Students Denounce School Racism, Supporting Leaders of Color

(from the New York Times and Washington Post) Many secondary schools, including independent schools, are facing criticism from students who decry racist behaviors that have been condoned, perpetuated or ignored by faculty and administrators. Students have repurposed large meme accounts, set up Google Docs and anonymous pages on Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter, and wielded their personal followings to hold friends and classmates accountable for behavior they deem unacceptable. For students who have been on the receiving end of racial slurs for years, these Instagram accounts can feel like the only theater of justice they have. Some students with scholarships feel that speaking out could put their funding at risk. 

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(from Nonprofit Quarterly) How can nonprofit boards support leaders of color? "We hear from leaders of color, especially if they are the first in their position, that they don’t have room for failure," say nonprofit consultants Idalia Fernandez, Monisha Kapila and Angela Romans. "They feel overt and implicit pressure from their staff and boards to 'get it right,' with a covert feeling that if they do not perform at 200%, they may be closing the door for other leaders of color to come behind them." They suggest boards do the following:

• Incorporate discussions about the implications for bringing on a leader of color as part of succession planning.
• Build in and support a professional- and relationship-development plan.
• Model a climate that encourages and truly supports change.
• Share efforts to lead the organization’s racial equity change efforts across the organization (do not rest them on the shoulders of one or two leaders of color)
  

(from the 74 Million) Education has long been intertwined with racial equity, explains Mildred Otero of Leadership for Educational Equity. When policymakers sought to rectify segregation, they looked first to education. Head Start and Title I became cornerstones in the fight for civil rights. In the decades since, national leaders from both major political parties and all sectors of society have again and again come together to try to transform schools into agents of opportunity for low-income children and children of color. Considering this history, Otero argues that an equitable educational system is the foundation for racial justice. She also asserts that equity-oriented education leaders are uniquely well positioned to help heal the wounds being laid bare today. 

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