Photos by Sarah B. Ottow, Protecting Black Lives Protest, Providence, RI, June 5, 2020

At this time when the racial injustice that has always been woven into the United States’ culture and economic system rears up and inspires all of us to help make change, I invite you, especially White allies, to consider taking some of the following steps to use your privilege for action and social change, starting in your classroom, school or district. You don’t need to do all of these, nor put yourself out in a public protest if you don’t feel comfortable during the pandemic, but please do something. As Martin Luther King Jr said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter.”

• Educate yourself

• Educate your students

• Listen to people of color

• Talk to other white people

• Donate to the cause

• Protest

Featured Resources from Confianza and our Collaborators

• Identifying Our Circle of Influence as Change Agents for Equity, Language and Literacy

• Microaggressions: The New Hate Language

• Hate and Bias at School: What Happens Now

• Taking a Schoolwide Approach for Supporting English Learners

• We Must Always Look Inward

• Closing the Gap for ELLs Through Social Justice Education

• Honoring Students' Stories: Identity Texts to Write and Diverse Texts to Read

• Teaching Black Lives Matter from Learning for Justice (formerly known as Teaching Tolerance)

• Approaches to Equity: Towards Transformation from Equity Literacy Institute

In this video, Sarah shares key anti-bias, anti-racist resources for White educators in connection to her ongoing journey as a change agent for equity and anti-bias, anti-racist (ABAR) educator and ally.

Featured Services from Confianza

• Change Agents for Equity, Language and Literacy Program

• Our online courses

• The Language Lens for Content Classrooms Guidebook and Related Resources