This weekend, I’ve been consumed by fury, grief and sadness. As I write, protesters in Portland have taken to the I-5 bridge.
There is no newness to the recent traumatic events that have come to a head in Minneapolis and across the nation - George Floyd is dead because he is a black man in America. George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor…on and on. Categorically and predictably taken not simply because of horrific individual acts, but because we are a nation sown from the seeds of violence and racism. The genocide of indigenous peoples, the enslavement of Africans, the more than 400 years of systematic oppression are built into the very foundation of our country and the systems that undergird it.
While many of us have been swept by outrage and grief for George Floyd and the countless men and women of color whose lives have been taken too soon, we must also recognize that we are witnessing the highly racialized, disproportionate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Oregon’s Latinx community has been ravaged by much higher infection rates and a greater economic toll. Income inequality, discrimination, violence, unfair housing and education opportunities - these health outcomes are not biology at play. This is racism.
Fighting against racism is not a progressive versus conservative thing. It’s a right versus wrong thing. We have a moral duty to speak up, to stand with our black and brown friends, neighbors and colleagues, to push back against racism in our midst. When we hear racist talk, see racist action, or experience racist systems - we must take a stand. It’s easy to feel hopeless in the face of such complexity, but we must move past platitudes and be part of solutions.
Against these heartbreaking backdrops, I am asking the entire agency to set aside an anti-racism hour on Monday. At 2 p.m., please choose one of the following activities to engage in:
- Read “Maintaining Professionalism In The Age of Black Death Is….A Lot." Set up a Google Meet with your departmental colleagues. Use our adopted Equity Lens and your training on having courageous conversations, and discuss what we can all do to support our colleagues of color
- Yashica Island will facilitate a video call with our established affinity group. Please email Yashica if you identify as a person of color and would like to be invited.
- Read “What Do Coronavirus Racial Disparities Look Like State By State?" Reflect on why communities of color are disproportionately getting sick. Jot a note to yourself about ways you can be an ally to people of color during the pandemic and discuss these opportunities with your supervisor.
- Read "What if We… Don’t Return to School as Usual." Reflect on and write about how the education system can be reimagined to center the experience of communities of color. Share your ideas with me: dgoldman@nwresd.org.
- Think about one student/family of color you work with. Make a plan to connect and see how they are doing. Find out what they might need and discuss opportunities to support those needs with your supervisor.
I also want to share steps I am taking as an individual to be a better ally for people of color; I encourage you to join me in similar pursuits:
- Following the advice of lifestyle editor Shenequa Golding, I will be mindful of the trauma and pain black employees may be experiencing right now.
- I am reading more about how critical it is that our children have diverse role models.
- I’ve been facilitating a book study of “White Fragility” with our board of directors, and I plan on deepening my study of anti-racism by selecting more books, podcasts and movies from this list.
- We are in the process of drafting an anti-racist, multicultural continuum for the agency. This tool will help us identify and remove structural/systemic bias. Its use will be measured in our revised strategic plan that we plan to propose to our board next month.
Thank you, NWRESD educators, for your empathy and compassion, for choosing a career path where you CAN make a difference, and for being present for our children and families during such incredibly challenging times. You are our nation’s most critical force for good. Thank you for seizing this opportunity with me to advance peace, justice and empathy in our system and in our community at large.
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