Rebecca Atkins - Interrupting Racism: Equity and Social Justice in School Counseling

Interrupting Racism

Interrupting Racism provides school counselors with a brief overview of racial equity in schools and practical ideas that a school-level practitioner can put into action. The book walks readers through the current state of achievement gap and racial equity in schools and looks at issues around intention, action, white privilege, and implicit bias. Later chapters include interrupting racism case studies and stories from school counselors about incorporating stakeholders into the work of racial equity. Activities, lessons, and action plans promote self-reflection, staff-reflection, and student-reflection, and encourage school counselors to drive systemic change for students through advocacy, collaboration, and leadership.

Rebecca Atkins, MEd, NBCT is Senior Administrator of Elementary Counseling in the Wake County Public School System, North Carolina, and served as a school counselor for 12 years. She is a frequent presenter at state and national conferences and has published on the topics of transition and equity.

Alicia Oglesby, MS is a professional high school counselor in Washington, DC. With an extensive background in serving low-income black communities, she continues to advocate for equity on the local and national level.

Interrupting Racism

Equity and Social Justice in School Counseling

First published 2019

by Routledge

52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017

and by Routledge

2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business

2019 Taylor & Francis

The right of Rebecca Atkins and Alicia Oglesby to be identified as authors of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. The purchase of this copyright material confers the right on the purchasing institution to photocopy pages which bear the photocopy icon and copyright line at the bottom of the page. No other parts of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Atkins, Rebecca, author. | Oglesby, Alicia, author.

Title: Interrupting racism : equity and social justice in school counseling / Rebecca Atkins and Alicia Oglesby.

Description: New York, NY : Routledge, 2019. | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2018034993 (print) | LCCN 2018036832 (ebook) | ISBN 9781351258920 (E-book) | ISBN 9780815366393 (hardback) | ISBN 9780815366416 (pbk.)

Subjects: LCSH: Educational counselingSocial aspectsUnited States. | Educational equalization. | Social justiceStudy and teaching.

Classification: LCC LB1027.5 (ebook) | LCC LB1027.5 .A845 2019 (print) | DDC 371.4dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018034993

ISBN: 978-0-815-36639-3 (hbk)

ISBN: 978-0-815-36641-6 (pbk)

ISBN: 978-1-351-25892-0 (ebk)

Typeset in Bembo

by Wearset Ltd, Boldon, Tyne and Wear

To our families, who gave us the gift of time to write about our passion for equity.

For over a hundred years, school counseling or guidance counseling has been a profession known for its mission to help all students achieve academically, socially, and vocationally. Nevertheless, school counselors are rarely discussed in terms of their ability to help students who are negatively affected by biased and racist systems and policies in schools. How can one be charged with helping and not address the inherent policies that further divide students and communities? Although counselor educators and school counseling leaders have begun to talk about issues pertaining to social inequities through the lens of social justice and advocacy, disrupting inequities and inequalities in schools has not been perceived as a major role or responsibility of school counselors.

Over the last decade, racism in the U.S. has been evidenced by the rise in hate crimes, the blatant shootings of unarmed Black men by the police, and open and direct xenophobic rhetoric by politicians and government officials. Theres no denying that bias, prejudice, and racism are prevalent in our society and in our schools. The question for school counselors has become, how can school counselors, like other school-based educators, ensure a non-biased, anti-racist, and inclusive school environment for all students?

This book provides school counselors with answers to the aforementioned question. The authors take care to describe the context and historical significance of academic trends in the U.S. so that the reader better understands existing achievement and opportunity gaps. Next, the authors introduce the reader to factors that influence disparities in educationwhite privilege and implicit biasalong with scenarios for the reader to imagine and visualize the factors playing out in schools.

My career has been focused on leveling the playing field for our most vulnerable students by challenging education policies that further divide people into the haves and have nots. Creating new norms, practices, and mindsets is the key to dismantling racist and biased practices in schools. This book is a good step in that direction.

Cheryl Holcomb-McCoy, PhD

Dean, School of Education, American University

One of my favorite stories to tell is how Alicia and I began our work together on equity and social justice. You see, we met on Twitter. We were both participating in a Twitter chat for school counselors about equity. Alicia was interested in presenting at the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) national conference and was seeking advice. I had presented at ASCA a few times and was familiar with the application process. Once we started direct messaging, we decided that we would co-present. Alicia lives in Washington, DC and I live in North Carolina. We spoke on the phone, wrote an article for the ASCA School Counselor magazine, and sent many texts and emails, but we never met until we arrived in New Orleans in 2016 for the ASCA Conference.

Luckily, we hit it off and found that not only do we appreciate each other professionally but we enjoy one anothers company. Alicia continues to inspire me every day that we work together. She is so knowledgeable and continues her learning each and every day. I think our unique perspectives complement each other. I work in Elementary, she works in Secondary. She has deep knowledge about the history and practice of social justice, I have deep knowledge of the ASCA National Model and systems change. I am white, she is black. I have learned more in writing this book than I ever could have going it alone.

The work of interrupting racism and fighting for equity is never done. There is always room to grow. No one can master all parts of cultural competency and mistakes are inevitable. I am humbly seeking to better understand myself and others, and to develop the complex skills to work toward equity. I am a constant work in progress. Only regular practice of questioning, learning, and engaging across difference can decrease my bias and prejudice that still show up in my daily thoughts, words, and actions. I accept this reality and keep practicing.