GUIDE TO COURAGEOUS CONVERSATIONS
Resources for creating and maintaining a safe, fair environment where people can be authentic and secure in sharing their truths with others.
WHAT IS A COURAGEOUS CONVERSATION?
This term comes from Glenn E. Singleton’s book, “Courageous Conversations About Race” (click on the book cover on the left to go to the author’s website).
A “courageous conversation” is a protocol or strategy to help schools, individuals, coworkers, and so on to hold open and candid dialogue about topics surrounding “race.” The goal of a courageous conversation is to:
1) Engage those who normally don’t talk.
2) Sustain the conversation even when it gets uncomfortable or diverted.
3) Deepen conversations so that it forms authentic understanding.
WHY DO WE NEED COURAGEOUS CONVERSATIONS?
In light of current events, it is evident that inequity is still alive and well today. As educators, we may see this reflected in the Opportunity Gap, a topic all too familiar in modern education. To challenge the systemic causes surrounding this inequity, the authors of Courageous Conversations about Race post the need for candid, challenging, and often uncomfortable, conversations about race. These conversations are crucial if educators are to understand their students fully and why a performance inequality exists. In a 3-part series of resource releases and equity facilitator training, we will breakdown Courageous Conversations about Race and open up a safe and inclusive environment for staff to discuss these issues openly. Only through sustained courageous conversations can we promote true academic equity.
WHAT IS INCLUDED
Courageous Conversations About Race is separated into three parts:
Part 1 – Passion: An Essential Characteristic of Racial Equity Leadership
Part 2 – Practice: The Foundation of Racial Equity Leadership
Part 3 – Persistence: The Key to Racial Equity Leadership
The following resources, for each part, will be released throughout the fall semester:
A Chapter–by-Chapter Abridgment: This abridgment will outline and focus on the key points taken directly from the book.
Activities: In each part, the author has provided suggested activities that will help you and your staff dive deeper into these courageous conversation concepts. We have created a resource that has pulled out these activities for your use.
Facilitator Guide: This facilitator guide is built to support you in creating equity teams at your school site and help you in implementing a condensed version of the Courageous Conversation protocol outlined in Glenn E. Singleton’s “Courageous Conversations About Race: A Field Guide for Achieving Equity in Schools.” It is not required for you to read the book, however, we will be making references to our abridgment of the book throughout this facilitator’s guide.
Additional Resources: We have cultivated a collection of supplemental resources to help support your group’s journey into courageous conversations.
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