Making Change that Matters
GSE cancels classes to host teach-in for racial equity
BY DANIELLE LEGARE
GSE canceled all coursework and office work for students, faculty and staff on Sept. 22 to host a “Teach-In”—an event that builds on GSE’s efforts to discuss and learn about the relationship between racial injustice and education. In 2020, GSE hosted the school’s inaugural Teach-In, “Make Good Trouble Now: Teach-In for Racial Equity.”
GSE canceled all coursework and office work for students, faculty and staff on Sept. 22 to host a “Teach-In”—an event that builds on GSE’s efforts to discuss and learn about the relationship between racial injustice and education. In 2020, GSE hosted the school’s inaugural Teach-In, “Make Good Trouble Now: Teach-In for Racial Equity.”
The event, “Making Change that Matters: Teach-In for Racial Equity,” explored systemic racism in education, society and digital infrastructures, offering an opportunity for the GSE community to learn and outline actions for working toward desired change within GSE and the greater community.
Held in person on UB’s North Campus and virtually for online students, GSE’s Teach-In was inspired by the teach-ins during the anti-war movement of the 1960s and 1970s, which were held to educate and elevate collective knowledge needed to improve social conditions.
“In the Graduate School of Education, we believe that education, knowledge and understanding are powerful tools to fight the forces of structural racism, said Suzanne Rosenblith, GSE dean and professor. “This Teach-In, like our first, is an opportunity for us to take stock, individually and collectively, of our commitments and vision for a more equitable future for ourselves and the communities in which we live and serve. As an institution of higher education, we come to this moment to learn, teach and stretch our beliefs and understandings.”
The Teach-In featured three keynote speakers:
Sherri Ann Charleston, JD, PhD
Chief diversity and inclusion officer at Harvard University
Presented: “Past as Prologue: The Future of Equity, Diversity, Justice, and Inclusion.”
Crystal Fleming, PhD
Professor of sociology and Africana studies and associate faculty in the Department of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies at SUNY Stony Brook
Presented: “The Light of Truth: Inspiring Change with Critical Race Theory.”
Anneliese Singh, PhD, LPC
Professor and chief diversity officer/associate provost for diversity and faculty development at Tulane University
Presented: "Racial Healing: Practical Activities to Help You Explore Racial Privilege, Confront Systemic Racism, and Engage in Collective Healing.”
Rosenblith and Raechele Pope, professor, chief diversity officer and associate dean of faculty and student affairs, also hosted a town hall session, discussing themes and questions that arose throughout the event. As they reflected on the day, they also looked back on the three years since the last GSE Teach-In.
“We did a Teach-In in 2020 ... One of the things that the dean and I promised was that we weren't just doing a Teach-In. The Teach-In was not the intervention to try and create something different. The Teach-In was a tool,” said Pope during the town hall.
Pope states that the Teach-In and other GSE events and initiatives have led to increased racial dialogue, a deeper commitment to curricular transformation and inclusion, and increased diversity of people, ideas and engagement at GSE.