Our schools are reflections of greater society and must be spaces for learning and growth where every person is valued and treated with dignity. Bullying, which was already a top concern for parents, students, and educators before the pandemic, has increased to new highs in the last year. Black, Brown, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu, and too many others are targeted for the color of their skin, what they wear, and their religious, or perceived, religious identity. Dr Amaarah DeCuir will walk us through how racism and religious intolerance connects to insensitive comments, harassment, school policies, bullying, and deadly violence. She’ll share how communities across the country are leading the work to include diverse religious holidays in the school calendar and address racism and religious intolerance before it becomes harassment and violence. She will share what we can do as students, educators, leaders, parents, and community members to create safe and thriving learning communities for every person, across all racial and social identities, no matter how they pray or don’t pray, or their cultural backgrounds. We will discuss in small groups our roles and responsibilities when it comes to addressing these injustices.
Watch a recording of the event on our Youtube page here
Bio
Amaarah DeCuir, EdD, educator, researcher, and inclusive pedagogy fellow, is a faculty member at American University in the School of Education and an Executive Board member at the Center for Islam in the Contemporary World at Shenandoah University. Her scholarship spans the areas of antiracist pedagogy, Muslim student experiences, Prophetic pedagogy, faith erasure, equity, antiracism and social justice, education leadership, teacher education, and faculty development. Dr. DeCuir has published articles and chapters in peer-reviewed journals and books and her public scholarship appears in news and media outlets. A highly regarded educator and facilitator, Dr. DeCuir teaches Education Studies and Social Justice, Education Leadership, and teaches an Antiracist Research Methods course she co-designed. She brings over 20 years of teaching and leadership experiences from public and private K-12 schools to inform her current work in higher education.