Anti-racism training is a key aspect of 保利预科’s commitment to fostering an inclusive environment for all students. On October 13, Poly’s faculty 和 staff welcomed 艾丽卡卡宾, a leader in building welcoming 和 equitable environments in school, as part of our school’s ongoing 专业 development. 在一个题为 “Responding in the Moment: Reestablishing Dignity 和 Value in the Classroom 和 Beyond,” Corbin facilitated discussions designed to offer guidance, 工具, 以及这项重要工作的规程, explaining that “for white people to effectively engage in anti-racist practice, 这需要时间, 教育, 反射, 以及对有色人种的责任.”

“Erica’s time with us was superb 和 has helped me to reflect 和 think of concrete actions to take in my personal, 专业, 和 community relationships as it pertains to anti-racism. She offered the beginning of a roadmap for teachers working within classrooms 和 for the school 和 its systems.”

琼Belford, P ' 24

Corbin reviewed a history of race in independent/private schools, following the 布朗诉. 教育委员会 和 绿色v. 新肯特县学校董事会 最高法院的判决. She also described programs like Prep for Prep, which have evolved over the years to help students of color navigate predominantly white 教育al institutions. Corbin also provided definitions of terms such as “anti-Blackness,” stating that it “is a two-part practice of racism that both voids Blackness of value, while systematically marginalizing Black people 和 issues.” 

埃丽卡·科尔宾很迷人, 发人深省的, 和 wonderfully forthright about this work 和 what it entails. 她对“反种族主义”的明确定义,“anti-Blackness,’ 和 ‘white privilege’ were incredibly useful to us as we work to develop common language, an important precondition of all collective responses to systemic racism.”

Assistant Head of School, 学者 Michal Hershkovitz, P’16, ’18

Corbin also offered tangible communication 和 breathing techniques to help address racist microaggressions at the time they occur, emphasizing that students will remember how teachers react—or don’t react. “艾丽卡卡宾’s presentation reminded me how important it is to be honest, 对自己和他人, about where we fit into structures of injustice,高年级院长说, 椅子 艾米丽·加德纳，24岁，27岁. 就这样坦诚相待, comes the m和ate to be vocal 和 assertive about undoing that injustice in our community.”

给 oneself a moment to breathe or pause will help center one’s response, 卡宾解释, advising faculty 和 staff to take time to underst和 what someone has said 和 to follow up with a “How do you know?” response that will provide opportunity for dialogue. Self-反射 和 being honest with oneself was a connecting theme in her presentation. These insights prompted Gardiner to reflect on “all the ways that self-examination 和 everyday human interactions, as well as overarching policy 和 curricular decisions, are essential to the goal of becoming an anti-racist institution.”

据科尔宾说, the power of the apology is another lesson for predominantly white institutions to embrace. The act of apologizing can have a lasting impact 和 demonstrates accountability. 这个过程, 卡宾的描述, 要求以自己为中心, 听, offering an authentic apology or acknowledgment for one’s actions, 和 finally being able to move forward from a transgression 和 not rehashing it in the future. 她用首字母缩略词概括了这一点 索赔: Center – 听 – 道歉和承认 – 查询 – 继续前进. 

在讨论的过程中, Corbin emphasized that one’s behavior is greater than one’s belief 和 advised against giving oneself a title of “ally” 和 that it is more appropriate to be an advocate or accomplice in the fight against inequity. “她给我们留下了一些关键的外卖,赫什科维茨说, “that behavior is more important in this context than belief; that whites are well-advised to identify themselves as ‘advocates’ or ‘accomplices’ rather than (the more passive) ‘allies’ in anti-racist work; 和 that while ‘calling out’ is about counter-productive shaming, ‘calling in’ is an effort to engage in much needed conversation 和 repair.“每个人都有可能犯错, 科尔宾提醒大家, but urged Poly faculty 和 staff to also to keep in mind that it is important to listen 和 not defend or explain away a transgression. Talking about race more will make it less awkward in the long term, 和 help us begin the essential work of dismantling racism.

“This holistic approach which includes both wide 和 narrow lenses is critical,计算机科学老师说 琼Belford. “I hope she returns to Poly at some point in the very near future.” 

“It was so heartening to hear faculty respond enthusiastically 和 appreciatively to Corbin’s session,赫什科维茨说. “Her knowledge of the challenges ahead 和 how we can meet them clearly resonated.”

艾丽卡卡宾 is currently Director of 社区 Life 和 Diversity at the Chapin School, a K-12 independent girls’ school in New York City, 之前在大学学校工作, 从幼儿园到12年级的独立男校.