Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in K-12 goes by many names: Culturally responsive pedagogy, multicultural education, global citizenship education, anti-oppressive education, cultural competence, global competence, anti-racist pedagogy, ethnic studies...these and more all essentially fall under the umbrella of DEI.
This summer, our collective reckoning with the still deadly realities of racism brought DEI to the forefront of K-12. But in the midst of the harrowing reminder that DEI is an ongoing process, educators were also focused on negotiating school closures, online learning, and other pandemic transitions. As a result, educators are (understandably) still trying to figure out what the right terms are, what the latest research is, and what your school can do about DEI.
I see you, and I am so grateful to you for engaging in that work.
I hate to add another term to your list, but for me, Global Diversity Education comes closest to encapsulating the essence of the type of education that needs to be happening right now. The global part is what trips up most people. Are global studies really relevant right now when things are such a mess here? Well, as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. famously said: "No one is free until we are all free." MLK lived this out, situating the struggle for Civil Rights in the United States within other global struggles for freedom and peace, most notably by speaking out against the Vietnam War. In his speech Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence, King called himself a "citizen of the world" and stated:
"This call for a worldwide fellowship that lifts neighborly concern beyond one's tribe, race, class, and nation is in reality a call for an all-embracing -- embracing and unconditional love for all mankind."
I could go on about the importance of bringing a global perspective to diversity education, but there's room for many more blogs about that! For now, just know that that the global should neither be ignored, nor seen as separate from your school's DEI efforts. It's all one in the same. But instead of me continuing to define what Global Diversity Education looks like, how about you start to define it for yourself based on where your school is at right now?
The attached Global Diversity Education Readiness Checklist will help you get an idea of where your school is at with diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. I recommend giving this checklist to various members of your school community, then coming together to discuss the process and results. On the second page of this document, I've included some follow up questions you can use to help guide the discussion, as well as some meeting tips!
This checklist is yours to download and distribute, just click on the snippet below to be directed to the Google file! If you end up using it, shoot me an email and let me know: was it helpful? Did you have a meaningful discussion with your colleagues? Are you making any changes as a result? If you are uncomfortable having this discussion at your school, I'd love to help you out. Contact me and we can brainstorm. More resources coming your way soon!
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