Anti-Racism and Restorative Justice Classroom Resources and Instructional StrategiesA manual of resources to enable educators engaged in anti-racism work.
about the production of the manual: Dear Durham Public Schools Educators,
In light of recent events that have occurred in Charlottesville, Virginia and our very own Durham, North Carolina, Durham Public Schools (DPS) has created a resource guide to support educators who opt to engage students in conversations regarding white nationalism, monuments of the Confederacy, or other related topics. We understand that the protests and counter-protests have prompted some students to ask questions about these issues and we want to be sure that our educators have resources to aid in these discussions.
For educators who are apprehensive about discussing these topics in class, we encourage you to, at minimum, conduct research about what is going on in our city and nation. The increased visibility and demonstrations of white nationalists and white supremacists has the potential to disturb and harm ALL of our students. Additionally, being that over 80% of our students are students of color, these events have the capability of harming them in very specific ways.
We do not share these resources with you as a mandate for instruction. Rather, we want you to have materials readily available should you choose to engage students in discussions of these topics. For teachers who are willing, we encourage you to allow students to reflect on these issues at some point during the first weeks of school, so that students know our classes are safe spaces for them to share their thoughts and concerns. This is a vital component of building healthy classroom communities.
