ERASE Racism Students Participate in 7th Annual Reimagining Education Summer Institute with Teachers College, Columbia University

resi 5a Members of ERASE Racism’s Student Task Force (STF), along with President Elaine Gross, and Student Organizer Derrielle Faulkner participated in the 7th Annual Reimagining Education: Teaching, Learning and Leading for a Racially Just Society Summer Institute (RESI) from July 11-15th. During this conference organized by Teachers College, Columbia University, ERASE Racism’s Student Task Force members addressed an important role for educators in their workshop, “From Passion to Action: Supporting Student Leadership and Activism.”

It provided educators with a concrete framework on how to support their students in developing their ideas into positive change. Using the New York State Education Department’s “Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education Framework” (NYSED CR-SE) student leaders Cateyann, Alli, Savanna, Maekyla, and Yoav [photo: left to right] designed their workshop to provide tools for educators to craft a more culturally responsive classroom experience.

Thanks to the generous sponsorship of the Rauch Foundation, ERASE Racism was also able to recruit 30 Long Island educators to attend this year’s conference, either in person or remotely.

Savanna opened the workshop by introducing its three parts: “Dream Together”, “Listen Together”, and “Doing Together”. For “Dream Together”, the students began with an activity that asked educators to think about their safe space: What does it look like? How does it feel? Educators were subsequently asked to share how they might construct such a space in their classroom. This exercise spoke to the importance of comfortability when having students engage in tough conversations. Such environments can only thrive when students feel that they and their perspective are welcomed in the space – opening the conversation to the intentionality of inclusivity.

“You want students to see themselves in any way that they can” stated Alli at the end of the exercise. “Whether it’s their interests, that there’s a club or whatever, you want students to want to come to school so that they can learn and they could meet other people… So you want the classroom to be an inviting place.” The exercise ended with educators writing down a dream for their classroom/community and how they would like to achieve it. For part two: “Listening Together”, Cateyann led a group discussion that explored the ways in which students’ individual passions could be integrated into classroom projects and shared amongst peers. Finally, the workshops shifted into part three: “Doing Together” with one last activity. Named “Ready, Set, Action”, the exercise saw educators brainstorming diversity and equity initiatives for their classrooms. To do this, Maekyla had educators form groups of three to reflect on the skills, resources, and people that are available for them to bring to their table. “Fantastic session,” said one educator in attendance at the workshop. “I will work to give more students a voice in class, school, and district-wide.”

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The students also had the opportunity to speak with LI educators over lunch. They spoke passionately about the significance of diversity and inclusion in class discussions, citing that in order for educators to become culturally responsive leaders, they must start by supporting and listening to their students.

This sentiment was echoed throughout the Plenary, titled “The Freedom to Learn: Youth Leaders' Visions for their Classrooms and Schools” where the students were able to share their experience with CRSE in their schools. In particular, Yaov shared the positive impact of his educators' support during a walkout at his school over the lack of action towards gun violence affecting students across the nation shortly after the Ulvade massacre this year in Texas. The power in sharing perspectives was emphasized throughout the conference.

The STF had the opportunity to later participate in a combined Q & A session with Panther Anti-Racist Union Students with the support of Central York HS parents and teachers. Students from York followed up with their experiences protesting book bans at school. This created an environment for educators to ask the ERASE Racism Student Task Force members and the York students questions among culturally responsive educators and how this can relate to their personal experience as students.

The last question requested the students to share a call to action to their fellow educators and STF member Maekyla responded with, “ These students, everyone sitting right here, we're the future politicians. We are the future doctors. We are the future lawyers. We are the future change-makers. We are the individuals who in 20, or 30 years are going to be out there and changing the world. And we need the support of educators…” This caused a standing ovation from the audience and reflected the support the students received throughout their time at Teachers College. This year's RESI conference powerfully allowed STF members to communicate the ways in which educators can create conditions to help students dream and support them in developing their dreams into activism.