This audit builds on last month’s discussion around "Black Male Educators Create Space for Joy" by Coshandra

Dillard. This
resource is inspired by Jess Lifshitz’s curriculum audit we used in January, and builds on our Co-constructing Spaces of Joy tool from
March.

Co-constructing Staff Culture that resists white supremacy culture and makes space for Black joy

As you go through the reflection below, keep in mind the characteristics of white supremacy culture and how they show up in your
staff culture. It is important that you collaborate with BIPOC folks on your staff as you move this work forward. While some of these
issues may be new to you and other white educators, they will not be new to your Black, Brown, Asian, and Indigenous colleagues.
You should also acknowledge that some BIPOC colleagues may not want to collaborate, and that should be OK. Remember, the
important work is rooted in building real relationships from which positive and purposeful collaboration occurs.

It is also important to recognize that spaces can and should be curated by Black, Brown, Asian, and Indigenous staff members.
Often, white colleagues are not even aware of these spaces and that’s okay. The important thing is that the school culture gives
space for BIPOC educators to exist authentically and voluntarily, as opposed to them being formed due to an oppressive and racist
school culture.

Questions to Consider Current State of our Staff Changes Needed and why: Resources To Support
(always with an eye to Culture: Changes (see additional
interrogating white readings and guides below):
supremacy culture):

What are the racial and gender

demographics of your staff?

What are the racial and gender

demographics of your
leadership [team]?

How are BIPOC staff

encouraged to seek leadership
roles?
Who facilitates your meetings
or professional development
sessions? Whose voices are
prioritized? Are racism and
antiracism addressed?

How are collegial relationships

formed and maintained? Are
there cliques? Do friendships
break down along racial and/or
gender lines?

How are hiring decisions made

at your school? What is your
application and interview
process?

How are you locating and/or

recruiting Black, Indigenous,
and other teachers of color?

Black teachers especially are

often denied opportunities to
teach higher level classes
and/or are seen as
disciplinarians more than
educators. How does this
dynamic play out in your staff?

What spaces of Black joy exist

within your staff culture?
Based on today’s discussion:
Goal Action steps to reach this goal

What is a short term goal you can set for

yourself or your group?

What is a medium term goal you can set

for yourself or your group?

What is a long term goal you can set for

yourself or your group?

Additional Readings (from April Discussion Guide):

If you feel one of these is better suited to your group, feel free to use as a primary. We have placed an asterisk next to readings
written or co-written by BIPOC authors.

● Black Women Educators' Roundtable on Teaching and Current Events from Facing History
● I'm a Black Male Teacher Who Works for a Black Principal. It's Been a Game Changer.*
● Diversifying the Teaching Profession*
● Through Our Eyes*
● Disciplinarians First and Teachers Second
● The Burden of Being a Black Teacher
● Schools Have Committed to Hiring Teachers of Color. Now They Need to Keep Them*
● Urban Teachers of Color Pushed Out by Jamilah Pitts *
● Retaining Teachers of Color in Public Schools
● What White Colleagues Need to Understand by Clarice Brazas and Charlie McGeehan *
● Black Parents, Teachers, and Students See a Need for More Black Teachers (video)
● In Isolation: Uniting Male Teachers of Color (video)
● Disrupting the Culture of Silence in Schools by Brendon Jobs *
 ● Keeping Teachers: Black men and teachers in rural areas are in especially short supply
● Dear White Teacher by Chrysanthius Lathan *
● Why America Needs More African American Teachers - And How to Recruit and Retain Them *
● To Get To College, It Helps Black Students To Have a Black Teacher Early On by Mayowa Aina *
● An Overlooked Cause of the Teacher-Diversity Problem by Melinda D. Anderson *
● Why Black Teachers Walk Away by Youki Terada *

Previous BARWE Discussion Guides on this topic:

Beginning with this month’s email, we’ve decided to include links to our previous resources on similar topics. We have already
collected resources and additional resources above, but if any of these guides better suit your group, feel free to use them.
● February 2020: How can we recruit and retain more Black teachers in our schools?
● March 2020: How can white educators be accountable to their colleagues of color?
● March 2019: How can we support colleagues of color and build antiracist work environments?
● February 2019: Why are teachers of color so important for our schools and how can we increase their numbers?