Making Racial Justice a Priority: Confronting the Silences Around Race in White, K–12 Educational Spaces

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Abstract

This paper focuses on the experiences of a small group of concerned educators and their creation of the Race Matters Committee (RMC) in their predominantly White school district. Analysis of two years of committee work revealed the actions of these educators to help their K-12 schools engage social justice frameworks. We explore how teachers enact social justice practices to specifically address race and racism in their predominantly White school district. Three themes have emerged: building a space to discuss race; developing and enacting an action plan; forging allies.

Author

• Sonja Renee Cherry-Paul, Hastings-on-Hudson School District