Coffee and Conversations: A Work in Progress: Dismantling White Supremacy in Our Workplace

In the wake of the January 6, 2021 white supremacist insurrection in Washington, D.C., and the importance of its being taught honestly and openly in our schools, this month’s Coffee and Conversations topic felt more timely than we anticipated. As a majority-white organization that aims to elevate the quality of K-12 education for all students in this country, we have come to recognize the significant impact our racial identities have on our work and the ways we work with each other. As an organization, we acknowledge that many of the ways we have worked - and continue to operate - are emblematic of white supremacy culture. We have made substantive changes in our staffing model, our leadership and management structures in an attempt to move closer to our goal of being an antiracist, multicultural organization.

This session will provide an opportunity for other education professionals - in and outside of the school building - to identify the ways white supremacy is showing up not only in the ways we engage our students and families, but also in the ways we show up with each other. The session will begin with a candid conversation between Amy Briggs, Student Achievement Partners' President and a white woman, and Joy Delizo-Osborne, a Black woman on staff. We will discuss the process we have undertaken to change the way Student Achievement Partners works, both internally and externally, and offer up some of the many challenges we continue to work through. Participants will then have the opportunity to dig into conversation with one another about any parallels they see to themselves and their work. This session is likely most useful for education professionals who are looking for ways to challenge their understanding of their work and themselves through the lens of race. We do not profess to have any answers; we only hope to be open about our process and to learn alongside you.

Interested in opportunities to learn from other educators?  Take the Core Advocate survey to learn about upcoming Coffee and Conversations and other free events. Have a topic in mind for further discussion or feedback about the event?  We want to hear from you! Please reach out to Joy  Delizo-Osborne.