Date of Graduation

Spring 5-18-2017

Document Access

Project/Capstone - Global access

Degree Name

Master of Arts in International and Multicultural Education (IME)

College/School

School of Education

Department/Program

International and Multicultural Education (IME)

First Advisor

Monisha Bajaj

Abstract

This project explores the use of mindfulness in antiracist professional development for educators, documenting the development and implementation of workshop curriculum across three conference settings. The purpose of the project was to engage White educators in the important inner work of understanding White racial conditioning and actively challenging the institutional and structural racism inherent in our education system. Beginning with an understanding of race, racism and Critical Race Theory, the curriculum was designed to support White educators in developing their own racial identities to further their own personal development. The workshop focuses on White Identity development (Helms, 1990) to support participants in developing awareness of their own racial conditioning, introducing Whiteness Identity Development (Helms, 1990), White privilege (McIntosh, 1989), and White fragility (DiAngelo, 2011) while addressing common impacts of White racial conditioning - including silencing, colorblindness, color muteness, and the use of racially coded language. The curriculum explores concepts related to race and racism while offering mindfulness practice as a means of supporting self-reflection and skillful engagement with discomfort and difficult discussion. Participants were challenged to explore their own awareness of and role in addressing racism. Through this process White educators can begin to deconstruct racism in themselves and in the educational spaces where they work. It is only through this crucial inner work, that we as educators can begin the outer work of addressing “educational debt” (Ladson-Billings, 2006).

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