10 Qualities of Culturally Competent Leaders

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Culturally competent leaders can come from all levels of an organization or community. While leaders have the responsibility to move their organization towards positive change, it’s important they recognize they are also learning along the way. Becoming culturally competent is a journey not an event and no one person has all the answers. The best leaders are those who are intentional about developing their cultural competence through practice with others and by learning from their mistakes.

Cultures Connecting developed the following list of 10 qualities of culturally competent leaders for our workshop Learning and Leading in a Multicultural World.

1. Learners

No one is ever culturally competent in every way with everyone, no matter how much work they do to grow in their awareness, knowledge, and skills.  Culturally competent leaders acknowledge they are learning and are always in the process of becoming more skilled. 

Culturally Competent Leaders…

• Openly admit and critically reflect on mistakes they make
• Share what they are learning
• Take risks to try new things
• Engage in culturally relevant professional development (CRPD)
• Seek consultation
• Acknowledge and continually try to surface and address their own biases, stereotypes, privilege and power

2. Courageous

Culturally competent leaders are bold.  They are not driven by the fear of making mistakes or the need to be liked by everyone.  They know their work involves making difficult choices and as a result not everyone will be pleased with the decisions they make.  If decisions they make to stand against oppression draw negative public attention, they stick to their core values regardless.  

Culturally Competent Leaders…

• Are grounded in their core values
• Try things that haven’t been done before 
• Are willing to make executive decisions
• Accept and embrace the discomfort that comes with learning 
• Engage in courageous conversations about racism and privilege 
• Speak the unspoken

3. Data Driven

Culturally competent leaders think about a situation from multiple perspectives and explore what impact their decisions will have on different people.  They then make the best decision based on that information. 

Culturally Competent Leaders…

• Seek input from different people at different levels of the organization, clients and/or community
• Use data to inform their decisions (qualitative and quantitative)
• Research and collaborate with other organizations that are working to address institutionalized racism
• Hold people in the organization accountable, e.g., cultural competence in evaluations
• Survey staff and clients to assess their experiences, thoughts, attitudes, etc.
• Continually assess progress, celebrate successes, and change course as needed

4. Transparent

Culturally competent leaders communicate frequently with the rest of the organization.  This includes what they are doing, why they are doing it, and how it relates to their mission and vision of what is yet to come.

Culturally Competent Leaders…

• Post information on their website to inform the community
• Hold community meetings
• Share meeting minutes about equity plans publicly
• Take time during staff meetings to inform, answer questions, etc.
• Engage their Board, President and/or Executive Leadership

5. Inclusive

Being a culturally competent leader means getting other people within the organization involved in the decision making process.  The more diverse perspectives you gain, the more likely you are to meet the needs of the staff and clients you serve. 

Culturally Competent Leaders…

• Involve people from different levels of the organization to help make decisions
• Provide other people in the organization with opportunities to lead conversations about equity
• Clearly communicate when they are making collaborative decisions versus when they are seeking input but will make the final decision alone
• Recognize cultural competence work is greater than them
•  Identify diverse perspectives missing from important decisions and find ways to recruit or include these viewpoints, i.e., Who is not in the room that needs to be here?
• Actively listen to and engage resistance

6. Sensitive

Culturally competent leaders understand they inherit the history of the organization with regards to institutional racism. This includes the attitudes, beliefs, and feelings clients and staff have towards the organization and/or cultural competency work as a result of past experiences.  They don’t try to minimize or invalidate these experiences with a “new day” attitude.  Instead they approach their work through a lens of understanding. 

Culturally Competent Leaders…

• Research the history of the organization with regards to racism and culture
• Operate with a historical understanding, not a blank slate mentality
• Recognize and adapt their approach to issues that touch on past relationships or identities
• Know when a technical approach is appropriate
• Look for root causes of barriers or resistance to change

7. Connected

Culturally competent leaders run the risk of burning out quickly.  Their work is demanding and presents many challenges.  They can often feel isolated as a result and so must stay connected to people who are also engaged in social justice work to help keep them energized and focused.  Culturally competent leaders see themselves as servants of their community.  They are out in their communities, growing in their understanding of the needs of the clients they serve.  

Culturally Competent Leaders…

• Get involved in their community
• Live in the communities they serve
• Seek community input to identify the most pressing needs, particularly from those who are most impacted by the decisions
• Work with rather than do for community members
• Participate in action and advocacy efforts beyond their workplace
• Attend social justice conferences to learn and share new ideas
• Meet with other equity leaders for critical support and strategizing
• Organize groups of people for on-going reflective action when none currently exist

8. Strategic

Culturally competent leaders think things through to figure out the best approach for undoing institutional racism, understanding the urgency but knowing that it can’t be done well when rushed.  They are not impulsive and don’t respond whimsically to every request or new exciting idea. 

Culturally competent leaders…

• Are not quick to do something for the sake of checking a box
• Work with a team to develop a strategic plan
• Ensure that the mission and vision of the organization is inclusive
• Allocate resources to support social justice initiatives
• Provide culturally relevant professional development for staff to ensure everyone is considering their job through an equity lens
• Review policy and practice e.g., H.R. hiring practices
• Are thoughtful about when to push and when to hold back
• Identify and engage gatekeepers
• Consider the organizational culture, hierarchy, and other dynamics in decision-making

9. Enthusiastic

Culturally competent leaders know how to energize others around the work they are doing.  They get people excited about the possibilities and create an atmosphere where people want to be a part of the change. 

Culturally competent leaders…

• Have a hopeful attitude about the possibilities without being naive
• Believe things can be better
• Inspire others to be a part of the work
• Share why this work is important to them personally and professionally
• Celebrate accomplishments, even small wins
• Motivate rather than shame or blame

10. Realistic

While culturally competent leaders might get excited about the change that is on it’s way, they know changing systems takes time. 

Culturally competent leaders…

• Understand change doesn’t happen over night
• Don’t try to do everything at once
• Stay engaged for the long-term
• Recognize they are teaching people how to fish vs. doing it for them
• Don’t give up

Are you in the process of becoming a culturally competent leader?  Which of these qualities of culturally competent leadership can you say are true about you most of the time? What would you add to the list?

Support Equity in Seattle Public Schools

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Update:
The Seattle School Board Passed the Ensuring Educational and Racial Equity Policy on August 15th!
 
Below is the letter I sent to the Seattle School Board regarding the Equity Policy that was recently proposed. A final decision will be made at the August 15th Board meeting. As I mention in the letter, we're asking them to amend the policy to include "Racial" in the title. Please email your support to schoolboard@seattleschools.org before that meeting. More info at the School Board website.

Dear Seattle School Board Members,

My name is Ilsa Govan and I’ve worked as a teacher at TOPS K-8, Daniel Bagley Elementary, and as an Equity and Race Specialist in the Department of Equity, Race and Learning Support. I’m writing to urge you to adopt the Ensuring Educational and Racial Equity policy, intentionally naming race in the title, as it was originally written. The name of this policy is important and should reflect the root of the problem of disproportionality, institutional racism.

I testified at the last Board meeting and wanted to send you more details than I could include in two minutes.

In 2003, my fifth grade class at TOPS was watching a movie. I paused and asked, “Who knows why I stopped the movie just now?”

They said, “Because they were stereotyping Asian people and making fun of their accents. It’s supposed to be a joke, but it’s not funny. Can we watch the rest now?” I smiled to myself and turned the movie back on.

Those conversations were normalized by our school-wide commitment to open discussion and action around issues of equity.  The staff read and discussed Gary Howard’s You Can’t Teach What you Don’t Know: White Teachers, Multicultural Schools, race was addressed in student classroom assignments and hiring, and children as young as the 1^st grade completed action research projects around equity issues in their lives.

This was a result in part because of the Courageous Conversations and Equity Teams being led by Glenn Singleton throughout the District. That moment in time is but one in a long history of equity work in Seattle Public Schools.

You probably know this policy is widely supported by the Seattle community, is being proposed by a committee of 47 diverse members, and is connected with the Race and Social Justice Roundtable, representing 25 organizations and public institutions. You’re likely aware that OSPI has made several recommendations to close the opportunity gap state-wide that are aligned with this policy. Now I’m going to offer a short refresher on how this policy also builds on the history of racial equity work in Seattle.

·      In 1986 the Eliminating the Achievement Gap Action Group made 27 recommendations to address racial disproportionality.

·      This was revisited by the Disproportionality Task Force in 1996 and again in 2001.

·      In 2002, the School Board finally adopted several of these recommendations.

·      In 2004, the District’s first Director of Equity and Race Relations, Dr. Caprice Hollins, was hired with a job description that included eliminating institutional racism. At that time, recognizing and making changes to address the impact of institutional racism was also a part of the School Board’s mission, vision, values and beliefs.

·      2 years later I was hired as an Equity and Race Specialist, working to implement the legacy of these community recommendations. This department was then eliminated in a reorganization of resources.

·      Bernardo Ruiz, with the support of many others who work for the District and live in the community, is now continuing this work.

One thing history has taught us is that when leadership and the School Board support equity, we have the power to make real change.  Now you have the opportunity to be a part of this courageous legacy.  Please pass the Ensuring Educational and Racial Equity Policy. Our children have waited long enough.

Thank you,

Ilsa Govan
Cultures Connecting
www.CulturesConnecting.com

Dreaded Identity

I was born in a commune. Between the ages of 18 and 22 I lived part of a summer in a Volkswagen bus and another summer in a school bus. With my dog, of course. I went to 7 Grateful Dead shows and you can even see a clip of me at Jerry Garcia's memorial from the documentary The End of the Road: Summer Tour '95. I believe they chose to include the shot of me blowing bubbles because I personified the quintessential hippie.


Gradually, over the next several years, my focus started to shift to racial justice. I began learning about white privilege and how people and systems enact oppression.

At first it was all about other people. I loudly criticized colleagues and presenters at conferences for their lack of racial cognizance. I dubbed myself an ally and worked with people of color on Western Washington University's campus to highlight and address injustice. We showed the movie The Color of Fear in dorms and facilitated conversations about white privilege.

And slowly during this time, I began to examine my own role in perpetuating injustice. I made the personal and political decision to shave my dreads and start wearing deodorant. Teaching for social justice became my full-time occupation, as I tried to navigate and promote change in Seattle's public school system.

As my identity changed, something else happened. I began to vilify my old self. I never mentioned rainbow gatherings to my coworkers in the Equity and Race Department of Seattle Public Schools. I was scared others would see me as a fraud, and scared I might actually be one. I felt ashamed of my lack of awareness of white privilege and the ways I had unknowingly participated in racism in my life. Even as I write this publicly, a deep part of me worries you will use my missteps to dismiss my commitment to justice. Despite knowing better, I still tend toward ranking people, including myself, as either good or bad.

I've noticed this phenomenon among other white social justice activists. Many of us distance ourselves from one another in an attempt to prove ourselves allies to people of color. The people I push away most are those who remind me of an earlier Ilsa. It is what my colleague Yarrow referred to as the Dreaded Identity (pun coincidental).

I probably would have shrugged this off and decided it was something I had moved beyond, until a recent incident caused me to reexamine my Dreaded Identity. My business partner, Dr. Caprice Hollins, had been listening to the audio book Speaking Peace by Marshall Rosenberg and was inspired by his work. She began incorporating his ideas into workshops and our everyday conversations. Given that Dr. Hollins is a solid advocate for racial justice and has recommended a number of other books I found inspiring and useful in our work, I thought I'd better check out this Rosenberg guy.

I had a vague recollection of hearing about his work on nonviolent communication. When I looked him up on-line, I remembered seeing videos of interviews with him in the past. I also remembered dismissing them as interesting, but a little too airy-fairy-hippie-dippy for my tastes. Dr. Rosenberg talks about spiritual connections, plays guitar, and speaks in a soft voice I find mildly annoying. Put all of those pieces together, and he fits my Dreaded Identity.

Despite my past misgivings, I downloaded and listened to his audio book in two days, then proceeded to recommend it to friends. When I told my partner Paul about it, I was afraid he would totally dismiss Rosenberg's ideas. Instead, he got upset and told me, "I bought you his Nonviolent Communication book three years ago! You never read it, did you?"

"No," I admitted, then found the book on our shelf. I looked at the cover which features a bright yellow flower and cursive writing. "I remember I tried to read it, but I couldn't get past the font," I told Paul.

Because I was pushing back so hard against my Dreaded Identity, I wasn't allowing myself to learn from anyone I associated with this identity. I had categorized everything that reminded me of hippie or "crystal-thumping" (as my sister calls it) as BAD, developing a stereotype strongly reinforced by how I want to be seen by others.

As I listened to Rosenberg, I didn't agree or find useful everything he said. But some, in fact most, of his work inspired me to think in new ways about my relationships, social justice activism, and facilitation. Had I been completely ruled by my Dreaded Identity, I would have missed this opportunity.

So, what does this mean for social justice work? When we stereotype people as those we want the least to do with, not only do we miss the opportunity to learn from them, we also create new enemies. When I put down hippies, it makes me feel superior, but in no way moves us closer to social justice. I'm exploring how to best reach out to people who remind me of my old self and to embrace the fact that that self is still, and always will be, a part of who I am. What would it look like for us to work together for equity? If that person doesn't understand white privilege, in the way I didn't understand, how can I engage her in conversation? In collective action? I know the first step is to see her as a potential ally, someone with flaws and strengths, just like me.

Finding the language to name and examine my own Dreaded Identity has made me more aware of this tendency in other people as well. For a Christian I met, it is right wing Evangelicals. For a mother who took two years off to raise her children, it is soccer moms.

I'd love to hear from you: What is your Dreaded Identity? What would you need to do to work for justice with someone who reminded you of this identity?

If You See Race, You're a Racist

What do you notice about this picture?
What does it tell you about desirable skin?

When I first asked these questions in a workshop, I got answers I was expecting, along the lines of:
"The woman on the left, the 'before' is the darkest, then the woman in the middle is lighter, and the woman on the 'after' side is white."
"It shows darker skin is bad and lighter skin and straight blond hair are more desirable."
"They're all women in towels and they're using these bodies to sell the soap. Also, there's a difference in the way they are standing."

I also got some answers I hadn't expected:
"I don't notice anything about the skin color in the picture. I think black women are beautiful."
"Doesn't seeing race in this just reinforce a victim mentality?"
"When I look at this, I just see three women. If you choose to focus on their race, that's because of your ideas about race. It shows your racial stereotypes."

These statements really shouldn't have surprised me. I hear the idea that noticing race makes one racist repeatedly used by media, people in workshops, and in conversation with friends.

Just this morning on KUOW's Weekday I heard a member of the 5th Avenue Theater's production of Oklahoma! talking about their casting of a black man, Kyle Scatliffe, as the lead villain. I haven't seen the show, but have heard about it from more than a few people. As they describe the dream-sequence featuring sexual exploitation of a white woman by a black man, they claimed anyone watching the play who saw a racial stereotype held that stereotype. They said this made the audience uncomfortable not with the show, but with themselves because the musical was "holding up a mirror" into the audience's obviously racist souls. Therefore, anyone who missed the stereotype was somehow less racist because they're able to be colorblind or have moved beyond racism. Rather ironic to imply we get over the past in a play that is set in the early 1900s.

I know I have stereotypes about black men being dangerous. It is not hard to point to hundreds of instances where I was socialized to believe in this myth. And those stereotypes don't go away just because I want them to. In fact, every time I witness something like a class for students with "Behavior Disorders" that is made up of mostly black young men, my stereotypes are subtly reinforced. The same way they would be if I saw that scene in Oklahoma!

The filter I have to recognize when my stereotypes are triggered is vital to countering them. If I didn't have that filter, if I didn't consciously notice racism, it would still become a part of my unconscious interactions.

The idea that noticing stereotypes makes you racist is founded on the belief that we do not live in a time where racism is still present. It is dangerous in that it gives credence to the idea that affirmative action is no longer a necessity in a society where racial disproportionality in housing, jobs, school success, health, and numerous other arenas is still patently evident. Recognizing, for example, that less than 50% of Native American students graduate from high school (data in this study from the Civil Rights Project) is vital to changing these statistics.

Ending institutional racism will not happen if we ignore the racial history in the United States that has led us to current inequities. Refusing to recognize or believe the subtle microaggressions or overt discrimination people of color face every day does more to separate than bring us together as a human family.

So, no matter how beautiful you personally think all of the women in the Dove ad are, that doesn't change the messages we are getting all the time about beauty standards. And it doesn't change the fact that statistically speaking, the woman on the left will have a have a harder time finding work because of the intersection of racism and sexism. Seeing the racial context of our decisions, be it in advertising, casting a play, or everyday conversation, is the only way we'll ever be able to end racism.

The Fierce Courage and Love to Stand for Justice

This is a keynote I wrote for Peninsula High School's Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Assembly on January 13th, 2012. Thanks to my many friends who contributed thoughts on what they wished they'd heard in high school, to Yarrow for the title idea, and to Caprice for her notes and ideas from similar presentations.

 







I've been an activist for social and environmental justice for most of my life. When I was 7 years old, my mom took me to my first Take Back the Night march to protest violence against women. When I was in high school in 1992, Buck Ghost Horse, a Lakota man I had been learning from, told me about a march, rally and protest commemorating the 500 year anniversary of Columbus Day. This was an event to highlight indigenous perspectives on Columbus, which, as you can imagine are quite different than mainstream European American ideas.

Because we didn't get Columbus Day off of school, I went to all of my teachers to tell them I would be skipping the next day of class to go to this event. Most of them thought it was a great opportunity, but I remember my Physics teacher looking at me and asking, "Do you really think this is more important than Physics class?" Now, that's not really a question. what does a teacher really mean when when they say, "Do you really think you want to be doing that right now?"

I gave him an answer he wasn't expecting, "Yes, I do think this is more important." I went to the protest and I still remember what I learned on that day, many of the speakers changed how I see the world and who I am.

I hope today to share some ideas that are different from your usual lessons in school and will inspire you to think about who you are and who you can be in the world.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke, “The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists who are dedicated to justice, peace and brotherhood.”

How many of you make New Year's resolutions? Every New Year I make several resolutions that I don’t tell anyone so when I don’t follow-through, I can tell myself it wasn’t really something I “resolved” to do, more of a hope or aspiration. This year I’m going to exercise more, learn to speak Spanish, get more involved in political activism and a half dozen other things that I’m not going to tell you on the off-chance you should see me next December and ask how it’s going.

However, as silly as a New Year’s resolution might seem, when we say it out loud to someone else, it becomes a commitment to which they are holding us accountable. There is power in committing ourselves to change for the better, especially when we make that decision together. And that can happen any time of year if we choose to make it happen and stick with it.

Today you have a choice. It is a new year and you have the power to not only transform yourself, but to transform your school community. I’m here to encourage you to make that community based on principles of justice. One where you stand together against prejudice, no matter what form it takes. As Dr. King called it, “the beloved community.” Think about what that would look and feel like as I share a few ideas with you today for how to make it happen.

Malcolm X spoke: “I’m for truth, no matter who tells it. I’m for justice, no matter who it is for or against. I’m a human being, first and foremost, and as such, I’m for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.”

Although many of you may agree with this statement, one of the tricky things about prejudice or oppression is that you might not even recognize when it’s happening to someone. For example, if you were born without a disability, you likely don’t spend much time thinking about stairs, or sign language interpretation, or being able to read the restroom sign, or how it might be particularly painful to hear someone say, “that’s retarded”.

Even when we want to treat others with dignity and respect, we might not realize the negative impact of an off-hand comment. One of the first steps in confronting racism, sexism, homophobia, or ableism is recognizing we all have our own biases and stereotypes. They are frequently something we’ve learned from others and not given a lot of thought. This is nothing to be ashamed of, but it is something to take responsibility for.

We can do that by listening and believing people who are experiencing the particular form of prejudice they're talking about. For example, I have a friend with Down's Syndrome. He pointed out hearing the word retarded used to refer to someone or something, brought up a slew of painful memories and recent experiences. Even though it might feel to you at first like they’re “being too sensitive”, it is quite likely they understand this form of prejudice better than you because of their experiences.

We all have blind spots to our subtle, unearned advantages or privileges. One of the ways to tell when you have a privilege is noticing the areas where you are considered normal while "others" are named. We have left-handed scissors, but no right-handed scissors. We have a WNBA but not an MNBA. Here are a few of my favorite examples of this pointed out originally here in the blog Sociological Images.

As a white person, I never noticed that band-aids, crayons and clothing labeled “flesh” were actually designed to look, at least somewhat, like my skin color. I was taught to be colorblind, which really meant I was taught to think being white was normal and pretend I didn’t notice the rich cultural differences of people. As if noticing these differences would mean we couldn’t get along with one another. It wasn’t until an African American friend pointed out the “flesh tone phenomenon”, that I began paying attention.

If you have the privilege of not facing discrimination for your identity, it is even more important to speak up. I was getting an A in a college math class where the teacher wasn’t explaining concepts clearly and gave tests on material she hadn’t taught. Most of the students were in the C-F range and what usually happens in this situation is the teacher blames them for not working hard enough or they blame themselves for ‘just not being good at math’. However, we recognized there was a problem with the instruction, so I went to talk with the teacher about our concerns. Because I was doing well in the class, it didn’t look like I was just worried about my own grade.

In the same way, if you are able bodied, or straight, or male, or white or wealthy, you are in a unique position to use those privileges to stand with other people for all of our rights. In fact, many people whose voices are silenced in high school are counting on you.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke, “On some positions, Cowardice asks the question, "Is it safe?" Expediency asks the question, "Is it politic?" And Vanity comes along and asks the question, "Is it popular?" But Conscience asks the question "Is it right?" And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must do it because Conscience tells him it is right.”

Once you’re noticing prejudice, the next step is deciding when and how to act. Sometimes, when you’re not a member of a group facing bias, you may not stand up for others because you’re afraid of what will happen to you. If I hear someone being teased for “acting gay” and I tell the perpetrator to stop, will the teasing then focus on me?

Understand that oppression hurts everyone in different ways. For example, even if you are not directly targeted by homophobic comments your freedom to express yourself, in the way you act or don’t act "manly" enough, in the way you dress, in the way you speak, in the way you dance, is limited. Your right to an environment that welcomes all forms of human expression is controlled, possibly with the threat of violence.

My mom was holding hands and walking with a female friend of hers when a man walked by and literally checked her shoulder. She was surprised and confused by his obviously intentional aggression, so she asked her friend, "Did we do something wrong?"

Her friend replied, "Only if you think two women holding hands is wrong. He thought we were lesbians."

What kind of world do we live in where two women in their fifties can't show public affection for one another without facing a violent response? Oppression hurts everyone.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."

If you stand aside quietly, your consent is implied. It is only when you find the fierce courage to speak up, that you will realize how many will stand with you. We usually hear about peer pressure as a negative thing. However, peer pressure can be a powerful force to improve the culture of your community.

Now let’s talk about how you’re going to make that change together!

(Note: The next section is adapted from Responding to Everyday Bigotry: Speak Up! http://www.shepherd.edu/alliesweb/resources/speak_up.pdf)
Find an Ally/Be an Ally

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke, “It really boils down to this: that all life is interrelated. We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tired into a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one destiny, affects all indirectly.”

Connect with a few friends who share your concerns. Join the Gay Student Alliance or Diversity Club and invite others to join. Together, you can make a plan and be ready. Choose one small step you want to take first. This will allow you to build momentum as you experience small wins.

If it doesn’t go so well the first time, you’ll have supporters to talk to and revise your plan. Know you will get another chance.

Identify the Behavior Rather than Labeling the Person

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke, “Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars... Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”

People don’t often think of love as a fierce tactic for justice. When I was in 4th grade, there was a 2nd grade boy in the neighborhood who used to beat up and tease all of the smaller kids. So I took it upon myself, in a most self-righteous way, to beat him up and teach him a lesson about how it feels. That didn’t really change his behavior.

I wonder now, what did he really need? Was he being hurt by adults in his life and trying to find a way to regain some power and control by acting out the same behaviors? He probably needed a friend. Someone he could talk and play with. He probably needed to laugh a little more and hurt a little less. Rather than my fists, he needed love fierce enough to hold his pain.

If you are attacking someone for making a biased comment by calling her names, she is not likely to say, “Oh, you’re right, I was being a total B. I’m so glad you pointed that out!” Even worse, we tend to rely on names that perpetuate oppression because of the additional hurt they cause. When a female student from UCLA posted a rant about Asians in the library, many of the responses referred to her as a dumb blond, using stereotypes of women to discredit her.

Instead, name the behavior. What exactly did the person say or do that was offensive? You don’t have to have a quick or witty response. You don’t have to justify yourself. Try asking a question such as, “What did you mean when you said that thing that started with, I’m not racist but, …?”

It is easy to go on the defensive or attack mode. It is easy to walk away and tell someone else what an idiot so and so is. It is much harder to love enough to engage a person who’s offended you in a conversation.
 
Set Limits

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke, “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”

Sometimes, the best you can do is set limits. I don’t allow my friends to tell racist jokes around me. I know they may tell those jokes in other places, but I have the right to create that boundary in my environment. They may judge me, think I need to lighten up, but I know that even when they tell the joke and I’m not around, they’re thinking about what I said.

I love them, know they can change, and also recognize their change will not happen simply because I want it to. It will happen because they want it to. In the meantime, I do have the power to ask them to stop or to walk away.

Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke: “I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. That is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.”

Ultimately, I’m talking about aligning what you believe in with how you behave and collectively creating a community where all flourish. If you believe in love, compassion, and treating people how they want to be treated, make that evident by noticing differences and believing people's experiences. If you believe in principles of equity, you can take small steps every day to stand against injustice. If you believe your school community should support liberty and justice for all, you must find the fierce courage and love to speak out.

And in this struggle, know you are not alone. You are standing on the foundation laid by people throughout history who have risked their lives for all of humanity. Some, like Dr. King, you already know about. But you’ll likely never know the names of the millions of heroes and sheroes just like you, in high schools all over the world, who chose to join the fight to create better, more equitable environments. You can be a part of a legacy of justice seekers.

Think about one thing you could do to stand up against bias. Take a moment now, and think about your choice. Will you stand for justice? And once you’ve made your decision, your resolution, I’m going to ask you to do something to make you accountable to your peers. Raise your hand, raise your fist, raise your thumb if you're shy, or stand up if you choose to find the fierce courage and love to stand for justice.

Look around and see who is with you. Today, right now, you can transform your community.