By Denisha Jones.

1. In terms of a response to the Michael Brown shooting, what is our responsibility as educators and citizens who care about social justice?

I think our responsibility is to help our colleagues and neighbors understand why the death of Michael Brown and the response in Ferguson is an educational issues. I have heard from many teachers and parents that this has nothing to do with education so I believe that first we have to educate those who do not understand how this tragedy and others like it are linked to the struggles we are fighting for education equity and justice for all. For many teachers they fear their students can be the next Michael Brown so they understand why his death needs to be discussed in the classroom. But for other teachers they do not see this tragedy as a national epidemic where the lives of black and brown men and women are undervalued by society at large.  I think another responsibility of educators and citizens who care about social justice is to not turn this into a anti-police situation.  I believe many of the teachers and citizens who are fearful of speaking out do so because they know someone who is a police officer and they do not want to make blanket statements against all police. I have close friends who are police officers as well so I understand the issue but we must find a way to address the culture of police and society that makes black and brown people suspicious and subject to being treated as a criminal. This is the reason why Trayvon Martin, Jordan Davis, Renisha McBride, Michael Brown, and many others have lost their lives. It’s a societal problem that must be addressed if we are going to put an end to these senseless tragedies.

2. What are some productive ways to initiate and engage in dialogue with others on issues of racism? 

Before initiating and engaging in dialogue with others on issues of racism I think you must first listen to them to get a sense of where they are on these issues.  Some people have adopted a colorblind belief so you will have to spend your time addressing why this is not the solution to racism. Others might be experiencing guilt as they learn more about racism as a system of advantage so you might have to address these feelings of guilt so that they do not resort to victim blaming. Others might be anti-racist allies and they need to discuss ideas for how they can further their work.  Learning about racism is different for many people. I am a former advocate of a colorblind philosophy but today I am an anti-racist activist and educator.  It took many years for me to get to where I am today so I try and remember this when speaking to other people. After participating in many conversations with teachers on social media regarding the death of Michael Brown I realized that there were many misconceptions and misunderstandings regarding the definition of racism, prejudice, and privilege that I wrote an article with 10 things teachers need to understand about racism, privilege, and the death of Michael Brown. Many readers thanked me for taking the time to explain these things in a way that made sense. Often we forget that not everyone knows what we know and we lash out when they say the wrong thing or disagree. If our goal is to educate others and engage in dialogue then we must be willing to meet people where they are at.

 3. What are some pitfalls to avoid? 

I heard that a teacher had her students reenact the death of Michael Brown in an effort to discuss what had happened. I think this is a very dangerous way to help your students make sense of this tragedy. As a teacher educator I have my students do a cooperative biography on Rosa Parks. They go through the steps as they were elementary students so they understand how to use cooperative biography as an instructional strategy. One of the steps is to have the students reenact a scene from the subjects life so we do the scene where Rosa Parks was arrested for not giving up her seat to a white person.  I remind my students that if they are having students do a cooperative biography on someone that was assassinated that they should not reenact that scene.  The purpose of the cooperative biography is to demonstrate how someone contributed to society. Reenacting the death of a person does not show the impact they had.  Instead of reenacting the death of Michael Brown that teacher could of had students role play and discuss their interactions with police officers.  I think teachers in particular need to avoid focusing on his death and instead look at the circumstances that led to his death. Policies such as stop and frisk that assume black and brown people are guilty without cause should be explored so students understand how this death is part of a systemic problem.

4. Where can these dialogues lead us?

It is my hope that these dialogues can lead us to break down the structural racism that normalizes the perception that black and brown people are suspicious, dangerous, and non entitled to innocent until proven guilty.  These dialogues can also lead us to discuss ways that we can all put a stop to these practices.  For instance, how many people know that it is legal to film the police? Having these discussion and encouraging people to speak up when they see injustice would be one way we can make progress through these conversations.

Denisha Jones has a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction from Indiana University. She has taught kindergarten, preschool, served as a campus based preschool director, and taught college for over 10 years. Currently she is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education at Howard University. Her research interests include service-learning, dealing with challenging behaviors, the de-professionalization of teaching, and promoting diversity in education.