“You Asked,I Answered,Now What?”: A White Principal’s Struggle to Confront Race(ism) and Address Black Teacher Retention

Abstract

After viewing a video about Black teachers’ experiences, Vince Matthews, a White male middle school principal, invited Black teachers to a listening session to learn about their school experiences. He was certain that it would be a short, pleasant meeting because he believed he did not have a racist bone in his body. Instead, four teachers shared stories that revealed patterns of racism within the school. Furthermore, they said they considered leaving the school. Principal Matthews was challenged by how to shift from color evasiveness to centering race in decision-making, move beyond listening to implementing racial equity through policy and practice, and facilitate uncomfortable conversations with White faculty.

Keywords

Black teachers teacher retention whiteness anti-racist leadership

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