|
#CRITICALCONVERSATIONS: COUNTERING ANTIBLACK RACISM IN LANGUAGE EDUCATION TWITTER CHAT
Tasha Austin, Rutgers University, New Jersey, USA
On October 25, 2021 with the support of Dr. Clara Vaz Bauler, I hosted a #CriticalConversations Twitter chat with the central focus of countering antiBlack racism in language education. This idea was generated by Dr. Vaz Bauler as a result of her engagement with the podcast I host with New Jersey TESOL-NJBE’s sub-committee to Counter antiBlack Racism entitled “Critical Conversations with NJTESOL-NJBE.” Jessica Hunsdon, Kathy Fernandez, Caia Schlessinger and our new member Madjiguene Fall and I are in our second year of conceiving what it means to be a state affiliate of TESOL in one of the most linguistically and ethno-racially diverse states in the nation, but who have not historically confronted the history both in the field and in the organization of antiBlack racism. Dr. Vaz Bauler’s suggestion was timely in this transition between years one and two of our sub-committee. The Twitter chat served to re-energize efforts to meet our organizational goal of “disseminat[ing] educational information as related to professional development” with our target of countering antiBlackness.
This context is important because the success of this endeavor has deep implications and represents the long-term work called for by firstly acknowledging, then defining and grappling with the ways antiBlackness manifests in language education. So after discussion and preparation between myself and Dr. Vaz Bauler, we advertised the slow chat (Figure 1) a week in advance to ensure all interested participants had time to schedule their involvement and even predetermine their responses (Figure 2).
Advertisement of Twitter Chat
Twitter Chat Questions and Definition of AntiBlackness
Some goals for the chat were to (1) engage language educators in a reflective discussion around manifestations of antiBlackness, to (2) create a professionally diverse community of willing practitioners to confront this enduring issue in our respective fields and finally, to (3) generate possible resources and approaches for countering antiBlackness in its various instantiations. We believe these goals were met and the engagement of the virtual community that likely drew from the #LanguageIsAVerb event weeks prior, produced an openness and vulnerability we could only have hoped for in our planning.
Participants from various backgrounds shared their positionality [figure 3] to the topic and their roles alongside many ‘lurkers’ who we welcomed to passively engage and learn in their own ways.
Participant Positionality
As the chat unfolded, we witnessed that some language educators and educational leaders clearly understand how antiBlackness is enacted in their various professions and environments (Figures 4 and 5) while others discussed the ways antiBlackness can manifest harm on personal, institutional and systemic levels (Figure 6).
Examples of AntiBlackness
Examples of AntiBlackness
Levels of Harm from AntiBlackness
The exchanges between professionals were deeply encouraging and suggested our goal for creating community was met as the participants themselves provided immense experiential insights to one another. Early career (Figure 7) and veteran scholars (Figure 8) were counted among those who grappled with this topic in both theoretical and practical ways. Additionally, the reflective work in which professionals were engaged provided a blueprint for anyone interested in starting this work on a personal level.
Scholarly Involvement
Scholarly Involvement
Perhaps the most salient example of our vision being fulfilled was the sharing of resources among participants and the fact that even after the 24-hour period allotted for the chat, distinct organizations and participants continued to engage and praise the opportunity to grow in their capacity to counter antiBlack racism in language education (Figures 9 and 10).
Sharing of Resources
Due to the resources and insights gained from this experience (see Figure 10), we would highly recommend organizational collaboration to further efforts around antiracist work in language education. The success of this endeavor was the result of both different experiences and skills in addition to a shared vision to advance work around countering antiBlackness. This work is ongoing and while the podcast and hashtags associated with these efforts can be accessed asynchronously, the preparation for and execution of these events demonstrates the labor and commitment necessary to successfully leverage diverse expertise to counter antiBlackness in language education.
Sharing of Resources
With much gratitude for the role of TESOL-BMEIS and all who participated, we hope that you will find ways to continue this important reflective work in ways that work for you.
References
Austin, T. (2020, June 2). Statement of Solidarity against Anti-Black Racism. NJTESOL-
NJBE Voices Newsletter. https://voices.njtesol-njbe.org/2020-summer-features/su20-features-solidarity-statement/
Tasha Austin is a PhD candidate in Language Education at Rutgers University. She is the Teacher Education Special Interest Group Representative for NJTESOL-NJBE and co-created and hosts their "Critical Conversations" podcast.
|