Responding to Racialized Religious Discrimination in our Schools

Our schools are reflections of the 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 if and how they pray, or their cultural backgrounds. We will discuss in small groups our roles and responsibilities when it comes to addressing these injustices.