"Comfort and Solace": Perspectives of Educators of Color on RESI as a Space for Community

• In Event: From Exploring Antiracist Praxis to Reimagine Education Policy: Educators' Calls for Structural Change

Abstract

While the white educators and educators of color included in this study shared many similar perspectives about antiracist professional development and work in schools, we also saw clear and distinct patterns emerge from our interviews with the educators of color. These patterns demonstrate that educators of color had powerful experiences related to their own racial identities and positionalities that were deserving of more attention. This paper highlights the unique needs and experiences of educators of color who commit to doing racial justice work in their schools and districts and urges our field to listen and center their perspectives.
This paper is informed by critical race theory (CRT) in education (Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1995; 2006) and Collins’ (1986) conceptualization of standpoint epistemology. CRT as a tool for analyzing systemic inequality in our schools. Standpoint epistemology offers a lens for addressing institutional and societal structures by positioning lived experience, unique perspectives and social locations as knowledge. Taken together, these frameworks allow us to forefront the insights and knowledge of educators of color.
Educators of color comprised 55% of the total number of participants included in our study. For educators of color, as the key findings below illustrate, RESI offered a welcoming and comforting space that was difficult to find elsewhere. The Institute helped them build community and it supported them intellectually and psychologically in the following ways:
RESI affirmed their antiracist practices, which contrasted with their experiences of being alone and silenced in their own schools. One educator told us, for instance, “...all I’ve gotten [before RESI] is pushback, and all I’ve gotten is being isolated, and all I’ve gotten is being an outcast. And so it’s just really affirming and, you know, it’s a little bit of a boost for me.”
Educators appreciated the space to connect and collaborate with other educators and scholars who are experts in the field of antiracist teaching and learning.
They also highly valued the opportunity to reflect on themselves as educators and their relationships with students of color. As one educator of color explained it, “[RESI impacts] the way that I approach certain subjects, the way that I even see my students, how I should stop and think first, and even though I may be filled with good intentions…”
RESI lends antiracist educators a sense of legitimacy, as the reputation of an institution like Teachers College (TC) signals to others that this work is valid and worthy of time and energy. While we know that this work is important regardless of institutional backing, participants shared that having TC backing was helpful in convincing others to commit to antiracist and culturally relevant education.
These findings have implications for teacher education and preparation, policymakers, and all educators who are committed to racially just education, as educators of color showed that their perspectives and experiences should be centered as knowledge to inform the changes we need to make to realize an antiracist education system. Listening to educators of color can help us recruit more!

Authors

• Siettah Parks, Teachers College, Columbia University

• Dianne Delima, California State University

• Linda Moftah, Teachers College, Columbia University