7 minute read
Anti-Racism Action Plan
Stepping Up & Leaning In
NORWOOD LAUNCHES ANTI-RACISM PLAN OF ACTION
By Billy Vargas Director of Diversity, Equity, and Community
Race holds a unique place in the social fabric of American society. Few topics evoke the kinds of emotions and tensions that racial issues raise in American culture. Amidst the backdrop of some of the largest protests for racial justice in U.S. history, we find ourselves in a time where there is an acute and vital need for understanding, context, critical thinking, dialogue, and care around issues pertaining to race and racism in America. Our students stand at the center of this need.
At Norwood, our aim is to provide for a school experience where all students thrive and understand that how you lead your life matters. The difficult reality that racism is present in the lives of our students and in our broader society requires that we recognize anti-racism work as distinctly childcentered and foundational to fulfilling our mission as a school. In order to thrive, all students need a sense of dignity and a positive sense of self; they need strong and meaningful connections; they need to be able to recognize, understand, and navigate challenging realities that exist in their lives; and they need to know how to confront those realities in ways that matter to themselves and others. This is the work of anti-racism at Norwood School, as outlined in our Principles for Anti-Racist Education. >>>
Every lower school student at Norwood created a self-portrait this fall as part of the School’s Identity Project to encourage selfexploration and foster a positive sense of self.
Principles for Anti-Racist Education
GOAL
DEVELOP HEALTHY RACIAL IDENTITY.
FOSTER CONNECTIONS ACROSS RACIAL DIFFERENCE.
TEACH ACCURATE LANGUAGE AND CONCEPTS.
BUILD RACIAL LITERACY.
PROVIDE HISTORICAL CONTEXT.
EQUIP STUDENTS TO WORK AGAINST RACISM.
OUTCOMES
“I understand and feel good about who I am.”
“We all belong here, and I feel connected to people who are different from me.”
“I understand racial concepts and know how to speak accurately about them.”
“I can read and address racialized situations effectively.”
“I understand the history of race and racism and how it’s connected to today.”
“I know how to work against racism when I see it.”
- IJEOMA OLUO, ANTI-RACISM WRITER & SPEAKER
Over the summer, several teams of faculty and staff worked together to build an ambitious plan for moving forward, within a broader strategic effort, to strengthen our equity and inclusion efforts. Norwood’s teachers and staff members are ready to step up and lean in, and as a school, we are working collectively to build the awareness, knowledge, tools, and skills students need to ensure inclusion and to recognize, address, and interrupt racism in all its forms.
Author and racism expert Ijeoma Oluo tells us, “Anti-racism is the commitment to fighting racism wherever you find it, including yourself, and it’s the only way forward.” Norwood’s Anti-Racism Plan of Action outlines a series of steps that uphold our commitment to this important work. This year, we look forward to building on the School’s strong foundation of values based on equity and respect for all individuals. >>>
Ijeoma Oluo is a Seattle-based writer, speaker, and Internet Yeller. She’s the author of the New York Times Best-Seller So You Want to Talk about Race, published in January by Seal Press. Named one of the The Root’s 100 Most Influential African Americans in 2017, one of the Most Influential People in Seattle by Seattle Magazine, one of the 50 Most Influential Women in Seattle by Seattle Met, and winner of the of the 2018 Feminist Humanist Award by the American Humanist Society, Oluo’s work focuses primarily on issues of race and identity, feminism, social and mental health, social justice, the arts, and personal essay. Her writing has been featured in The Washington Post, NBC News, Elle Magazine, TIME, The Stranger, and the Guardian, among other outlets. www.ijeomaoluo.com
Pollyanna’s Racial Literacy Curriculum
FOR GRADES K-8
POLLYANNA’S RACIAL LITERACY CURRICULUM FOR GRADES K-8, WHICH LAUNCHED DURING THE SUMMER OF 2019, WAS CREATED TO HELP STUDENTS:
n Gain knowledge about race as it has been constructed in the
United States;
n Acquire an awareness of their own racial socialization;
n Develop skills for engaging in productive conversations about race and racism.
Fiction and nonfiction texts and other forms of media are incorporated throughout the curriculum to serve as talking points for classroom dialogue and to widen students’ cultural lens. The underlying goal of the curriculum is to build bridges and connections— for all students to recognize similarities among their peers along lines of race, while also celebrating perceived differences.
www.pollyannainc.org
NORWOOD’S ANTI-RACISM PLAN OF ACTION
FOR 2020-2021
Two teams of faculty and staff members spent the summer months gathering resources, exploring best practices, and identifying activities and lessons to help lay the groundwork for intentional anti-racist work for the 2020-2021 school year.
TASK FORCE ON ANTI-RACISM AND RACIAL LITERACY IN THE CURRICULUM
Launched in the fall, this task force is focused on the longer-term goal of analyzing, sequencing, and building an anti-racism and racial literacy curriculum for grades PK-8 that is aligned with our Anti-Bias Framework. The task force will be utilizing resources gathered by the lower school and middle school working groups, along with the Pollyanna Racial Literacy Curriculum (see sidebar).
HISTORY OF RACE AND RACISM FOR GRADES 7 AND 8
Seventh and eighth grade history teams are exploring the historical context of race and racism in the United States to help contextualize the current climate and provide an understanding of the origins of the conceptions of race that have influenced the U.S. since its founding.
All faculty and staff participated in two anti-racism trainings at the start of the school year to continue the School’s focus on building best practices for racial literacy and anti-racism.
FACULTY AND STAFF ANTI-RACISM ALLIANCE
During the summer, a group of nearly 40 teachers and staff members came together to form an Anti-Racism Alliance that will support each other’s growth as educators working to provide equitable and inclusive experiences for students within an anti-racist context. The group will meet periodically throughout the school year.
BLACK AFFINITY GROUPS
Acknowledging the unique space Black racial identity holds in the conversations on race and racism, the School will facilitate affinity groups for Black middle school students.
WORKING GROUP ON RECRUITING AND RETAINING FACULTY AND STAFF OF COLOR
A small group of administrators and faculty will work together to identify concrete steps to recruit and retain faculty and staff of color at Norwood.
ADMINISTRATIVE DEEP-DIVE ON RACE AND RACISM
The leadership team will engage in a series of discussions exploring race and racism utilizing a series of articles, videos, and a shared book reading experience. The book selection for this year is White Fragility by Robin Di Angelo.
BOARD EXPLORATORY COMMITTEE ON GOVERNANCE FOR DIVERSITY
A task force of the Board of Trustees is exploring the role of independent school boards in advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion.
NEW: Virtual Alumni Program!
ADVANCING EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND ANTI-RACISM
Join Billy Vargas, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Community, and faculty to learn more about Norwood’s comprehensive DEI programming with a focus on our most recent anti-racism initiatives.
The hour event will provide a broad overview including a few examples of how this work lives in the classroom, while leaving plenty of time for questions and dialogue.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2020 5:00-6:00 P.M.
A ZOOM link will be emailed to alumni. Not sure if you have an email on file? Please complete the alumni update form at:
