Empathy 2.0 - This time with more ACTION!

I spent the day saying "Awww! You guys!  That is so good."  "I love that!"  "That is fantastic!" I couldn't be prouder of my students because they tackled some of society's most challenging topics. They made connections to texts they read and created action steps to improve equity. 
The empathy "themes" we investigated are not easy to talk about for most adults in 2020: 

• Identity & Intersectional Identity
• Bias & Behaving with Integrity
• Stereotypes & Changing our mindsets
• Inequality & Finding strength in difference
• Race & Reality

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We began with a classroom agreement that was non negotiable. 
​"We respect everyone's humanity. Everyone deserves to have dignity. Every day."

My students read 3 articles of their choice about their subjects and I was really unsure about how this assignment would turn out. I led them through identity exploration in class and we defined and discussed bias, stereotypes, discrimination and prejudice but how would they do answering open-ended questions like: 
Why is race such a complicated topic to talk about in America?
What is implicit bias?
How can we act with integrity if we all have implicit biases?
In what ways can we connect to other people and recognize their obstacles while admitting we can never fully understand their experience?
And perhaps the MOST important question we can ask in the suburbs of the most segregated city in America: 

​How can we break down obstacles to create connections around race?

But you know what? I challenged them and they rose to the occasion and I learned, once again, that Nelson Mandela was right, "May our choices reflect hope and not fear."
If we don't talk about these challenges in the classroom with ground rules and evidence and an open-dialogue then kids will talk about them in the shadows, the halls and on the bus. They will be misinformed and confused or, at worst, indoctrinated into a hate group.

Their answers to these questions are beautiful in their clarity: 

How can we create connections?  "Connect to people of different races to show that race doesn't stop you from liking someone"

What obstacles stop us from breaking down stereotypes? Judgment, tension between people, fear, society

And that's just the beginning.