A learning community is an “intentionally developed community that exists to promote and maximize the individual and shared learning of its members. There is ongoing interaction, interplay, and collaboration among the community members as they strive for specified common learning goals” (Lenning et al., 2013, p. 7). 

The Teaching + Learning Commons Engaged Teaching Changemaker Fellows Anti-Racist Pedagogy Learning Community brings together facilitators and fellows as co-learners in a mutually supportive environment where we will critically examine teaching practices through a racial equity lens and espouse anti-racist teaching practices to promote the well-being and learning of students, particularly Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and minoritized students.  

When you choose, in a particular moment, to be anti-racist and to challenge that racist idea or policy, you're being anti-racist (Kendi, 2020). 

Antiracist researchers ask questions like, ‘What's wrong with policies?’ ‘What's wrong with conditions?’ ‘What's wrong with systems and structures?’ (Thompson, 2021).

Antiracist pedagogy includes explicit instruction on the history and continuation of racism…it has a critical praxis capable of creating a paradigm shift for students’ development of a critical consciousness and voice capable of explaining and denouncing racism (Blakeney, 2005).

Antiracist teaching challenges the eurocentric curriculum and the apolitical and ahistorical approaches to education, discipline, and course materials. It pushes us to question what counts as legitimate knowledge, whose knowledge counts, and who has access to the knowledge (Collins, 2009 as cited by Kishimoto, 2018).

The curriculum is grounded in the work of scholars of color and is supported by three goals to help fellows deepened their understanding of and practice in anti-racist pedagogy:

• Unpack the historical roots of educational inequity: What is the historical context of anti-Black racism locally and in U.S. education? How does systemic racism contribute to educational outcomes seen today, particularly at UC San Diego?
  
• Understand our personal relationships with anti-Black racism and white supremacy: How has our socialization in a racist society contributed (in conscious and unconscious ways) to our identities as people and our choices as educators?
• Enact anti-racist pedagogy in our classes and roles as educators: How can we create classroom experiences that challenge racist ideologies and begin to dismantle existing structures of oppression? What actions will we take to support the well-being of Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and minoritized students at UC San Diego?

The goals are to work together in community to:

• Acknowledge, unlearn, and move against racism in higher education systems and practices that impact the educational experience of students of color, particularly Black students.
• Support the academic and social experience of students of color and to build a social justice learning community.
• Support fellows dedicated to anti-racist work and to strengthened a campus culture that welcomes and values diverse perspectives.
• Enhance empathy and compassion in the context of education, particularly as it applies to building inclusive and equitable classroom environments.

Commitment to full participation and attendance is required for consideration as Changemaker Fellows Anti-Racist Pedagogy Learning Community. During the Winter and Spring quarters, fellows will deepen their understanding of anti-racism through various active learning activities and receive support by the Engaged Teaching Hub as they work on an anti-racist related project to be implemented in the classroom, department, or as a program. Fellows must commit to the following timeline and activities to be considered for selection: 

• Participate in and attend the two-quarter learning community (Winter and Spring quarters 2023).

• Participate in and attend a half-day orientation in Winter quarter, Friday January 13 at 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. (in person).

• Participate in and attend learning communities, Fridays 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. January 27, February 10 & 24, March 10, April 7 & 21, May 5 & 19, and June 2 (remote).

• Engage in readings, reflection exercises, and discussions designed to deepen our understanding of anti-racist pedagogy in the teaching and learning community.

• With the support of Engaged Teaching Hub, develop and implement a selected project by Winter 2024 that enhances a current course or develop a new anti-racist-focused course.

Fellows propose a project focused on anti-racist pedagogy that will be implemented by Winter quarter 2024. Project guidelines include:

• Summary and rationale of proposed project, including project goals and/or specific learning outcomes
• Potential impact on student learning
• Potential challenges you foresee this project may encounter 
• How the project addresses anti-Blackness and advances anti-racism efforts on campus or in your department.

Note: Schedule is subject to minor changes

Blakeney, A. M. (2005). Antiracist pedagogy: Definition, theory, and professional development. Journal of Curriculum and Pedagogy, 2(1), 119-132. https://doi.org/10.1080/15505170.2005.10411532

Kendi, I. (2020). ‘Racism is death. Anti-racism is life.’ says author Ibram Kendi [NPR] https://www.npr.org/2020/10/23/927100641/racism-is-death-anti-racism-is-life-says-author-ibram-kendi

Kishimoto, K. (2018). Anti-racist pedagogy: From faculty self-reflection to organizing within and beyond the classroom. Race and Ethnicity, 21(4), 540-554. https://doi.org/ 10.1080/13613324.2016.1248824

Lenning, O. T., Hill, D. M., Saunders, K. P., Solan, A., & Stokes, A. (2013). Powerful learning communities: A guide to develop students, faculty, and professional learning communities to improve student success and organizational effectiveness. Stylus.

Thompson, K. (2021). Anti-racism’ Ibram Kendi thinks big: Why not equality right now? [USA Today]. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2021/02/02/black-history-month-antiracism-ibram-kendi/6568208002/

UC San Diego. (2021). Ashoka U changemaker campus designation. https://changemaker.ucsd.edu/about/about.html

UC San Diego. (2021). Strategic plan. https://plan.ucsd.edu/report#goal-2

UC San Diego. (2021). Office of equity, diversity, and inclusion. https://diversity.ucsd.edu/?_ga=2.2294640.1721680828.1620056305-425088238.1610554975