September 25, 2024
New Conversations, New Action
Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of America.
– John Lewis, American politician and civil rights activist (1940-2020)
Contributed by Erin Glenn, Managing Editor of Exchange Press.
In her book The Art of Troublemaking, Olga Lacayo explores many themes, including her decision take a deeply painful personal experience of racism and turn it into a profound teaching and learning opportunity for her larger community.
“I was reminded that antiracist activism is not about persuading people to assume my ideas. Instead, it is about creating safe and brave spaces where we can reflect together, share our experiences and perspectives, and together, find solutions to issues of bias and racism.
“I think people were able to step into this powerful and emotional conversation because they felt a certain degree of safety…As they connected their own stories to mine and to each other’s, they realized that racism was a real issue at our school that needed addressing. This was the turning point in our conversation, when we recognized we all needed to be heard and respected. Bias and racism are real, not just someone being too sensitive.”
The Study Guide for this work offers observations and practices to support readers and teams:
“A focus on untangling our divisions, healing ourselves, and repairing our relationships isn’t a typical emphasis in our staff meetings or our professional learning gatherings—or our coaching. These conversations can be wildly uncomfortable, and we can get tangled up and tongue-tied in our rage, our hurt, our grief, or our shame. Many people who are white are unpracticed at talking frankly—and listening courageously—in conversations about race and racism…But if we reimagine professional learning as the practice of developing courage, deeper self-awareness, and the capacity to listen with an eagerness to understand other perspectives, then the learning that occurs carries us closer to the teachers we long to be, our identities infused with integrity.”
Join Olga Lacayo and her coach and collaborator Eliana Elias in their upcoming webinar with Early Childhood Investigations.
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