Join Racial Equity Education in driving mass change in our schools
/By Amanda Williams
As our communities grieve the senseless loss of Black lives across the nation, many are left wondering how they can help push the nation forward. The moment we are living in is uncertain. Some people are waiting for normalcy while others are crying out for drastic change.
During this time, clear goals and achievable actions can be comforting. A small contribution to a larger shared vision can help alleviate some of the heaviness one may feel. One grassroots group is using their voice to ignite the conversation around Black lives in our public education system.
Racial Equity Education (REE) is "a volunteer collective of concerned citizens including educators, parents, social scientists, historians and learning-development professionals who are taking on the task of amplifying the recommendations and demands of educational activists working to implement inclusive, anti-racist Ethnic Studies programs and curricula at the K-12 level.”
The group has curated eight demands based on current efforts to make schools and curriculum more inclusive, including the implementation of ethnic studies, restorative justice practices, anti-bias trainings, and the hiring and retention of Black and Brown teachers. The full list of demands can be read at racialequityed.org/demands/.
The campaign is structured in a way that allows for mass participation to put pressure on our school board representatives to act — and act quickly. Using pre-filled forms, drafted by REE, community members are urged to email, tweet, or message school board members from across the nation.
A wave of 10 school districts at a time will be called to take action. School districts such as Seattle Public Schools, who already have advocates asking for changes in the curriculum, have been chosen first with the hope that a large push from the community will move their demands with an added sense of urgency.
Advocacy takes on many forms. As leaders within communities fight to have equitable representation for all children in schools, we have the power to stand behind them and demand authentic response and actions from school district leaders. To participate or learn more about the importance of racial equity in education, go to https://racialequityed.org/.
