DEI

Becoming an Anti-Racist Community

The only way forward is to reckon with our past, and it is most important for those with privilege, for those who could easily turn away from this conversation, to stand up on behalf of those who experience daily discrimination. 
 
We know that many families may have questions; we will update this page with resources that will help. We know that many families are curious about how Buckley is addressing recent events; we will update this page with recent DEI updates. We know that many families may want to get involved; we will update this page with ways to get involved and take action.
"Dr. Buckley’s Four-Fold Plan requires that we offer moral education, and our school’s mission calls for us to act with courage. Now is the time to act with courage and conviction, to be unwavering in our commitment to equity and inclusion. It is our responsibility to teach our children to speak out."
-Alona Scott, head of school

Emails from the Head of School

Antiracist Titles for Children by Age/Grade Level

K-1
Different Differenter: An Activity Book on Skin Color, by Jyoti Gupta
Saturday, by Oge Mora
Hair Love, by Matthew Cherry
Kamala and Maya’s Big Idea, by Meena Harris
The Undefeated, by Kwame Alexander 

2-3 
Each Kindness, by Jacqueline Woodson
The Youngest Marcher, by Cynthia Levinson
Something Happened in Our Town, by Marietta Collins 
The Undefeated, by Kwame Alexander 

4-5
Resist, by Veronica Chambers
Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness, by Anastasia Higginbotham
The Undefeated, by Kwame Alexander
This Book is Anti-Racist, by Tiffany Jewell (with guidance and support from a parent/guardian)

Antiracist Reading

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, by Michelle Alexander
Civil rights lawyer and New York Times writer Michelle Alexander gives historical context to current policy and systemic racism in this riveting examination of the 13th amendment, police brutality, and the criminalization of Black bodies. This best-selling title gives a compelling introductory overview of systemic racism through systems of oppression, criminal injustice, racial profiling, school to prison pipeline, and long-standing practices and policies of our government enable and perpetuate racism in our society and culture.

I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness, by Austin Channing Brown
I'm Still Here is a powerful account of how and why our actions so often fall short of our words. Brown writes in detail about her journey to self-worth and the pitfalls that kill our attempts at racial justice, in stories that bear witness to the complexity of America's social fabric--from neighborhoods to private schools in the middle-class suburbs, from prison walls to the boardrooms at majority-white organizations.

Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America, by Ibram X. Kendi
In this deeply researched and fast-moving narrative, Kendi chronicles the entire story of anti-Black racist ideas and their staggering power over the course of American history. Stamped from the Beginning uses the life stories of five major American intellectuals to offer a window into the contentious debates between assimilationists and segregationists and between racists and antiracists. Contrary to popular conceptions, racist ideas did not arise from ignorance or hatred. Instead, they were devised and honed to create a hierarchical racial ideology that would last for centuries contributing to our nation’s racial disparities in everything from wealth to health. In shedding much-needed light on the murky history of racist ideas, Stamped from the Beginning offers us the tools we need to expose them—and in the process, gives us reason to hope.

So You Want to Talk About Race, by Ijeoma Oluo
In So You Want to Talk About Race, Ijeoma Oluo guides readers of all races in an attempt to make the seemingly impossible possible: honest conversations about race and racism, and how they infect almost every aspect of American life. Generous and empathetic, yet usefully blunt . . . it's for anyone who wants to be smarter and more empathetic about matters of race and engage in more productive anti-racist action." (Salon.com)

The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration, by Isabel Wilkerson
The Warmth of Other Suns is the story of the migration of southern Blacks to the urban areas of the North and West in hopes of finding a better life for themselves and their families. The Great Migration began in 1915 and continued steadily until the 1970s.    During those many decades, six million Black southerners made their way from the Deep South to the North and West to escape Jim Crow laws and to forever leave behind the racism that was oppressive and all-encompassing in every facet of life. Historians and scholars believe that the number of Black people who fled the South during the Great Migration was far greater than six million because there was no formal recordkeeping and many of the departures were secretive and in the dark of night for fear of being murdered.

Me and White Supremacy (A 28 Day Challenge), by Layla Saad
Layla Saad introduces language and concepts of white supremacy, providing a 28-day challenge that anyone can engage in through reflection, journaling, and active participation. In addition, there is an actionable plan for continuing the personal work after day 28 and for designing and leading a Me and White Supremacy book circle, using The Circle Way. The book also provides an extensive glossary of terms that provides more clarity and accuracy around the use of language and steps to dismantle white supremacy.
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