Working with Real American to examine racism and anti-racism
Part two: Working with Real American text to examine racism and anti-racism
As a community we need to ask ourselves what we can each do to be anti-racist. Anti-racism is the work of actively opposing racism by advocating for changes in political, economic, and social life, and this starts at the individual level, with individuals working against their own and other’s racist behaviors and impacts.
In her memoir, Real American, Julie Lythcott-Haims offers numerous examples of moments throughout her life when she experienced racist microagrressions, bias, and discrimination. She also gives examples of how she and others have been impacted by systemic forms of racism and oppression. The examples range a period of 30-40 years, they take place in upper-middle class settings and disenfranchised settings. Together we will use some excerpts to reflect on these and our own experiences, and then explore what we can do in our everyday lives to interrupt these systems.
CSW—a gender-inclusive day and boarding school for grades 9-12—is a national leader in progressive education. We live out our values of inquiry-based learning, student agency, and embracing diverse perspectives in every aspect of our student experience. Young people come to CSW to learn how to learn and then put what they learn into action—essential skills they carry into their futures as doers, makers, innovators, leaders, and exceptional humans who do meaningful work in the world.