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The purpose of education, finally, is to create in a person the ability to look at the world for [themself], to make [their] own decisions…To ask questions of the universe, and then learn to live with those questions, is the way [they achieve their] own identity.
— James Baldwin, A Talk to Teachers
As educators working in the Exploratorium, we stand in solidarity with Black Lives Matter and believe that Black teachers and students matter.
Black students are entitled to high-quality educational opportunities and spaces in which their learning journey is appreciated, their existing knowledge, interests, and history are leveraged, and they are able to nurture strong, healthy identities as learners and contributors to a democratic society.
Research indicates that Black teachers make a difference for all students. Black teachers are entitled to respect, appreciation, and the support and resources they need to thrive, both personally and professionally, in anti-racist educational settings.
We are working toward a vision of anti-racist science education. Inclusive science and science education should provide opportunities for all individuals and communities to investigate the natural and designed world around them by asking and answering their own questions. The Exploratorium has focused on creating equitable, inquiry-based science education experiences for all students, in all classrooms, and we hold ourselves accountable for expanding representation and inclusion of Black teachers and learners in science, engineering, and tinkering.
Here are our core beliefs and a continually evolving list of resources we’ve found helpful around race and racism and their roles in science education.
We believe Black teachers need and deserve mutual support and community.
A resource for supporting Black teachers in concrete ways:
We recognize that Black students are as interested in studying science as other students, but are excluded through the current actions of teachers, professors, and other students, as well as broader forces that make it harder to ameliorate the effects of generational discrimination.
Resources for understanding the long-standing exclusion of Black students in STEM:
We believe that all teachers must self-reflect and deepen their learning around systemic racism and its manifestations in schools and classrooms.
Resources for deepening learning about systemic racism in education:
We believe that conversations about race can and should happen in all science classrooms.
Resources for discussing race in the science classroom: