Equity In Education
COURAGEOUS CONVERSATIONS ABOUT RACE
Why is it important to have conversation about race?
How to navigate conversations about race?
The 4 agreements, 6 conditions and compass were created as a navigation tool to help guide us through conversations about race. It helps us know where we are personally as well as to recognize the direction from which others come. Collectively, it leads us to a mutual understanding of our varied
beliefs and opinions. According to the compass, there are 4 ways that people deal with racial information, events or issues:
Feeling - There is a response to information through feeling - anger, sadness, joy.
Thinking - There is a personal disconnect or search for more information.
Believing - There is a deep seeded belief that relates to the racial information.
Acting - There is a need to respond to information by doing.
The Art of Mindful Inquiry
- “What I heard you say was…”
- “Tell me more about what you meant by...”
- “What angered you about what happened?”
- “What hurt you about what happened?”
- “What’s familiar about what happened?” (How did that affect you? How does it affect you now?)
- “What do you need/want?”
Writing your racial autobiography helps develop a fuller understanding of personal racial identity development and experiences linked to race. Our racial Identity affects the way
we interact with the world and how the world interacts with us.
Recognizing Our Biases
Microaggressions are the everyday verbal, nonverbal, and environmental slights, snubs, or insults, whether intentional or unintentional, which communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative messages to target persons based solely upon their marginalized group membership.