Educators for Anti-Racism is a far-left group of teachers and administrators attempting to reform the American education system according to “anti-racist” principles. The organization was founded as a book club for educators in Boston in August of 2020, but it has since expanded into a series of virtual conferences that feature presentations on “abolitionist education” to eliminate alleged white supremacy from the education system in order to close the achievement gap between white people and racial minorities.

As of November of 2020, Educators for Anti-Racism is in the process of applying for nonprofit status. ¹ It claims funding from over 1,000 individual donors and a handful of community organizations in Massachusetts.

National Educator Anti-Racism Conference

In late August 2020, Educators for Anti-Racism held its first online National Educator Anti-Racism Conference with attendees from all fifty states and twenty-five countries. ² The conference’s two largest funders were the Newton Schools Foundation and the Boston Community Foundation. ³⁴

The conference consisted of sixteen sessions on how to further anti-racism in schools, specifically regarding the development of math and science curricula, the structure of school administrations, teacher training programs, and student counseling. Every session began with a verbal acknowledgement that the conference organizers were speaking on land “stolen” from Native American populations by European colonizers. A speaker in the session on “anti-racism and math” argued that the American school system was designed to maintain racial hierarchies for the sake of white supremacy. The session on “anti-racism and science” focused on the relatively few racial minorities in science professions, which the lecturers attributed to failings in the school system, including excessive competitiveness, race-blind education policies, and a lack of emphasis on famous African-American scientists. Another session stressed the importance of implementing anti-racist reforms within labor unions. ⁵

Anti-Racist Resources

Educators for Anti-Racism gathers educational and activist resources for understanding and furthering anti-racism, including books, articles, blogs, podcasts, research journals, apps, and petitions. ⁶ As of November 2020, the organization is currently collecting lesson plans to build an anti-racist course to be taught in American schools. ⁷

Leadership

Educators for Anti-Racism was founded by Joana Chacon, a teacher and leader of the Human Rights Council at Newton South High School in Newton, Massachusetts. Chacon attended the University of Washington where she was named a fellow of the Edgar and Holli Martinez Foundation in 2010. The nonprofit gives grants and anti-racist training to racial minority educators,⁸ and Chacon attributed the fellowship to inspiring the creation of Educators for Antiracism. ⁹

Member Groups

Educators for Anti-Racism lists six “affinity groups,” or organizations which give lessons in anti-racism. These include Brothers Empowered to Teach, the Institute for Teachers of Color, the Martinez Fellowship Program, the Melanated Educators Collective, the People’s Education Movement – Bay Area, and SURJ: Showing Up for Racial Justice. ¹⁰

Educators for Anti-Racism lists also lists six affiliated “civic action groups,” or organizations attempting to institute antiracist reforms in K-12 schools. These include the Abolitionist Teaching Network, Black Lives Matter at School, Disrupt Text, Radical Monarchs, the Young People’s Project, and the New York Collective of Radical Educators. ¹¹

Educators for Anti-Racism also works with four “antiracist teacher/administrator education programs,” including the Anti-racist Administration and School Leadership Certificate, the Carter Center for K-12 Black History Education, Equity and Justice Scholar, and PRISM (Power, Identity, and Resistance in STEM Education) Research Lab. ¹²

1. “About Us.” Educators for Antiracism. Accessed November 14, 2020. https://www.edantiracism.com/about.
2. “Educators for Antiracism.” Facebook. Accessed November 14, 2020. https://www.facebook.com/groups/305758670459158/about.
3. “Math and Antiracism.” Educators for Antiracism. Accessed November 14, 2020. https://www.edantiracism.com/2020conference?pgid=kebxatcc-e1bd7971-76dd-4df7-a626-de196f56d603.
4. “Musical Thanks.” Educators for Antiracism. Accessed November 14, 2020. https://www.edantiracism.com/2020conference.
5. “Watch the Sessions.” Educators for Antiracism. Accessed November 14, 2020. https://www.edantiracism.com/2020conference.
6. “Antiracist Resources.” Educators for Antiracism. Accessed November 14, 2020. https://www.edantiracism.com/anti-racist-resources.
7. “Contribute Anti-Racist Resources.” Accessed November 14, 2020. https://www.edantiracism.com/contribute-resources.
8. “Knocking it Out of the Park: Edgar and Holli Martinez Foundation.” University of Washington College of Education. Winter 2009. Accessed November 14, 2020. http://www.washington.edu/alumni/partnerships/education/news/200811/martinez.html.
9. “Joana Chacon.” LinkedIn. Accessed November 14, 2020. https://www.linkedin.com/in/joana-chacon-a289741b1/.
10. “Affinity Groups.” Educators for Antiracism. Accessed November 14, 2020. https://www.edantiracism.com/connect.
11. “Affinity Groups.” Educators for Antiracism. Accessed November 14, 2020. https://www.edantiracism.com/connect.
12. “Affinity Groups.” Educators for Antiracism. Accessed November 14, 2020. https://www.edantiracism.com/connect.