What happens when we actually name the dynamics already shaping a room? Things like Race, Class, Access, Power. Who feels comfortable speaking? Who doesn’t? At our recent Integrated Schools gathering we experimented with a simple practice: naming dynamics before starting the work. Not to shame anyone. Not to force vulnerability. Just to acknowledge reality. Because pretending dynamics don’t exist doesn’t make them disappear. It just makes them harder to navigate.
In this dark time when powerful people are doing their worst to divide us, we light each other’s way forward with an even more powerful truth: that the only way we win is together.
This essay imagines a future where White people unlearn White Supremacy Culture and participate responsibly in collective liberation – especially within schools and public systems. What would a future look like that affirms the humanity of White people and believes in our capacity to heal as part of educational equity and justice work?
Public schools are not inherently democratic or equitable simply by existing. Integration is not about perfection or martyrdom; it’s an ongoing practice of participation, accountability, and shared responsibility. Public schools can help sustain democracy—but only when people actively choose to invest, engage, and fight for them together.
Integration Is a Practice: Reflections From Our In-Person Gathering
How (and a bit of why) to include White people work in integration plans: one piece of the pie