Minicourse Module 25: Lifelong Learning for Equity

Approx time: 35 min

This minicourse module is an abridged version of Project READY’s Module 27: Lifelong Learning for Equity, Module 28: Connecting in Person with Others, and Module 29: Leveraging Digital Learning Environments. Follow the links to access the full modules.

AFTER WORKING THROUGH THIS MODULE, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO:

Explain why learning about equity and inclusion is a lifelong process.
Explain why connecting with others in person is important to your racial equity journey.
Define and list examples of digital learning environments, and describe how these environments can serve as valuable sites for professional development related to racial equity.
Develop personal learning goals related to equity and inclusion.
List organizations, resources, and strategies that can help you reach those goals.

INTRODUCTION

Congratulations, you have reached the final module of the Project READY Minicourse curriculum! By now, you should have learned a lot about race and racism in the United States and what you can do in the library to help address race-based inequities. By making it this far in the curriculum, you have accomplished something real, and something important. However, your racial equity journey is not complete. In fact, learning about equity and inclusion is a lifelong task, with an undefined endpoint.

Why is this the case? For starters, we are each limited by our own experiences and cultural backgrounds, so we can never truly know what it’s like to experience the world as someone of another race, gender identity, ethnicity, or nationality. The incredible – and growing – diversity of cultural identities in our nation alone could take a lifetime to learn about. In addition, cultures are constantly shifting, such that understanding a particular culture now doesn’t guarantee continued understanding. Historical events, laws, movements, and trends that shape our collective and individual understanding of race and racism, such as the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s or the #BlackLivesMatter and Dreamers movements today, will continue to occur, and our understanding of equity issues needs to be flexible to take new developments into account.

It’s been said that learning about race and racism for the first time is like putting on a pair of glasses and suddenly realizing that your vision had been clouded your whole life without you realizing it. Once those glasses are on, you start to see the world through the lenses of equity and inclusion.

It is possible, though, for those who have put on the equity glasses to take them off again. This is easiest for people who can distance themselves from reminders of race in their day-to-day-lives – in other words, this is easiest for white people. The ability to choose not to continue learning about race and racism is a privilege that people of color do not always have. For BIPOC, lifelong learning about race and racism can literally be a life-or-death necessity. If you have worked through this curriculum up to this point as a white person, we hope you have internalized the urgency of continued learning for yourself and for other white people. The rest of this module will explore resources for lifelong learning in this area that BIPOC and white people can use to continue growing in their understanding.

REFLECT

Browse the module titles you’ve completed so far in this curriculum as you reflect on what you’ve learned here. Respond to the following questions:

What Project READY content did you find most challenging or surprising? Now that you’ve had a chance to put that content in the greater context of the practices/policies of your library, how are you feeling about it?
What content did you find most inspiring or motivating, and what do you plan to do with that new knowledge?
What areas do you want more information about? What do you feel you still need to learn related to racial equity and/or its implications for library work?

ACT

Based on your reflections above, develop several personal learning goals that will shape your racial equity work going forward. These may be short- or long-term goals. When writing your goals, keep the following suggestions in mind:

Use action verbs to frame your goals.
Try to write goals that are specific and measurable. Writing goals in this way will make it easier for you to hold yourself accountable for progress related to these goals.

Click “Show more” to see some example learning goals.

CONNECTING IN PERSON

We are fortunate to live in a world where we have technologies that allow us to connect with people from across the globe. While we believe in the power of digital technologies to help us continue to learn and to engage in discussions about racial equity, we also recognize the importance of in-person conversations. In face-to-face conversations, we not only rely on words to communicate meaning, but also body language, voice levels and inflection, facial expressions, and eye contact. Through in-person conversations, we are able to build bonds that lead to true feelings of connection, connections that generate empathy and support self-discovery. We find these “face-to-face” discussions to be rich places to examine issues, reflect on our practice, and connect with like-minded colleagues. Below, we will share examples of potential opportunities to engage in face-to-face interactions.

Equity and Racial Justice Discussion Groups

While there are so many important and powerful books, articles, podcasts, and videos out there that address issues related to the topics in this curriculum, talking with other people about what you’re learning is often as important as the learning itself. Consider joining an Equity and Racial Justice Discussion Group. Discussion groups provide a brave space to continue to learn; exchange ideas, understandings, and experiences; and discuss actions that individuals and communities can take to address racial inequities. You can start your own discussion group, or search for an existing one. Browse the internet with search terms such as “Racial Equity Book Club,” “Social Justice Book Club,” or “Racial Equity Discussion”‘ to see if there are any in your local community.

Note: Be sure to revisit the module on microaggressions when you are preparing to participate in a racial equity discussion group. When interacting with others in these groups, do not expect BIPOC participants to be “the experts” on entire racial/ethnic groups, and keep in mind that it is not their job to teach others about race and racism.

Watch the video below, in which a former Project READY participant discusses professional learning groups they facilitated with staff at their school. What can you learn about the structure, format, and focus of this group? In what ways is the group facilitator serving as a leader, and in what ways is she serving as a learner?

Caucusing with Affinity Groups

Sometimes it is important for BIPOC and white people to meet separately to talk about issues that are important to them. Caucusing is one way to provide a space and structure for affinity groups (people with similar racial or ethnic backgrounds) to engage in the racial equity work that speaks to their particular experiences and needs. By talking with people who belong to the same racial identity group, we are able to explore our own beliefs and those of others, examine our own biases, and practice talking about difficult issues before we join discussions in mixed racial and ethnic groups.

This 2-page handout, Racial Identity Caucuses [PDF], provides a definition of caucusing, explains why it is important, and includes tips for successful caucusing.
This blog post, Race Caucusing in an Organizational Context: A POC’s Experience, explains why affinity groups are especially important for BIPOC.

Equity Teams

Many public libraries have formed equity teams. The goals of these teams vary. In public libraries, equity teams often:

Promote institutional change within the organization in order to improve equity outcomes, create equitable policies, and better serve diverse communities,
Study how race impacts the workplace culture and processes,
Facilitate dialog and understanding of racial equity through training and discussion for staff and patrons,
Ensure the inclusion of equity in all decision making processes in the library,
Work to hire library staff who represent the diversity of the community,
Plan community events to foster connections and encourage continuous growth and learning about racial equity and social justice issues that relate to the community.

Becoming a member of your library’s equity team provides you with an opportunity to continue to build your skills and to provide leadership around implementing educational opportunities, policies, and programs that further racial equity in your school/library and in your community.

Conferences

There are a number of conferences specifically focused on equity, inclusion, and social justice. These conferences provide a brave space for leadership, professional development, and networking for BIPOC and their allies (or co-conspirators). The connections you make at conferences can help you grow both personally and professionally, but perhaps most importantly, they can make you feel less alone when doing the challenging work of advancing equity. Here is a list of national conferences to get you started.

Facing Race – Sponsored by Race Forward
Joint Conference of Librarians of Color – Sponsored by the American Indian Library Association (AILA), the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA), the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA), the Chinese American Librarians Association (CALA), and REFORMA: The National Association to Promote Library & Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-speaking.
The White Privilege Conference – Sponsored by The Privilege Institute
Overcoming Racism Conference – Sponsored by FREC (the Facilitating Racial Equity Collaborative)
National Summit for Courageous Conversations – Sponsored by Courageous Conversations™ and Pacific Educational Group
NAME Conference– Sponsored by the National Association for Multicultural Education
NAIS People of Color Conference – Sponsored by the National Association of Independent Schools

Leveraging Digital Learning Environments

Racial equity work is most effective when individuals connect and collaborate with others. As we have discussed in earlier modules, racial equity work can too often get “siloed” within individual communities, disciplines, or systems, resulting in duplicated efforts and fractured understandings of connected issues. For librarians, it is even more crucial to reach beyond the library walls to connect with others involved in this work, since we are frequently the only youth services librarian within our buildings. While they are sometimes dismissed as time-wasters, social media and other digital learning environments have opened up a wealth of opportunities for educators to learn and engage in discussions about racial equity from scholars, colleagues, activists, and others. Digital learning environments include any online platform or tool where people can learn from others, including experts, colleagues, and youth. These environments are often, though not always, social and interactive, with synchronous or asynchronous two- or multi-way communication embedded. Some of these platforms may not have been originally designed as learning environments; however, that does not negate the potential of these tools for professional development.

Admittedly, there is a lot of negative, hateful, misleading, and simply false content online, so you may be asking yourself why these tools are worth your time when it comes to professional development. Despite the downsides to these platforms, there are also meaningful benefits that can come from engaging with these sites:

Online platforms give you free, on-demand access to experts from a wide range of disciplines, which can combat the “silo” effect and highlight connections and potential connections among anti-racist actors and organizations.
You may find it easier to engage in conversations about race & racism online, for at least two reasons. First, many people find it more comfortable to engage in race-related conversations in a text-based medium, where they have time to carefully consider their questions and comments before sharing. Second, online conversations are not limited by geography or the makeup of your personal social network. You may be the only one in your school, neighborhood, or library who wants to engage in anti-racist work; going online can make it easy to find other like-minded people with whom you can connect.
Social platforms make it possible for you to hear directly from people of color and Indigenous people about the issues that matter to them. It can be burdensome for BIPOC to answer even well-intentioned questions about race and racism from white people. Online, you can find people who have willingly shared their answers to these questions, often without being asked.
Learning in digital environments is self-paced and self-directed. What, when, and how you learn is up to you.

Below, we will explore the possibilities for personal and professional growth that are afforded by digital tools and share tips and tricks for getting the most from the time you spend using these tools.

Webinars

Many organizations host webinars – online seminars or presentations where participants can see and hear from experts in a particular field and sometimes interact with them and with other participants. Sometimes these webinars are limited to members of the host organization or cost money to attend; however, there are also many webinars that are free and open to anyone. Recordings of many past webinars are also available online; while these do not offer the opportunity for interaction, you can still get valuable information from watching. The organizations and publications linked below all offer free webinars related to race and equity. Follow the links to explore what each organization has to offer:

In addition, explore the websites for any professional organizations you belong to (for example, A LSC, AASL, YALSA, REFORMA, BCALA, etc.). What webinars are available on those sites for members?

Electronic / Digital Newsletters

While less interactive than social networks or webinars, electronic newsletters can often be a valuable source of professional development and may also alert you to upcoming events that might extend your learning either online or in person. Here are some examples:

EduColor – an inclusive cooperative of informed, inspired and motivated educators, parents, students, writers, and activists who promote and embrace the centrality of substantive intersectional diversity.
Learning for Justice – a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center focused on social justice and anti-racism
New York Times Race Related – a newsletter from the New York Times that explores race with provocative reporting and discussion

Podcasts

Podcasts are a popular resource for online learning. There is a huge and growing list of podcasts on just about every possible topic, including the topics covered in this curriculum. Some examples are listed below:

Code Switch – Journalists of color talking about race and identity.
Latino USA – News and culture from a Latino perspective.
Podcasts in Color – Directory of podcasts by creators of color.
Learning for Justice Podcasts – Podcasts from the team at Learning for Justice.
Our Dirty Laundry Podcast: Stories of White Ladies Making a Mess of Things & How We Need to Clean Up Our Act – Podcasts that explore the intersectionality of feminism, whiteness and settler colonization.

Individual episodes from education podcasts also sometimes deal with racial equity. For example:

REFLECT

Since the what, when, and how of professional learning in digital learning environments is self-directed, it is important to set your own learning goals. Having one or more goals in mind will help you make the most of the time you spend engaged in these environments, for example by aligning those you follow with your learning goal. Complete this sentence for yourself: As a result of the time I spend engaged in digital learning environments, I will be able to…

If you are struggling to come up with a goal for yourself, click the arrow to the left to see some example goals.

– confidently engage in conversations about race and racism with my colleagues.
– more consistently see the ways in which my own race impacts my daily life and opportunities.
– connect and collaborate with school librarians engaged in racial equity work.
– improve my ability to see news events and other issues from multiple perspectives.
– find potential opportunities to partner with local organizations outside of the library field for racial equity initiatives.

RESOURCE ROUNDUP

This Project READY Minicourse has greatly reduced the amount of content included in each module compared to the original curriculum. For a comprehensive list of all resources shared in the full Project READY curriculum across all modules, see the Resource Hub page.

BUT WAIT!

In this section, we address common questions and concerns related to the material presented in each module. You may have these questions yourself, or someone you’re sharing this information with might raise them. We recommend that for each question below, you spend a few minutes thinking about your own response before clicking “Show more” see our response.

What if I want to facilitate racial equity training with my staff/colleagues – am I ready to do that now?

It’s great that you want to share your new understandings with your colleagues. But we would urge you to carefully consider the form that sharing may take. Especially if you are a white person, you probably do not want to jump straight from working through this curriculum to leading racial equity sessions as an “expert.” As educator and writer Shana V. White points out in her excellent blog post Should I lead, facilitate, or get out of the way? Both BIPOC and white people are often, and rightfully, skeptical of white people who claim to be racial equity experts. Experts, she asserts, are “those whose lived experiences and perspectives have been and are continuing to be shaped by systemic and individual racism. They also publicly and consistently take action to disrupt both systemic and individual racism that harms, dehumanizes, penalizes, and stifles people of color.”
It’s not that you can’t share your understandings of racial equity as a white person, but rather that as a white person, you should always position yourself as a learner rather than as an expert. No amount of studying can substitute for the lifetime of lived experience that a BIPOC brings to the table on this conversation. Therefore, if you are white, you need to carefully consider whether the best approach for you is to lead or to step back. “Stepping back” doesn’t mean leaving the conversation entirely. You may, for example, start a professional book club at your library centered on racial equity. Stepping back in that capacity might look like making sure that BIPOC voices are included, centered, and amplified in your discussions, inviting a BIPOC colleague to co-facilitate or take official charge of the group, stepping up to shut down expressions of white supremacy or fragility during the group’s discussions, and listening when a person of color questions your contributions.