We are three white women working in schools with predominantly Black and Brown students. We fully recognize that this is a problem. This reality is a result of the racism endemic to all American institutions, from schools to non-profits, of which we are a part.  A risk for white educators is to think that just because… you work in an urban school that has a majority Black and Brown student population you join a book club to read and discuss a book about racism you post anti-racist messages or memes on social media _______________ (fill in the blank other small action against racism) ...that your work is done. It’s not. It’s not nearly enough.  This might make white educators feel tense or uncomfortable. But we can use discomfort as a catalyst. We have work to do.  So, as three white educators, we are asking ourselves with greater urgency:  how can we recommit ourselves in a more sustained and intentional way to confront and undo the racism that persists in schools?  In this newsletter we want to share our plan for anti-racism learning and engagement over the course of the summer . We are inspired by the tangibility of the 21-Day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge created by diversity expert Dr. Eddie Moore because its focus is on habits . Like getting in shape, building racial literacy takes sustained study and action. We are going to expand the 21-day challenge into a 10-week process to build and improve our anti-racist habits and practices.

Our Plan for Anti-Racist Learning and Engagement

Reflect on our own privilege and power Hone and apply a critical, race-based lens to systems and issues Become a more active and effective ally  Increase our ability to identify, challenge and disrupt racism in schools in all its forms (individual, institutional, ideological) In addition to these focus areas for our work together in our organization and partner schools, we will do this work in the varied and overlapping spheres of our lives. We will continue to engage with our own children, alongside our friends and family, and in the community spaces where we live and spend our time.

We will read and discuss two books together: White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo  How to be an Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi  Each of us will read the following book and share our learning: Kelly - Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson Liz - The Fire This Time edited by Jesmyn Ward Scarlett - Why are all the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? And Other Conversations About Race by Beverly Daniel Tatum In addition to these core texts, our plan is to continue to read, watch and listen to a wide range of additional sources and leaders that will help us achieve our goals (novels, articles, websites, podcasts, documentaries, etc). Part of our time together will be spent sharing and reflecting on these various media sources we are consuming.

To stay accountable to ourselves, the partners we work with, our organization, and our wider community, we have decided to use the following tool to publicly track and reflect on our anti-racist work over the summer:  WriteBoston Coaches' Anti-Racism Tracking and Reflection Tool While we have already been reading, discussing and engaging in a range of activities, personally and professionally, we will spend this coming week (June 15-June 19) gathering feedback on our more coordinated plan for the summer. Starting June 19th (in honor of Juneteenth ), we kick off this more formalized and publicly accountable process. For ten weeks, through the end of August, we will each log our learning and actions on a daily basis. As Dr. Moore suggests, we will TRACK and REFLECT on our anti-racist work across the following categories : read, listen, watch, notice, connect, engage, and act. In addition to the individual recording throughout the week, we will also come together weekly as a group for a more sustained period of time, during which we will discuss, reflect, and plan actions that further the goals listed above. We encourage you to check our log during the summer to check in on us and see what we're learning and working on.

We want to hear from YOU about anti-racist teaching and practices

What should we be doing more of, less of or differently? What should we be listening to, reading, watching? What questions should we be asking and reflecting on? What actions and efforts should we be supporting? Click on our name below to send an email with your suggestions and feedback: 

Kelly

Liz

Scarlett

Student Writing

Click here for a thread of student writing about police brutality and racism in America.

Teens in Print has always existed in large part to amplify marginalized youth voices, including those of Black teens living in Boston. We believe this is more important than ever right now. As an organization, TiP supports racial justice and equality. We stand in solidarity with our students and community partners fighting for a better world.

WriteBoston is a nonprofit literacy organization dedicated to promoting deep thinking through writing. WriteBoston offers professional development to teachers along with writing opportunities for students, built on the premise that powerful writing and thinking are inseparable. In the past year, WriteBoston programming for students and educators impacted more than 12,000 young people.