We're all pregnant with something."
(Faculty Attendee at People of Color Conference)
“I show up and speak up because I care.”
Blogger Sherri Spelic
"Advancing human and civil rights. Fulfilling the dream together."
PoCC 2016 Conference Theme
“Why
do you go to the People of Color Conference?”
This is a question my colleagues and I were asked as we embarked for
Atlanta. My colleagues of color faced
the question this way as well: “Why do YOU people go to that conference every
year?” They answer in many ways. They go for community, to feel part of the
mainstream rather than as a person who may be marginalized in a predominantly
white school population. Some attend to
find strength and learn new ways to address insulting language or graffiti directed
at their students or themselves in independent school settings. Others go to learn how to better mentor and
nurture a diverse community of learners, making each student feel valued in our
schools.
As
a white woman, I attend to learn how issues of diversity and inclusion affect
all of us, to reinforce my resolve to take action, to build my skills as a
caring and inclusive teacher and peer, and to use my whiteness to call
attention to the needs of all kinds of students and colleagues. Upon my return, I share photos and highlights
with each of my classes, telling my students I think it is important for
students to learn about what their teachers care about and are learning
about. I welcome you to learn about PoCC
as well.
The mission statement of the conference includes these
goals: “PoCC equips educators at every
level, from teachers to trustees, with knowledge, skills, and
experiences to improve and enhance the interracial, interethnic, and
intercultural climate in their schools, as well as the attending academic,
social-emotional, and workplace performance outcomes for students and adults
alike."
Highlights of the People of Color Conference [PoCC]
For a varied group of faculty, staff, and students from my independent
school, this mission came to life. Simply
attending, comparing workshops, and talking about keynote speakers with a
diverse group of colleagues from different units of the school was
invigorating. Having time to linger over
a meal and share perspectives, experiences, and plans was a treasure. We engaged deeply in learning ways to build a
welcoming and inclusive community. Several
conference highlights spring to mind.
Bryan Stevenson’s spoke about his work with the Equal Justice
Initiative, including stories from his memoir Just Mercy. Called by
Archbishop Desmond Tutu “America’s Mandela,” Stevenson charged us to: 1. Get
near people/places of injustice. 2.
Resist fear and anger. 3. Stay hopeful. 4. Do uncomfortable things. He reminded us all that like the wrongly
accused whom he defends, “We’re all broken.”
Other keynote speakers were noteworthy as well, including Richard
Blanco, the fifth inaugural poet, spoke of his journey from Cuba to the United
States, from “San Giving,” as his mother called the holiday, to
“Thanksgiving.”
Rinku Sen, publisher of
the news site Colorlines, gave us
several powerful images to understand how the United States has “stumbled
toward becoming a multiracial society.”
Using Rumi’s image: “The wound is where the light comes in,” she urged
us, “Let that light in and shine that light back out to the world.” Talking about interacting with others, she
noted, “We cannot prove what’s behind someone’s words, but we can measure the
impact of their words and actions. Focus
on the impact.”
Zak Ebrahim, son of one of the 1993 World Trade Center bombers, spoke
of his journey to work for peace. “I am
convinced that empathy is more powerful than hate…. No matter what path you’re put on, you can
work for peace…. Sometimes we take steps
backward, but we are overall moving forward….”
He urged us to foster conversations and bring people of all backgrounds
into the conversation.
Worthy workshops offered ways to approach classroom content and
character education opportunities. For example,
lawyer-turned-teacher Jessy Molina, from Garrison Forest School, reminded
teachers of the difference between debate and dialogue, and offered classroom prompts
for each. (Debate=Argue/win. Listen to
find flaw. Dialogue=Explore common
ground. Listen for understanding.)
Oman Frame and Martha Caldwell of Paideia School offered “Let’s
Get Real: Exploring Race, Class, and Gender Identities in the Classroom.” (This is also the title of their book.) Their model of creating a safe space for
students to explore and share their identities beyond stereotypes leads to
better academic learning outcomes as it diminishes “stereotype threat” and
helps students feel heard, cared for, and understood. For example, they ask a series of questions
to elicit: “What do you need to feel safe?
What is a challenge you’ve faced?
Moving forward what obstacles do your face?” These questions, followed by brief sharing
and listening opportunities, built a sense of community even in our short
workshop. They will teach a four-day summer institutes
in Atlanta as well: “iChange Summer Teaching Institute,” in June 2017.
My trip also included a guided tour of Woodward School,
facilitated by Mark Carrington. The
school’s enrollment is approximately 50% students of color and 50% students who
identify as white. Mark says, “we’re not
working on diversity anymore, we are working on inclusion.” Yet, they do not have an office for this
task. The head of school has told all
faculty and staff: “We’re all responsible for this work.” Using NAIS climate assessment tools and
conversations with multiple constituent groups, the work of building an
inclusive community is vibrant and ongoing at Woodward, with this year’s “Week
of Understanding” theme involving “What is home? What is family?” This theme offers the community a way to
reflect on refugee and immigration issues as well as the varieties of families
at the school.
Several of us toured the Center for Civil and Human Rights,
reliving the journey from sixties civil rights heroes to today’s human rights
champions. We were at once heart-broken,
shaken, and inspired by the lunch-counter simulation of the vitriol endured by
those college students trained by Reverend James Lawson and others to protest against
segregation non-violently. This museum
is a treasure of history and how-to-do it activism much needed today.
I’ll close by mentioning a workshop on educational blogging, organized
by bloggers Sherri Spelic (American International School Vienna) Marcy Webb
(Watkinson School) and Christopher Rogers (Greene Street Friends School). Talking about educational blogging filled
most people in the room with joy.
Several shared their blog addresses, posted below. At one point Sherri shared, “Care must be at
the core of everything we do…. I show up
and speak up because I care….” These
words say it all for me. Whether we’re
talking about writing, or teaching, or attending a conference such as PoCC, “I
show up and speak up because I care.”
--Susan Gelber Cannon
Resources:
People of
Color Conference Website: http://pocc.nais.org/about/Pages/About-PoCC.aspx
Bryan Stevenson’s Equal
Justice Initiative Website: http://eji.org/bryan-stevenson
Rinku Sen’s Colorlines: http://www.colorlines.com
iChange Collaborative: http://www.ichangecollaborative.com
National Center for Civil and Human Rights: https://www.civilandhumanrights.org/
Scientific
American Article: How Diversity
Makes us Smarter: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-diversity-makes-us-smarter/
PoCC Twitter Feed: #PoCC2016
@Kawai_lai is the artist of the Bryan Stevenson, Rinku Sen, and Zak Ebrahim photos above: https://twitter.com/kawai_lai
Conference
Bloggers:
· Sherri
Spelic’s blog, edifiedlistener: https://edifiedlistener.wordpress.com
· Marcy
Webb’s blog post on Teaching Tolerance: http://www.tolerance.org/blog/have-courage-teach
· David
Cutler’s Spin Education: http://www.spinedu.com
· Susan
Gelber Cannon’s ThinkCareAct Blog: http://thinkcareact.blogspot.com