Equity & Diversity
Swigert is committed to engaging in the ongoing work of promoting anti-racist programs and policies and advocacy for children and families at Swigert and across the nation. Please find below ways to support this mission in your own home.
Talking to Kids About Race
Guidance for Swigert staff, families, and community members.
Make a commitment to:
- Take care of the mental and emotional health of our youth, our colleagues, and ourselves.
- Listen. Talking about race, racial violence, racism, Black Lives Matter, and elevating youth voices.
- Pay close attention to news, media, and other information sources.
- Work to be actively anti-racist.
Take care of yourself. Take care of others.
Educate yourself.
- Educate yourself on the current moment and learn why people are organizing. Do research to better understand these issues, and do not rely on Black people to explain their feelings or their knowledge.
Engage our youth.
- Acknowledge what has happened. Acknowledge this is hard. Show that you care, and tell our youth you are here for them. Be patient and understanding.
- Hold space for youth to reflect and to share how they feel. Acknowledge the issues behind the current moment and the pain folks are feeling. Consider holding circles or free-form discussions. If you are a teacher looking for ideas on how to introduce these discussions in your classroom, explore these instructional protocols and activities.
- Remember not to take symptoms of trauma (anger, withdrawal, distance, irritability) personally. If a young person does not want to talk or share, that is okay. Acknowledge their feelings and support youth where they are.
- Learn about and pay attention to media and information.
- Talk and learn about how to be actively anti-racist.
Resources for Realizing Our Commitment to Anti-racist Education
Consider the mental and emotional health of our youth, our colleagues, and ourselves.
- How can I support youth through this trauma?
- How can I use restorative practices to host healing spaces?
- Where can I find resources for myself and my colleagues?
Talk about race, racial violence, racism, and Black Lives Matter.
- How do I start conversations about these topics and support youth remotely?
- How do I support Black youth without inducing further trauma?
- How do I talk about this with non-black youth?
- How do I talk about this with elementary-aged youth?
- How do I show up for my Black colleagues?
Pay close attention to media and information.
- How is this story being told, and why is this important?
- How should I consume media at this moment? What questions should we be asking ourselves?
- How do we hold the media accountable? How are we accountable for the information we share?
Be actively anti-racist.
- What does it mean to be anti-racist and why is it important?
- What does it mean to be an anti-racist educator?
- How do I take action? How do I get involved?
Review additional resources for teaching and talking about race, violence, and police violence. Find links to a full list of resources, guides, reading materials Educator Resources!
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Thank you to everyone who joined us for our first Planting Seeds equity workshop on May 10: How Do We Support Our Asian-American Children? Please view the slides from the evening, with access to the Embrace Race webinar and a list of resources. As the workshop series title, “Planting Seeds,” suggests, this conversation was only the beginning, and we look forward to our continued work in the future.
Take the AAPI Pledge to show your support!
AAPI Heritage Month Book Recommendations
Celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Videos:
Why Do We Need Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in 2021?
DPS Resources
