The Work Continues

Derek Chauvin is guilty. Justice, at least in this one case, has been served.

And our work —

my work, as a white woman

— continues. Of course.

The work includes attention to systemic racism and the ways white supremacy is baked into our educational institutions. Dangerous restraints that are used disproportionately on black students, for example, must not be used in schools.

But, for me, the fundamental work continues to be personal. It is internal work, dredging up work, scouring out work, that shows me my racism so I can work against it. So I can exercise the only real control I have in the world: control over myself.

Knowing that shifts in me cause

ripple effect

shifts in others.

How can white teachers do this work? By forming Teacher Support Groups. By getting psycho-coaching. By bringing our racist feelings and experiences to the group so as to understand their roots and pull them up. And practice new attitudes, new ways of seeing and hearing, new ways of communicating, new ways of being. With the support of caring colleagues.

To continue the work, we must work on ourselves. We must change ourselves.

With each other.

As a white woman, this is my commitment and hope.