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Anti- Racist Initiatives

Diversity - The original "Big Eight" Social Identifiers

1. Ability - Mental and/or physical
2. Age
3. Ethnicity
4. Gender
5. Race
6. Religion
7. Sexual Orientation
8. Socio-Economic Status/Class

Although not one of the formal "Eight", ISDN considers Family Composition (i.e. adoption, same gender parental units, single parents, extended parenting units and other "non conventional" family units) and Learning Differences to be important areas that need to be addressed in our schools.

Recently, the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) has added the following cultural identifiers to the "Big Eight"

  • Body Image ("lookism")
  • Educational Background
  • Academic/Social Achievement
  • Family of Origin, Family Make Up
  • Geographic/Regional Background
  • Language
  • Learning Style
  • Beliefs (political, social, religious)
  • Globalism/Internationalism

Click on photo to enlarge.

Picture
Diversity in 1958. Is it different in your community now in 2013? How? Why?
Some Terms

Ability privilege - http://everydayfeminism.com/2013/03/19-examples-of-ability-privilege/?upw

Anti-bias curriculum - A curriculum constructed to be inclusive and designed to consider many diverse points of view and perspectives (cultural, racial, global, etc). It takes an active, problem solving approach to current issues and is infused in all areas of the school's programing and culture. 

Bias -  Prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair.

Bigotry-Hatred or intense negative feelings towards any particular group; intolerance

Cultural Competence - Having the skills to interact effectively with people of different cultures and ethnic backgrounds.  Developing cultural competence results in an ability to understand, communicate with, and effectively interact with people across cultures. Cultural competence comprises four components:
  • Awareness of one's own cultural worldview
  • Openness  towards cultural differences, 
  • Knowledge of different cultural practices and world views,  
  • Cross-cultural skills.

Equality starts with the premise that everyone is born with the same set of rights and privileges regardless of any of the social identifiers (race, gender, socio-economic status, etc). 

Equity takes into consideration the fact that the social identifiers (race, gender, socio-economic status, etc.) do in fact affect equality. In an equitable environment, an individual or a group would be given what was needed to give them equal advantage.This would not necessarily be equal to what others were receiving. It could be more or different. 
Equity and Equality
Equity and Equality 
"When the rules are fair, but the game isn't"

Wealth Inequality in America


Pedro Noguera, executive director of the Metropolitan Center for Urban Education, discusses the term equity and the forces that sometimes prevent schools from providing children with equitable outcomes.





Internalized Racial Oppression (two manifestations of):
1.  Internalized Racial Inferiority - A multigenerational process of the acceptance of the dominant society’s racist views, stereotypes and biases of one’s ethnic group. It gives rise to patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving that result in discriminating, minimizing, criticizing, finding fault, invalidating, and hating oneself while simultaneously valuing the dominant culture.
Taking Action Against Racism - TAAR
2.  Internalized Racial Superiority - a multigenerational process of receiving, acting on, internalizing, invisibilizing, and legitimizing a system of privilege.
Intersectionality (or Intersectionalism) - intersections between different groups of people identifying in various -isms or social identifiers; the interactions of multiple systems of oppression or discrimination.
 how various biological, social and cultural categories such as gender, race, class, ability, sexual orientation, and other axes of identity interact on multiple and often simultaneous levels, contributing to systematic social inequality. Intersectionality holds that the classical conceptualizations of oppression within society, such as racism, sexism, homophobia, and religion- or belief-based bigotry, do not act independently of one another; instead, these forms of oppression interrelate, creating a system of oppression that reflects the "intersection" of multiple forms of discrimination.[2] - Wikipedia
Learning Difference/Learning Disability - May be diagnosed or not, but implies that the individual learns in a way that may be outside of what is considered the "norm". In many cases the brain is wired differently. The difference may be language or non-language based. This difference usually has nothing to do with intelligence. Cognitive abilities can range from below average to very superior but a learning disability is categorized by a wide discrepancy between cognitive ability and performance. Depending on the attitude and/or resources of a school, many students with mild to moderate "differences" can thrive in a mainstream setting. 
 Learning Disabilities 
 http://www.ldonline.org/ldbasics/whatisld  
 http://www.partnerstx.org/Resources/LD/Main.htm
http://home.gwu.edu/~kkid/testing.html


LGBTQ - Initialism standing for  Lesbian. Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning identity.Sometimes just written as LGBT or LGBTIQ (The "I" standing for "Intersex") -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT

"That's So Gay"... Ash Beckham

Microaggressions - Subtle non physical aggressions, usually unconscious. They are usually based on an erroneous set of assumptions. When said or done they put people of a particular group down and can be hurtful. (e.g. "You speak so well."/ "You don't look Jewish."/ "Some of my best friends are black."/  "What are you?"/  "Why do you wear that towel on your head?"/ "All of you orientals look alike to me."/ "I just don't understand why the Koreans and Japanese students aren't all friends' -can substitute Africans and black Americans/ Mexicans and Puerto Ricans... -   etc.)

Minority - Lesser in numbers in any given environment. Can also imply lesser in value or importance. When referring to people in terms of race, the term people of color is preferred (see below). 
Multicultural Education is inclusive of diverse perspectives, allowing students to see history as well as the current world through many lens. It is grounded in ideals of social justice, education equity and critical pedagogy. A multicultural education encourages and empowers students by providing educational experiences in which all students reach their full potentials as learners and as socially aware and active global citizens.

People of Color - Individuals who have roots in one or more of the following racial/ethnic groups and who identify as persons of color: African, Latino/Hispanic, Asian, South Asian, Native American, Middle Eastern, Pacific Islander

Prejudice - Any preconceived opinion or feeling, either favorable or unfavorable

Race - Established in the 18th century. A specious classification of human beings created by Europeans (whites) which assigns human worth and social status, using"white" as the model of humanity and the height of human achievement for the purpose of establishing and maintaining privilege and power.
More on the creation of race - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caucasian_race

Racism = Race prejudice + Power (not to be confused with bias/intolerance/bigotry/prejudice/discrimination)
Racism: Some Links
http://www.antiracistworkshop.org/define/def.html
http://www.racialequitytools.org/ci-concepts-ra.htm


RELIGIOUS PREJUDICE

"We The People"

Social Justice - The fair distribution of advantages/rights 



Stereotype Threat- the experience of anxiety or concern in a situation where a person has the potential to confirm a negative stereotype about their social group. First described by social psychologist Claude Steele and his colleagues, stereotype threat has been shown to reduce the performance of individuals who belong to negatively stereotyped groups. MORE

Whistling Vivaldi: And Other Clues to How Stereotypes Affect Us by Dr. Claude Steele

Systemic Racism - A social construct designed to provide unequal access to services, rights and privileges to members of racial groups considered to be the minority. 

White Privilege - Unearned advantages based solely on the fact that one is born white. These advantages are often viewed by whites as the norm rather than as an advantaged position that must be maintained at the expense of all. (see below)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_privilege
White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack

- Peggy MacIntosh


MORE DEFINITIONS
Anti-racist initiatives
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