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Creating Brave and Safe Spaces to Address Racism and Bias
December 13, 2023
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When historians pick up their pens to write the story of the 21st century, let them say that it was your generation who laid down the heavy burdens of hate at last and that peace finally triumphed over violence, aggression, and war.
-John Lewis, 1940-2020, politician and civil rights leader
 
"My upbringing taught me to respond to racist attacks and microaggressions with silence. Silence was the dignified answer. As I grew older and became an immigrant here in the USA, I quickly became aware that my silence was not helping me to become a better educator. Yet this silence was deeply affecting my wellbeing. My sense of self, my sense of identity, my integrity were being affected by this silence. My name is Olga Lacayo. I am Garifuna. I am Black. I am Indigenous. I am an immigrant, and I am an educator," shares Olga Lacayo, as she reads in English and Spanish from her dual language book, The Art of Troublemaking | El arte de crear problema.

Lacayo adds, "I will be sharing with you about my journey and my discoveries about the importance of creating brave and safe spaces to address racism and bias. I will also share a story from my classroom that sparked my own sense of resolve and desire to teach with integrity and authenticity and to bring my whole self into the classroom, with the idea of supporting children in feeling safe to ask their questions about their encounters with diversity. I also share my journey on reaching back to my ancestry so it could help me to reimagine my future and also the future that I want to help create for children."

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Comments (2)

Displaying All 2 Comments
Kirsten Haugen · December 14, 2023
Eugene, OR, United States


Indeed it does. I don't believe that Olga sharing her story negates other stories from people of different backgrounds. In fact, one hope of the ROW series is that by sharing diverse voices, each of us is more able to see the human in one another, recognize and address our own biases, and be open to deeper reflection. We all have lots of work to do on that front!

Francis Wardle · December 13, 2023
University of Phoenix/ Red Rocks Community College
 Denver, Colorado, United States


Yes, it is extremely important that we create brave and safe spaces to address racism and bias! But let's not forget that racism and bias come in all forms. My own biracial children experienced ugly racism from Hispanic children and adults. And White mothers of biracial children that I have worked with closely have experienced direct and ugly racism from Black educators. As the father of multiracial children, I also have the resolve and responsibility to call out racism and bias whenever it occurs.



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