Brave New Spaces: Doing Union Research With, by, and for BIPOC Teachers

• In Event: Educators' Responses to Issues Teachers Are Facing Globally

Abstract

Confronting and transforming oppressive aspects of teacher union culture is a necessary stage in approaching fully inclusive representation for all teachers. This paper discusses a research project carried out within a Canadian teacher union between 2021-2023 that sought to better understand how teachers who identify as Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) can feel empowered to engage in their union and generate new forms of knowledge, connection, and solidarity. Using Critical Race Theory, Participatory Action Research and storytelling frameworks, the BIPOC Teachers Project invites reconsideration of education research approaches and conceptions of social justice activism through the creation of BIPOC-only research and union spaces.

Authors

• Jai Aaron Anthony, British Columbia Teachers' Federation

• Kimberley Jung, North Vancouver School District

• Anne Catherine Hales, BC Teachers' Federation