1st Edition
Becoming a Social Justice Leader Using Head, Heart, and Hands to Dismantle Oppression
This important book helps school leaders let go of a "comfortable" mindset and enter a world of courageous conversations that examine and challenge the impact of racism and other forms of oppression on disciplinary patterns, instructional practices, and school policies. Authors Hunsberger, Mayo, and Neal prepare you to address these difficult issues though authentic, critical discourse. The book includes classroom activities and facilitation tips to help prompt systematic changes in schools through improving instruction, supporting inclusiveness, and strengthening student engagement.
After reading Becoming a Social Justice Leader you’ll be able to:
- Design conversations that support participant engagement and create a safe environment for discussion.
- Explore personal dispositions, attitudes, and stances that contribute to systemic oppression.
- Understand how oppression is established and sustained in order to enact change.
- Create alliances within school settings to foster dialogue and combat oppression.
Additional worksheets that help educators examine and expand their work as social justice leaders are also available for download (http://www.routledge.com/products/9781138957749).
eResources
Foreword
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1 Before you Begin
The Fabric of Oppression
Transference
No Experts
Suspend Certainty
No Blame, Shame, and Guilt
Chapter 2 Designing Conversations
Attribute of Design: Balance
Attribute of Design: Conditions for the Conversation
Attribute of Design: Definitions
Attribute of Design: Reflection as Pedagogy
Attribute of Design: Space
Chapter 3 A Conversation of the Heart
Entering the Conversation
Listening Pairs
Cycle of Socialization
Things I Heard and Learned
Continuing Reflections
Chapter 4 A Conversation of the Head
Entering the Conversation
Table of Oppression
The Legs of the Dominant Group
Privilege
Fish Bowl
The Legs of the Oppressed
Continuing Conversations
Final Comment: Transference
Chapter 5 A Conversation of the Hand
Entering the Conversation
In the Classroom
In the School
In the System
Further Conversations
Chapter 6 Allies: We Can’t do this Alone
Past Experiences
Awareness
Authenticity
Acuity
Agency
Reflections upon Allies
Transference
Chapter 7 Lessons Learned
No Experts, Just More Experiences
Keeping Folks in the Conversation
It’s Like a Jungle Sometimes…
Keeping White Voices in the Conversation
Final Thoughts
Biography
Phil Hunsberger is co-owner of Educational Equity Consultants and has served as a teacher, principal, and central office administrator.
Billie Mayo is co-owner of Educational Equity Consultants and former Assistant to the Deputy Superintendent of the St. Louis Public Schools.
Anthony Neal is President and CEO of Educational Equity Consultants and Adjunct Professor in the Communications Department at Webster University.
"Education —the kind that is equitable, fulfilling and meaningful—is in short supply in the nation. The authors powerfully provide a practical pathway for educators to move beyond the role of ‘just a teacher’ to embody justice in teaching This book is a beacon for Americans who work in the service of education."
--Eric Cooper, President and Founder, National Urban Alliance, and The Huffington Post Education Blogger
"Becoming a Social Justice Leader is a book of hope and transformation for educators and will help them meet the needs of all their students. It is audacious, effervescent, and superbly written, and it will help us move from an unconscious to a conscious awareness, changing mindsets and mental models that have led to stereotypes."
--Charlotte V. Ijei, Director of Pupil Personnel and Diversity, Parkway School District, MO