38: The Critical Need to Reframe the Discussion – and Training – About Race
“What's hard is that when people's awareness is awakened and we see something as urgent, it doesn't mean that we can solve things suddenly. If we are honest, these issues developed over a long period of time, and they’re not something that will be solved overnight. So, we have to look at this as cooking with a slow cooker rather than with a microwave.” — Afrika Afeni Mills
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Guest
Afrika Afeni Mills, MEd, is the CEO of Continental Drift, LLC, an author, Education Consultant, and Adjunct Professor at Boston College’s Lynch School of Education and Human Development. She has been an educator since 1999 with a background as a classroom teacher, instructional coach, teacher developer, and school administrator.
Afrika is the author of Open Windows, Open Minds: Developing Antiracist, Pro-Human Students, as well as the viral blog post, A Letter to White Teachers of My Black Children. Her TED-Ed Talk, Having Conversations About Race is Just Another Hard Thing We Can Learn to Do was released in Spring 2023.
The Takeaway
In this episode, we discussed the importance of addressing inclusivity and racism in education – first through self-reflection - while emphasizing the need to support educators' holistic well-being and anti-racism training via a long-term approach.
Listen for
The need to reflect on one’s racial beliefs and behaviors.
The challenges posed by banning books written by black authors and limiting the teaching of black American history.
How educators need to collaborate with families and communities to address systemic issues and how that effort will take time and persistence.
Why it’s essential to incorporate anti-racism training in pre-service teacher and administrator education programs.
Why it’s important for educators to take care of their whole selves.
In her own words – post-interview Q&A with Afrika Afeni Mills
An initiative of the Center for Educational Improvement and the Yale School of Medicine
Funded by the Department of Education
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