Author ORCID Identifier
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0371-6800
Abstract
In 2020, (anti)racism, implicit bias, and white supremacy were topics that were becoming highlighted in school systems across the country (Krauth, 2021). However, as stay-at-home orders relaxed, the same educators who were regarded as heroes at the beginning of the pandemic were suddenly criticized for trying to teach anti-racism, equity, and other systemic social issues (Graham, 2021). The inability to acknowledge uncomfortable truths about history has highlighted a major shortcoming of education in the United States: we can continue to teach in ways that we know oppress students from the Global Majority or we can reexamine education and move towards a more equitable model. If we acknowledge that the current system is wrought with bias (Butler-Wall, et. al, 2016; Ighodaro & Wiggins, 2013; Morris, 2016; Wolfgang, 2018)—we should use this opportunity to reimagine what education could be. In this article, I revisit findings from a previous study to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of efforts in the field to be inclusive of diversity. Through a constructivist lens, the discussion focuses on critical race theory and anti-racism in order to glean areas of growth in our efforts to becoming more critically reflective, equitable pedagogues.
