I read both of these articles and I think they work well together. What is Racial Equity did an excellent job of defining different terms and helping the reader understand the similarities and differences between the different areas such as diversity vs. inclusion, equity vs. equality, and the differences between different types of racial bias (individual vs. institutional vs. systemic). The most interesting and useful part of this article was the part that separated institutional racism from systemic racism. Individual racism has been clear to me and is what I grew up understanding racism to be. Prior to this article, I did not understand the difference between institutional racism, that which occurs within particular institutions, and systemic racism which is a much larger framework. Prior to this, I had been using the terms interchangeably so this helped to reshape my thinking.
The other article titled Beware of Equity Traps and Troupes was also an interesting read. I had head descriptions of some of these "traps and troupes" but had not had labels attached to them. For example, the one I was most familiar with was "The Great White Hope" although it had not been called that. The idea that there could be a savior of people of color has been well established in books and movies over the years. The Blindside is a good example of this. It has been a pervasive troupe in much of main stream media and I have been working to be more aware of it when I come across it. Many of the other traps or troupes are things that I have experienced, but had not put voice to it. For example, siloing equity is what I have seen take place at school. Many people are interested in pursuing equity and discussions about how to be more equitable are had, but no real change has taken place. I think that may a function of looking at equity as an add on or something that we need to do, rather than something that should be integrated into instruction, SEL, and into conversations with others. One of the other traps or troupes that struck me was structural equity, in particular, the mention of restorative practices. As the district has moved toward restorative practices, it has not met with universal acceptance in schools. My experience this past year was that people were really looking for consequences and punishment and were not putting enough stock into supporting restorative practices as a way of helping children understand and repair any harm that may have been caused by their behavior. I think that staff need training to understand both the benefits of restorative practices, but more practically, how to do restorative practices with a diverse population.
The other article titled Beware of Equity Traps and Troupes was also an interesting read. I had head descriptions of some of these "traps and troupes" but had not had labels attached to them. For example, the one I was most familiar with was "The Great White Hope" although it had not been called that. The idea that there could be a savior of people of color has been well established in books and movies over the years. The Blindside is a good example of this. It has been a pervasive troupe in much of main stream media and I have been working to be more aware of it when I come across it. Many of the other traps or troupes are things that I have experienced, but had not put voice to it. For example, siloing equity is what I have seen take place at school. Many people are interested in pursuing equity and discussions about how to be more equitable are had, but no real change has taken place. I think that may a function of looking at equity as an add on or something that we need to do, rather than something that should be integrated into instruction, SEL, and into conversations with others. One of the other traps or troupes that struck me was structural equity, in particular, the mention of restorative practices. As the district has moved toward restorative practices, it has not met with universal acceptance in schools. My experience this past year was that people were really looking for consequences and punishment and were not putting enough stock into supporting restorative practices as a way of helping children understand and repair any harm that may have been caused by their behavior. I think that staff need training to understand both the benefits of restorative practices, but more practically, how to do restorative practices with a diverse population.