Tag: REALTalk

This story was shared by an NPS student.

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Image ID: the background of image 1 is orange (upper one-third) and purple (lower two-thirds), with a large white square with rounded corners overlaying and within that square, this story in purple font: “One time, I was constantly arguing with this kid when I was in sixth grade, and he was being really rude to me and he was just not a nice person to anyone. So one day I said I was gonna slap him and was chasing him down the hall after lunch, and him and his friend kept yelling “white power” at me, and doing the sign with their hands. I was in the wrong for saying I was going to slap him (which I never was going to) but that should not excuse him for saying racist things.”

Image 2 has the same orange/purple split background, with the white text “STORY THEMES” running up the lower left side and two columns of white boxes (four per column) displaying our eight story themes. Here, the themes “whiteness” and “hurt & exclusion” are emphasized with bright/bold colors and the themes “educational challenges,” “lack of understanding,” “race & identity,” “emotional response,” “the future,” and “actions & strategies” deemphasized with paler colors.

Potential prompts for personal reflection and conversation with others:

> What do you experience in your body (sensations), heart (feelings), and/or head (thoughts) on reading the story we just posted?

> What does this story make you want to do/say? What feels possible for you to do/say? What feels hard and/or hopeful?

> Who has the power in this story? Whose voice/s are not being heard?

> What choices might the people in this story have had–and/or not have had? What is the impact of the choices they make? 

> What might they have said or done differently in the moment–or afterward–and what impact might it have had?

This story was shared by an NPS student.

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Image ID: the background of image 1 is orange (upper one-third) and purple (lower two-thirds), with a large white square with rounded corners overlaying and within that square, this story in purple font: “I was walking down the hallway after lunch when a big group of 6th graders walked by. A girl yells the N-word at a boy, who doesn’t seem to care. I freak out and start crying when a WHITE teacher comes up and tries to comfort me with saying it’s okay. In my head I was saying NO it’s not okay cause you have no idea what it feels like to be me and hear the N-word all the time. After that I hear the N-word at least 3 or 4 times a day.”

Image 2 has the same orange/purple split background, with the white text “STORY THEMES” running up the lower left side and two columns of white boxes (four per column) displaying our eight story themes. Here, the themes “lack of understanding,” “race & identity,” “emotional response,” and “hurt and exclusion” are emphasized with bright/bold colors and the themes “educational challenges,” “whiteness,” “the future,” and “actions & strategies” deemphasized with paler colors.

After receiving the first 30 stories, the REAL coordinating committee grouped them into broad categories, or themes. Next, students from the JFK Students of Color Alliance (SOCA) read each story, weighed in on the themes, and identified sub-themes. They submitted (and categorized) additional stories as well and had the opportunity to add their own themes.

Breakdown of themes:

• Educational Challenges (e.g., lack of diverse curriculum and staff, racial disparities in student discipline)
• Race & Identity (e.g., racial stereotyping, downplaying racism)
• Lack of Understanding (e.g., denial, good intentions gone awry, social justice rhetoric without action)
• Whiteness (e.g., white supremacy, white fragility, behaviors and beliefs of white people as the norm)
• The Future (e.g., representation, inclusion, freedom, hope)
• Hurt & Exclusion (e.g., invisibility, racial bullying, microaggressions)
• Actions & Strategies (e.g., brave leadership, brave teaching, not being silent, more training)

In 2019, REAL began soliciting NPS community members’ stories about their experiences of race, racism, and whiteness in our district. Since then, a lot has emerged in stories shared with us by students, educators, and parents/caregivers: hope, resistance, solidarity. Hurt, fear, anxiety. Gratitude. Disappointment. Surprise.

Sharing our experiences can help us understand each other and the landscape. It can clue us into what is needed if we’re to build a school district that is anti-racist in practice. A district that has genuine acceptance, respect, and love for all people as a recognizable part of its identity.

Initially our plan was to create a physical exhibit using the stories collected. When the pandemic hit and schools went remote in March 2020, we pressed pause on the project. In January 2021 we decided to transfer the exhibit to Instagram.

The format is straightforward: story posts each contain a single story (note: all stories are anonymous and shared with the submitters’ permission), which is paired with associated themes (see next post on that). Following each story is a post (“?”) with some potential prompts for personal reflection and conversation with others. 

Not on Instagram? No worries—you’ll also be able to find all REAL Talk posts here on our blog.

Looking ahead, we’re connecting with art teachers and others across the district to develop a student-led visual component of REAL Talk (think: zines! protest art workshops!), as well as working with consultants to develop a guide to help us all engage with one another on the topics and themes of the stories. Stay tuned.

Also: story collection is ongoing! We welcome stories from anyone with a connection to NPS.

Thanks for joining us; we look forward to learning and building together.