Written by: Sommer Jabbar, Diversity, Equity, and Belonging Consultant

Building your muscle and competency around diversity, equity, and inclusion is a necessary skill we all need to practice regularly. Recently, I conducted a book study with other educators around a book by Glenn Singleton called “Courageous Conversations about Race.” I personally found this book to be a great tool to help me practice and strengthen my skill set and wanted to dive in deeper with other educators.

Engaging in courageous conversations about race can be difficult and uncomfortable, but Singleton’s book introduced me to four agreements that helped me to stay engaged, speak my truth, experience discomfort, and expect and accept non-closure. By practicing these four agreements the educators in the book study formed a community of trust, developed the ability to effectively examine, and enhanced skills to have critical conversations.

A few of the lessons that I found the most helpful from this book were:

Staying Engaged and Ready to Learn

I have found that when engaging in courageous conversations throughout life, it is essential to remain open and ready to learn. In a time where there are always a million things on our to-do list, we must stay engaged to receive the most of any experience. Staying engaged can be the biggest challenge in taking away valuable lessons from this book study, and others. However, we know as educators that you will only get out what you put into lessons. Modeling the practices we are trying to instill in scholars is a great way to keep our skill set fresh!

Speak Your Truth

Another valuable lesson that was reiterated in courageous conversations is the ability to speak your truth. Life experiences vary greatly from person to person, which is what makes each of us unique. And it also frames the lens through which we see the world and interact with people around us. By leaning in and listening to our own truth and understanding how that shapes our view of others, we can learn to have a better understanding of other peoples perspectives. Remember that it is okay to have a different perspective from others! Everyone’s perspective is welcomed and appreciated.

Experience Discomfort

One thing I hear often about having conversations around race is that it is difficult. It makes the people involved uncomfortable. Many say that it is hard to know what is “OK” to say. I just want to tell all of you that experiencing discomfort is the only way growth will occur! When we lean into discomfort, we are able to change the narrative we have grown to believe is true. Leaning into that discomfort will make for an overall better experience for all folks involved.  

The lessons I learned from this book, and book study have been helpful in all of my aspects of life. And I know you will find great benefit in it as well. So this October, I invite you to join me and other educators in a book study where we can learn and practice together.

Timothy Voskuil shared this with me after the last book study:

“Race is a difficult topic to discuss, in fact, many of us feel safer not discussing it. However, Sommer did a fantastic job of creating a safe environment for everyone to learn and share, while providing just the right amount of uncomfortableness through thought-provoking quotes and questions to promote deeper thinking and self-reflection. Each session seemed to end too quickly as many in the audience became more and more comfortable in their sharing, reflecting, and questioning, while diving deeper into their perspectives and, more importantly, the why behind their perspectives. I look forward to our collective learning and growing as we continue to dive deeper with upcoming book studies!”

Practice Your Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Skills

Join us on October 4th for a virtual book study of “Courageous Conversations about Race” by Glenn E. Singleton. You can even earn SCECH or SWCEC’s for attending! What are you waiting for? Register now.

#Diversity #Equity #Inclusion #Belonging #WeLeadLearning #KentISDpd

This blog post was written by Sommer Jabbar, Diversity, Equity, and Belonging Consultant at Kent ISD and edited by Amanda Walma, Professional Learning Coordinator and Sara Sefcik, PD Hub Intern at Kent ISD.