On Friday, June 12, the Lycée Français de New York held a panel on systemic racism, in the wake of the protests across the country following the brutal death of George Floyd. At the Lycée, our work on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) started several years ago, with, most recently, the creation of the Black Student Union, the Coalition, an umbrella group of students work to strengthen the school’s DEI efforts, and an active Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Group of teachers and staff.
The Cultural Center also covers these issues, having welcomed French journalist Rokhaya Diallo to talk about racism in France, or, as part of the James Baldwin Day created by the English department, film director Raoul Peck who talked with students about his film I Am Not Your Negro shown in our auditorium, to name a few.
The killing of George Floyd has been a catalyst for deeper conversation on the subject of race, social justice and equity across the U.S. and also at the Lycée. Last Friday, on the zoom our guests were Tracey Benson, assistant professor of Educational Leadership at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte and author with Sarah Fiarman of Unconscious Bias in Schools; Dolita Cathcart, associate professor of History at Wheaton College and a noted historian of African-American history also a member of the Posse Foundation; Lorin Lakin Hutcherson, film and television writer and producer and founder of the website Good Black News; and Dr. Sylvie de Souza, Lycée alumna, Chair of Emergency Medicine at Brooklyn Hospital Center. Magalie-Laguerre Wilkinson, also a Lycée alumna and current parent, producer and reporter with 60 Minutes since 2005, moderated the discussion while Maxime Gateau and Tiwani Ariyibi, Co-Presidents of the Black Student Union at the Lycée, moderated the questions.
Topics included the historical definition of systemic racism, white privilege, the role of the police, and the next steps we could take, especially in schools. Letting children express themselves and encouraging discussions in the classroom, were some of the advice given by these remarkable panelists.
This panel inaugurates a year-long series on racism, diversity, equity and inclusion, which we will announce at back to school.
The panelists shared a few resources:
Books
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander, The New Press
Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?: And Other Conversations About Race (Kindle Edition by Beverly Daniel Tatum)
Unconscious Bias in Schools, A Developmental Approach to Exploring Race and Racism by Tracey A. Benson and Sarah E. Fiarman, Foreword by Glenn E. Singleton
Just Mercy by Brian Stevenson
Articles
“White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack”, Peggy McIntosh
“The Case for reparations”, Ta-Nehisi Coats, The Atlantic
TED Talks
“How Studying Privilege Systems Can Strengthen Compassion”, Peggy McIntosh at TEDxTimberlaneSchool
“How to overcome our biases? Walk Boldly Toward Them.”, TedTalk by Verna Myers
About the Author :
Pascale Richard joined the Lycée as director of the Cultural Center in 2011, where she aims to bring the best of French and American cultures through conferences, concerts, films and various events. In the fall of 2012, she launched the school’s Artist-in-Residence program. Pascale was previously Vice President of External Affairs at the French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF). Her background is in journalism and writing with a focus on lifestyle and fashion. She is a graduate of Sciences-po and holds a master’s in journalism from New York University.