Community Discussion Resources

Nov. 14, 2022 - Anti-racism Education into Action

11/8/2022

The first step to addressing a problem is acknowledging it exists. In our first COAR discussion meeting this year, we will share and discuss examples of racism from our school community. For those of you who are well aware of racialized incidences within our schools, this is an opportunity to share your experiences. For those of you who are not aware, this is an opportunity to become more informed. We hope to inspire everyone who attends to take action and create a community where all our children feel welcomed and valued.

Please view this resource to prepare for the session:
Embrace Race: Organizing for Racial Learning and Educational Justice (59 min.)

We know that the ability of educators to draw on their expertise and engage children in conversations about accurate history, human diversity, and unequal opportunity is under threat all over the country. How do we bring people together to build campaigns supporting healthy racial learning in schools? How do we work to ensure that equity- and justice-minded folx are elected to our school boards? How do we build coalitions among parents and teachers? Watch this conversation with Zakiyah Ansari and James Haslam, organizers and community members who are in the mix, trying to figure that out in their communities and across the country.

Learning Objectives:
By the end of this meeting, participants will have:

A greater understanding of the variety of experiences in the school district
Tools and ideas to be active in the school district to address racism and inequity

Agenda:
7:00 - Welcome and intros, etc
7:15 - Examples from our community and group discussion
8:00 - Suggestions of actions to take
8:10 - Reflection
8:20 - Wrap-up

May 9, 2022 - Community Meeting Resources

5/17/2022

Topic: Allyship

Watch:

EmbraceRace, RaceTalk among White Families Post-Floyd, Now What?
How to Handle a Racist Joke

Read/Listen:

NPR, “Not Racist, is Not Enough: Putting in the work to be Anti-Racist” (21 minutes)
Guide to Allyship

Listen:

TED Radio Hour, “Travis Jones: How Can White People be Better Allies to People of Color?” (8 minutes)
Code Switch “Safety-Pin Solidarity: With Allies, Who Benefits?

Reflect:

Was there a particular resource or a specific thing that jumped out at that you’d like to discuss tonight?
Think of a time when you tried to be an ally for someone or for a group of people. What happened before, during and after your effort?
Has there been a situation where someone else stood up as an ally for you? Was it helpful? Why or why not?

Apr 11, 2022 - Community Meeting Resources

4/5/2022

Topic: Allyship

Watch: EmbraceRace "RaceTalk among White Families Post-Floyd, Now What?"

Read/Listen: NPR “Not Racist, is Not Enough: Putting in the work to be Anti-Racist” (21 minutes)

Listen: TED Radio Hour “Travis Jones: How Can White People be Better Allies to People of Color?” (8 minutes)

Mar 14, 2022 - Community Meeting Resources

3/7/2022

Topic: Allyship

Read: Guide To Allyship

Watch: MTV News How to Handle a Racist Joke (5 min)

Listen: Code Switch “Safety-Pin Solidarity: With Allies, Who Benefits? (31 min)

Reflect:

In what situations have you wanted to step up as an ally but found it difficult to do? What made it difficult for you?
Think of a time when you attempted to be an ally and you don’t think the impact was what you intended. How would you do it differently now?
In what ways have you helped your kids learn to be allies?

Feb 14, 2022 - Community Meeting Resources

2/9/2022

Topic: Critical Race Theory

Read: NYT "Book Ban Efforts Spread Across the U.S."

Listen: 1A “Teaching Race and History in America’s Schools” (31 mins)

Watch: CBS News “The Trials of Critical Race Theory” (~47mins)

Reflect: PAIRS Outline

Jan 10, 2022 - Community Meeting Resources

1/2/2022

Topic: Critical Race Theory

Watch: EmbraceRace “The attack on “Critical Race Theory”: What’s Going On?” (~1hr)

Read: What is CRT and Why is it Under Attack? (10 min read)

Listen: NPR “How Critical Race Theory went from Harvard Law to Fox News” (14 mins)

Reflect:

What did you learn about CRT that you didn’t already know?
Are you aware of any resistance to the anti-racism curriculum taught in the Concord-Carlisle schools?
If we find ourselves in conversation with someone who is resistant to anti-racism being taught in the schools, how might we effectively respond or engage the person? Develop some strategies in the group.