American Federation of Teachers takes on racial justice
ST. LOUIS • The American Federation of Teachers — one of the nation’s largest unions — has broadened its agenda beyond teacher pay and standardized testing, to racial justice issues affecting students and communities across the country.
About 40 members of AFT’s Racial Equity Task Force gathered in conference rooms at the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Friday to dissect how racism is institutionalized in the nation’s public schools.
For black children, it results in lower achievement, disproportionately high suspension rates and lower graduation rates. This makes it harder to find a job. The U.S. Department of Labor reports that the unemployment rate for black men — 10 percent — is double that of white men.
“Our job, as important as it is, is not to simply to put together a set of policy solutions,” Randi Weingarten, AFT president, said before the group embarked on its work. “That is important. But we have to figure out how to elevate it, move it and make it real. That’s going to be really hard.”
With about a million members, the AFT is the second largest teachers union in the country. In Missouri, its members include teachers and other employees in St. Louis Public Schools.
Mary Armstrong, president of AFT St. Louis Local 420, was at the task force meeting, as were representatives and leaders from several dozen local unions from across the country.
Armstrong was part of discussions on how to better educate black students, particularly boys, by providing better professional development and cultural training for teachers.
“We want to break that pipeline from school to prison,” Armstrong said.
They will continue meeting in small groups throughout the weekend about how to address education, economic and criminal justice equity issues. They’re developing strategies on reforming the criminal justice system, and creating more equity in education and in the workforce.
Matthew Fogg, a retired chief deputy U.S. Marshal, and John Jackson, president of the Schott Foundation for Public Education, are among the experts working with them.
“What I admire about this union — they’ve been ahead of the curve on some of these policy issues,” said Julianne Malveaux, an economist, educator and political commentator, who’s helping the group put together an action plan. “But in terms of action I’m not sure they’ve been ahead of the curve.”
In December, Weingarten visited St. Louis with U.S. Sec. Arne Duncan. They met with students in Ferguson and in St. Louis about their experiences in the aftermath of the Michael Brown shooting. After that visit, Weingarten was visibly moved by the stories of trauma and healing.
“On a personal level, I think about, ‘What’s my personal responsibility?’” she said Friday, in an interview. “What can I do individually? And what can I do as president of this great union?”
Weingarten spoke repeatedly about school discipline. Schools must move away from “zero tolerance” policies and towards an approach that addresses the root cause of behavior problems, she said.
“You have to deal with the disruption, but let’s get kids the help they need,” she added. “Let’s come up with different kinds of strategies — peer intervention and restorative justice programs. At the end of the day it has to be about how do we keep kids in school, ready to learn.”
Weingarten told the group that she expects resistance from teachers and members whose practices and assumptions will be directly challenged.
“In order to face racism, we have to internalize it and understand it,” she said. “Those of us that are white we have to internalize and understand our own racism. Not just our own privilege, but our own racism and our own biases.”American Federation of Teachers takes on racial justice : News: