Is Surpassing Self-Righteousness the Key to Overcoming Racism, Sexism and Other Destructive Biases?

Dear Readers, 

I started a unit plan to respond to the unacceptable things people have been saying and doing in the U.S. because of racism, sexism and xenophobia. I draw from the Enduring Understandings, Standards and Performance Indicators of Education for Sustainability. I  completed Stage I and invite educators everywhere to build out Stages II and III as appropriate for your students, grade levels and disciplines. 

We ask: 

How can the new brain science help us to understand what is going on when people feel threatened by “the other”?
Throughout history, there are many examples of people who stood to gain economically and/or politically from creating and fueling conflict between diverse groups of people. Is the U.S. experiencing this phenomenon right now? Who stands to gain? Who stands to lose?
What good does diversity do us?
What do we need to know?
What kind of future do we want?

Please share your unit plans with us and with our larger community. This is a participatory design process and I look forward to seeing what you will build from this foundation. 

Jaimie P. Cloud