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Seeing Systems: The Case for Systemically Trauma-Informed Practice instead of White Saviorism

Goldin, S., Duane, A., & Khasnabis, D.
September
2023

From the book description: "Purposeful, intentional racial bias poses an obvious threat to the possibility of real equity in schools. In this volume, antiracist educators explore an equally troubling, but insufficiently explored threat: the racism upheld by schools and districts that claim an antiracist commitment. These institutions perpetuate disparities by enacting that commitment through surface-level and soft diversity and inclusion goals and popular initiatives that are more equity optics than antiracism. This book asks: How is racism perpetuated through actions, programs, practices, and initiatives that might appear to be inclusion-oriented or “progressive,” but never quite get around to eliminating racism? How do these efforts pose as racial equity while protecting systems of advantage and disadvantage—creating a sort of equity inertia? The book then asks: What would antiracism look like if we enacted a deeper antiracist approach? What is a truer vision for racial equity? Diverse authors apply these questions to an equally diverse assortment of programs and practices, such as trauma-informed care, social–emotional learning, restorative practices, anti-bias work in early childhood education, Montessori schooling, “inclusive” social studies curricula, and toxic positivity and “niceness” as stand-ins for racial equity."

Citation

Goldin, S., Duane, A., & Khasnabis, D. (2023). Seeing systems: the case for systemically trauma-informed practice instead of white saviorism. In Matias, C.E., Jackson, T., & Gorski, P. (Ed), The other elephant: white liberalism and the persistence of racism in schools (pp. 156–168). ISBN: 9780807781968