Education Now Understanding Our Commitment to Anti-Racism How schools, parents, and school leaders can work to confront racism in our society and our schools, and how our own commitments help to empower communities and young people. Posted April 14, 2021 By News editor Counseling and Mental Health Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Human Development Moral, Civic, and Ethical Education Amid pandemic losses and continuing shocks of racist violence, one legacy of this year’s trauma is a greater willingness on the part of many to take stock of their own role in perpetuating or responding to racism. Schools and communities have a key part to play in this necessary accounting, and for many educators and parents, the work is central and non-negotiable. Join us for a conversation in which we explore our commitment to anti-racism — and how the events of this past year have deepened our understanding of those commitments. We’ll share insight, inspiration, and actionable ideas for how schools, parents, and school leaders can work — from their individual roles, and collectively — to confront racism in our society and our schools. How can our own commitments help to empower communities — and the young people we are raising and educating?Moderator: Tracie Jones, Director, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging, HGSESpeakers:Malcolm Cawthorne, Teacher and civic leader, Brookline (MA) High SchoolJennifer Perry Cheatham, Senior Lecturer on Education and Co-Chair of the Public Education Leadership Project (PELP), HGSEHeidi Shin, Journalist and a public radio and podcast producerResources:What Does Leading for Racial Justice Look Like? — a webinar from Education Week featuring Jennifer CheathamTalking to Children about Anti-Asian Bias — a reflection by Heidi Shin in the New York TimesThe Exhaustion of Being a Black Teacher in a School When You’re One of Too Few Educators of Color — a Boston Globe Magazine piece featuring Malcolm CawthorneClassroom and family resources to teach about anti-racism:Embracing Race: Resources for caring for and raising kids in the context of raceImmigrant History Initiatives: Classroom resources for teaching about immigrant historyTeaching for Change: Culled list of children's books with diverse charactersMental Health resources to support Asian American students:MGH Cross-Cultural Student Awareness Center: Educator and parent resources to support Asian American students and educators' mental health in the face of anti-Asian racism Harvard Graduate School of Education's Let's Talk ConferenceResources to learn about the Asian American experience and historyFiction and non-fiction writers, who have written about the Asian American experience in the United StatesPBS documentary series about the Asian Americans experience Education Now A webinar and newsletter series to shape new approaches to challenges in education Explore All Articles Related Articles Education Now Navigating Tensions Over Teaching Race and Racism A discussion on how schools, educators, and families can navigate the continued politicization and tensions around teaching and talking about race, racism, diversity, and equity. Usable Knowledge Talking Race in the Suburbs Discussing race in classes where white students outnumber students of color? Strategize, acknowledge, and check in EdCast Disrupting Whiteness in the Classroom How teachers can tackle the difficult work of countering racism in education.