This moment of pain, grieving, and uprising against racism is the culmination of 400 years of structural, physical and symbolic violence against Black people. The Department of Curriculum and Learning stands in solidarity with Black communities, the Black Lives Matter movement, and everyone working to end police brutality and realize racial justice. We also recognize that statements of solidarity are not sufficient without action.
We acknowledge that teachers must play a critical role in disrupting racism. Teaching for racial justice includes antiracist curriculum and pedagogy as well as advocating for school-wide antiracist practices that listen to, value, and advance the hope and needs of Black students, families, and teachers.
We believe teaching is an ethical and political act. Educational scholar, Paulo Freire, reminds us that there is no apolitical classroom; if we remain silent then we are complicit. We must do the work required to end racism: listen, learn, repair, take risks, and disrupt all the ways racism shows up in our lives, communities, and schools.
Amidst the pain, we are moved by a pedagogy of hope. We are in a historical moment punctuated by two pandemics: Covid-19 and the centuries old pandemic of racism. Arundunti Roy, in her recent essay The Pandemic is a Portal, says that pandemics allow humans the opportunity to “imagine their world anew.” We, in the Department of Curriculum and Learning are committed to working in coalition with Black educators and communities toward re-imaging and co-creating antiracist schools.
We, in the SCSU Department of Curriculum and Learning, stand committed to engage in constant cycles of reflection and action to do the following:
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Acknowledge and address the ways racism operates both implicitly and explicitly within our program;
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Take action to recruit and support Black teachers;
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Create an antiracist department culture where Black professors are supported;
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Implement meaningful antiracist curriculum and pedagogy in our courses and prepare teachers to bring antiracist practices into their future classrooms.
Statement Against Anti-Asian Racism & Violence
The faculty and staff within the Department of Curriculum and Learning are grieved and outraged at the racism, violence, and bullying targeted at Asian and Asian American individuals and communities.
To our Asian and Asian American students, the Department of Curriculum and Learning stands with you. Your professors are here to support you. Additional support is available through the SCSU Multicultural Center and Division of Diversity and Inclusion. There are many online communities of support as well, including those focused on mental health, activism, and spreading awareness.
To all of our students, an essential part of being a professional educator is to "Recognize, respect and uphold the dignity and worth of students as individual human beings, and, therefore, deal justly and considerately with students" (CT Code of Professional Responsibility for Teachers). These resources are available to learn about injustices Asians face and how better to respond to anti-Asian racism and violence.
The Department of Curriculum and Learning is a community of teachers and students who value learning from the differences between us, rather than using them to break us down. We also acknowledge that our responsibilities rests in not just responding to racism but attempting to undo the systems, practices, and policies that uphold racist beliefs. We invite our students to emphasize inclusivity not just in their learning, but also in their practices.
We in the department of Curriculum and Learning are committed to racial and intersectional justice and will continue to work toward undoing racism in our lives, communities, and schools.
In solidarity,
The Department of Curriculum and Learning
- Dr. Beena Achhpal
- Dr. Laura Bower-Phipps
- Dr. Maria Diamantis
- Dr. Adam Goldberg
- Dr. Marisa Ferraro
- Dr. Nicole Madu
- Dr. Helen Marx
- Dr. Travis Marn
- Dr. Jessica Powell
- Prof. Jeanine Pocoski
- Dr. Régine Randall
- Dr. Laura Raynolds
- Dr. Louise Shaw
- Dr. Carrie-Anne Sherwood
- Dr. Carlos Torre
We encourage all of our students, faculty, and members of the wider community to explore these resources (among the many others out there) that can help us all undo racism.