can do to make the circle bigger to include more voices.
Dr. Tatum maintains a spirit of optimism about the effectiveness of talking about racism and teaching others to do the same.
