Friday, Jan. 16, 2015, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Odegaard Undergraduate Library (OUG) ROOM 220
In 2012 the Seattle School Board passed the landmark policy, Ensuring Educational and Racial Equity, which put into ink Seattle Public Schools’ color-conscious approach to race. That same year the district supported one white family who complained and pushed for a colorblind approach to race: first, by suspending the race curriculum and then by transferring its teacher. These actions proved to be a prime display of white privilege—even in a district and city with stated commitments to equity and racial justice. What strategies were used to attack the study of race? And why was the teacher, despite positive yearly evaluations and numerous accolades, so vulnerable to this attack? Learn not just the answers to these questions, but also learn about the inspirational resistance efforts of current and former students, as well as of many in the greater Seattle community, including prominent elected officials. Though the battle reached resolution in August of 2014, the question remains: How can educators protect themselves and the classroom as a safe forum for understanding race and challenging racism?
Jon Greenberg is an award-winning public high-school teacher and writer. Creator and facilitator of the celebrated curriculum Citizenship and Social Justice, he has dedicated his career to social justice and civic engagement for nearly twenty years. Greenberg gained broader recognition for standing up for racial dialogue in the classroom—with widespread support from community—while a school district attempted to stifle it. He recently joined Everyday Feminism as a contributing writer and is currently working on a project about the Race Curriculum Controversy. He has recently launched a website.
http://citizenshipandsocialjustice.com/center-school-controversy/
Faculty contact is Eva Cherniavsky at ec22@uw.edu.
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