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Recognizing whiteness: the journey of White educators to unpack racial identity and heighten racial consciousness

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Recognizing whiteness: the journey of White educators to unpack racial identity and heighten racial consciousness

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Content Running Head: UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 1

RECOGNIZING WHITENESS: THE JOURNEY OF WHITE EDUCATORS TO UNPACK
RACIAL IDENTITY AND HEIGHTEN RACIAL CONSCIOUSNESS

by

Natasha Taylor

A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION

May 2020

2020 Natasha Taylor
UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 2

Acknowledgements
I would like to thank my USC family for your guidance and support throughout
this process. Dr. Monique Rowles, thank you for being my accountability partner and my friend.
I am forever grateful to know you. Dr. Keely Hafer, Dr. Elizabeth Leon, Dr. Richard Moore, and
Dr. Danielle Ramirez, thank you for your friendship and support.
I would also like to thank my participants for your honesty and bravery throughout this
project. Your dedication to this work has forever changed me. The three of you are inspiring and
thoughtful, and I am so fortunate that you chose to take this journey with me.
Thank you to my dissertation chair, Dr. Hinga for your support, guidance, patience, and
care. You are a living example of emergent strategy and I am so appreciative that this experience
was guided by you. I would also like to thank my committee members. Thank you, Dr. Crawford
for your positive critique and your push to make my writing better. Thank you, Dr. Olesniewicz
for your conscious awareness of the implementation of this work both inside and outside of USC.
To my support system from home, thank you! You have held my hands through many
late nights, overwhelming tears, and unbounded joy.
Finally, this paper is dedicated to my extraordinary children, Max and Clare. May you
always understand the power you have to create the world you desire. What you practice on the
small scale has infinite influence. I am so proud of you both. I love you.

UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 3

Table of Contents
List of Figures ................................................................................................................................. 5
Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... 6
CHAPTER ONE: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY ........................................................................ 7
Background of the Problem ......................................................................................................... 7
Statement of the Problem ............................................................................................................ 9
Purpose of the Study ................................................................................................................. 10
Significance of the Study .......................................................................................................... 11
Organization of the Study ......................................................................................................... 12
Definition of key terms ............................................................................................................. 13
A Note on Language ................................................................................................................. 14
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................... 16
Historical Context ..................................................................................................................... 17
Theoretical Framework ............................................................................................................. 19
Conceptual Framework ............................................................................................................. 26
Literature Review ...................................................................................................................... 27
Summary and Rationale for the Study ...................................................................................... 34
CHAPTER THREE: METHODS ................................................................................................. 36
Methodology ............................................................................................................................. 36
Sample ....................................................................................................................................... 39
Positionality ............................................................................................................................... 43
Data Collection .......................................................................................................................... 44
UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 4

Data Analysis ............................................................................................................................ 48
Limitations and Delimitations ................................................................................................... 49
Credibility and Trustworthiness ................................................................................................ 50
Ethics ......................................................................................................................................... 51
CHAPTER FOUR: FINDINGS .................................................................................................... 53
The Collective Journey .............................................................................................................. 56
The Individual Journeys ............................................................................................................ 84
Summary ................................................................................................................................... 91
CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION ........................................................................................................ 94
Discussion of Findings .............................................................................................................. 96
Implications and Recommendations for Practice .................................................................... 101
Recommendations for Research .............................................................................................. 105
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 107
References ................................................................................................................................... 109
Appendix A: Discussion Question Matrix .................................................................................. 114
Appendix B: Organizer Guide and Episode Guides ................................................................... 118

UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 5

List of Figures
Figure A: Conceptual Model of Theory of Change 26

UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 6

Abstract
This study used critical race theory and Helms’ White racial identity development model to
create a foundational understanding of both why White educators need to heighten racial
consciousness and how they can develop a positive racial identity. The purpose of this study was
to examine and describe the journey of educational leaders in one suburban Los Angeles K-12
district as they engaged in discussions sparked by the America to Me documentary series. CRT,
problem-posing, case study methodology was used to analyze the journey of four White
educational leaders. Data was collected through group dialogue and the development of racial
autobiographies and analyzed using the constant comparative method of open coding, axial
coding, and selective coding. Findings from the study indicated safe spaces to share vulnerability
were necessary for courageous conversations to occur, understanding of racial injustice was
connected to other oppressions that participants had experienced, and the process of developing
racial identity was made complete by naming action steps. Additionally, each participant made
meaning of the process in ways that were unique to their personal background and experience.
This study contributes to the body of knowledge regarding White educational leaders and how
they interact within the White normative educational system and serves as a model for additional
research on how educators can examine systemic racism in educational spaces.

UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 7

CHAPTER ONE: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY
White people raised in Western society are socialized into White supremacy because this
worldview permeates society and its institutions (DiAngelo, 2018). This foundational worldview
of Western society is what Leonardo (2009) defines as whiteness or the racial discourse that
operates in connected systems of oppression and the processes in place that secure the privileges
of White supremacy to White people. White people are individuals who act through the socially
constructed racial discourse called whiteness and have lived experiences that influence their
knowledge of race in Western culture (Leonardo, 2009). Leonardo (2009) argues that whiteness
must be critically explored to increase the literacy of White people in race relations work.
Because most educators in schools are White (CDE, 2020b), this whiteness is systematic in
California’s public schools. The racial lens of White teachers in these schools is almost entirely
focused on the racial identities and experiences of students of color instead of being internally
focused on the racial development of the White teachers themselves (Utt & Tochluk, 2016). To
combat racism in schools, White teachers must focus inward and engage in the work of
developing a positive White racial identity (Utt & Tochluk, 2016). This study aimed at
addressing racism by providing White educators the time and space to reflect on their own racial
biases and develop positive White racial identities.
Background of the Problem
The United States Department of Education (2019) states that its mission is to “promote
student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational
excellence and ensuring equal access.” While words like student achievement and equal access
create images of serving each student in American schools, historically, that has not been the
case. Schools, as institutions, have been built with the patterns, norms, and traditions of
UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 8

whiteness (DiAngelo, 2012) and have historically failed to serve students of color to the extent
that they have served White students (Ladson-Billings, 2006). The culture of White supremacy
in schools frames conversations about student achievement and equity in ways that deemphasize
race and the impact that whiteness has on school culture. Ladson-Billings (2006) explains that
the failure of schools to meet the needs of all students continues with the commonplace
discussion of the achievement gap that exists between White students and students of color, and
takes the position that the achievement gap is actually an education debt that has accumulated
over time. For White educators to address achievement gaps and the education debt, they must
first internally analyze their own whiteness and racial identity (Utt & Tochluk, 2016).
According to Ladson-Billings (2006), the education debt has four aspects that each
influence the achievement of students of color in a racist education system. The first aspect is the
historic debt, which notes that racial inequities have existed since the inception of education in
this country. Education systems forbade Black students from entering schools during
enslavement, forcefully assimilated Native Americans in boarding schools, and denied Brown
students access to quality education (Ladson-Billings, 2006; Leonardo, 2013). The second aspect
of the education debt is the economic debt that describes the current funding discrepancies that
exist between schools that primarily serve students of color and schools that primarily serve
White students. Ladson-Billings (2006) explains that funding for public schools increases as the
percentages of White students who attend those schools increases and that this inequitable
funding has occurred for centuries. The third aspect is the sociopolitical debt, which Ladson-
Billings (2006) explains as the exclusion of communities of color from the civic process.
Traditionally, Native American communities, Black communities, and other communities of
color have been excluded from the voting process, meaning that families of color have been
UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 9

excluded from the very process by which demands for quality education can be made (Ladson-
Billings, 2006). The final aspect is the moral debt, which Ladson-Billings (2006) says displays
the dissonance between what society knows is right and what society actually does. The moral
debt includes the social responsibility the educational system has to address the wrongdoing
toward communities of color (Ladson-Billings, 2006).
Ladson-Billings (1998, 2006) states that the education debt cannot be addressed with
short-term solutions that investigate simply raising achievement levels of students of color, but
rather must be solved by critically exposing racism in education and proposing radical solutions
to addressing such racism through the lens of critical race theory. Additionally, White educators
must engage in critical conversations surrounding whiteness and White identity to participate
fully in race-related conversations and decision-making processes (Leonardo, 2009). DiAngelo
(2012) explains that White silence perpetuates White supremacy, as not engaging in
conversations creates a culture where discussions cannot be held. This study used a critical lens
to create conversational space and describe the journey White educational leaders took in
developing positive racial identities and heightening racial consciousness.
Statement of the Problem
In California, where this study took place, a demographic mismatch occurs between
educators and students. In the 2018-19 school year, the state’s educators were 61% White, while
the students the educators served were 23% White (CDE, 2020b). Of the students of color served
in California public schools in 2018-19, 55% were Hispanic, 9% were Asian, 5% were African
American, 4% were two or more races, 3% were Filipino, Native American, or Pacific Islander,
and 1% did not report demographic data (CDE, 2020b). Additionally, an achievement gap also
exists. On the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) given in
UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 10

2019, 66% of White students in grades three through eight and 11 met standards in English
Language Arts, compared to 41% of Hispanic students and 33% of African American students
(CDE, 2020a). In Mathematics, 54% of White students demonstrated mastery of state standards
compared to 28% of Hispanic students and just 21% of African American students (CDE,
2020a). This achievement gap can be attributed to the education debt that exists in California and
the larger United States. To close the achievement gap between students of color and White
students, White educators must analyze their own whiteness and constructively engage in the
work of problematizing White ignorance and developing a positive White identity (Leonardo,
2009; Utt & Tochluk, 2016).
White people, educators included, are socialized to avoid explicit conversations regarding
race (DiAngelo, 2012). In college preparation programs for educators, professors expressed
doubt that educators were adequately prepared to engage in conversations about race (Carpenter
& Diem, 2013). Additionally, Vaught and Castagno (2008) found that educators were not
encouraged to think about or discuss how whiteness functions to perpetuate schools’ failure to
serve students of color. By evading conversations about race, and the norm of whiteness in
schools, White educators do not always see how racism impacts educational settings. Research
shows that White teachers who have little critical understanding of the impact of institutionalized
racism in schools have negative consequences for all students and can perpetuate the education
debt (Ladson-Billings, 2006; Utt & Tochluk, 2016).
Purpose of the Study
Schooling, as a function of the social and political framework of this country, most often
mirrors White supremacy (Ladson-Billings, 1998). Educational leaders have a choice to
perpetuate the system through the continued support of White values or revise the system to
UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 11

value the diverse students the system today must serve (Ladson-Billings, 1998). This study
created a space for White educators to have conversations regarding race and described the
journeys White educators took in developing positive White identities.
The purpose of this study is to reflect on the racial journey of educational leaders in one
suburban K-12 district through the facilitation of discussion sparked by the America to Me
documentary series in order to unpack racial identity development and heighten the racial
consciousness of the participants. Specifically, this study used the documentary series about race
in American schools to spark conversation with educators in a unified school district in Los
Angeles County and lead educators to make connections about how racism impacts their
experiences in education. Additionally, participants engaged in creating a racial autobiography
that was used to address biases, name racial experiences, and reflect on racial identity.
This study answered the following research questions:
1. How does a group of White educational leaders in a suburban Los Angeles school district
engage in the process of unpacking racial identity and heightening racial consciousness
through facilitated discussions?
2. How are the individual journeys of White educational leaders engaged in unpacking
racial identity and heightening racial consciousness described?
Significance of the Study
It is clear that an education debt exists in the United States, and manifests itself in the
achievement gaps between White students and students of color in California. It is also clear that
a discrepancy exists between the race of educators in schools and students in the classrooms.
With these realities in place, it is the vision of the California Department of Education that, “All
California students of the 21st century will attain the highest level of academic knowledge,
UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 12

applied learning and performance skills to ensure fulfilling personal lives and careers and
contribute to civic and economic progress in our diverse and changing democratic society”
(CDE, 2019b). To attempt to fulfill the mission of California schools, educators must be
prepared to address racism in education.
Because schools function as participants in a racist educational system (Ladson-Billings,
2006), and educators are ill-prepared to examine racism in school (Carpenter & Diem, 2013;
Vaught & Castagno, 2008), it is imperative to address White educators’ role in perpetuating
racism in schools. This study serves as one model by which educators can develop positive
White racial identities to disrupt whiteness as a norm in educational settings (Utt & Tochluk,
2016). This study can act as a model for educators to collectively discuss racial identity
development to heighten personal racial consciousness to begin to understand the role racism
plays in shaping education.
Organization of the Study
The goal of this study is to describe how educators engage in unpacking racial identity
and heightening racial consciousness. To understand the need for this process to be examined,
chapter one has provided the historical context of racism in education in the United States and
explained the purpose of this study in the field of education. Chapter two provides the theoretical
framing for this study, explains the theory of change, and provides a literature review of how
educators interact with themselves, others, and the educational system as they work to
deconstruct whiteness in education. Critical race theory and White racial identity development
are defined as the lenses through which this study was conducted. The theory of change is
defined as emergent strategy, which notices the intentional small changes and interconnectedness
of systems to build capacity for liberation (Brown, 2017).
UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 13

Chapter three introduces and explains the methodology that was used and describes the
process of collecting and analyzing data. CRT, problem-posing, case study methodology is
defined and connected to the purpose of this study. Additionally, chapter three goes into great
detail about positionality and ethics, as this study is critical in nature and was designed in such a
way to perform what Tuck (2009) refers to as desire-centered, rather than damage-centered,
research. Based on the conducted research and analyzed data, chapter four provides an
examination of the findings in this study. Chapter five concludes the dissertation with a
discussion of the findings and the research implications in the broader context of education.
Definition of key terms
Colorblindness: The America to Me Organizer Guide (2019b) defines colorblindness as the idea
that people should be treated equally, without regard to race, culture, or ethnicity.
Critical Race Theory: Solorzano and Yosso (2002) describe the five key tenets of critical race
theory. First, race and racism are fundamental to how the United States society functions.
Second, critical race theory challenges the dominant ideology by critiquing the use of terms like
colorblindness and neutrality. Third, CRT has a commitment to social justice by eliminating
oppression and empowering minoritized groups. Fourth, experiential knowledge and storytelling
are essential to understanding and valuing the lived experiences of people of color. Fifth, CRT
maintains a transdisciplinary perspective to understand the effects of oppression.
Emergent Strategy: Brown (2017) defines emergent strategy as the theory of change that states
we have the ability to intentionally create the just communities we desire.
Positive White Racial Identity Development: According to Helms (1997), positive White
racial identity development is a process through which White people accept whiteness and the
UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 14

cultural implications of being White, and define themselves as racial beings that do not rely on
the superiority of one race over another.
Race: According to the America to Me Organizer Guide (2019b), race is a social construct based
on a person’s perceived skin color, hair texture, and other physical characteristics.
Racism: According to DiAngelo (2018), racism is a system of institutional control and legal
authority that is based on racial prejudice. This system functions independently from the
intentions of individuals and becomes the default of society as it reproduces itself (DiAngelo,
2018).
Whiteness: According to Lietz (2015), Whiteness is a socially constructed ideology of those
who identify as White that includes White normativity, or the power to define social norms,
White structural advantage, or the control in political and economic spaces, and White
transparency, or the lack of White racial consciousness.
White Privilege: The America to Me Organizer Guide (2019b) defines White privilege as the
inherent rights, immunities, and advantages given to those who are or are perceived to be White.
White Supremacy: The America to Me Organizer Guide (2019b) describes White supremacy as
the belief that the White race is superior to other races and that White people should have power
over people of other races.
A Note on Language
In this dissertation, descriptors of race, such as Black and White, are capitalized to bring
attention to racial terms (except when such terms are deemed derogatory), and these terms are
purposefully positioned with the same distinction as terms of ethnicity and nationality.
Additionally, terms like Black and White, that pay specific attention to skin color are used
instead of terms that address ethnicities such as African American and European, as the purpose
UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 15

of the study is to describe racial identity development, regardless of ethnicity. An exception to
this rule is when data from specific sources are referenced. In these cases, the descriptors of the
data sources are used.

UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 16

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
In K-12 educational systems, whiteness is the norm. In California, the majority of
educators are White and serve a population of students who are majority students of color (CDE,
2020b). As White educators serve students of color, conversations about race are ignored and
often purposefully avoided (Vaught & Castagno, 2008). By evading conversations about race,
and the norm of whiteness in schools, educators are unable to see how race impacts educational
settings.
This chapter will begin by explaining the development of whiteness as the norm in
education. Historically, public education in America was created by White people to serve White
students (Ladson-Billings, 2006; Leonardo, 2013). Today, public education in California, where
this study takes place, has a different aim, as compulsory education theoretically strives to
provide a world-class education to all students in the educational system (CDE, 2019a). After the
establishment as whiteness as the norm, this literature review seeks to provide a foundational
understanding of theory and conceptual change necessary for educators to understand their own
racial identity and consciousness as they serve students in the educational system. The lens of
critical race theory (CRT), and its relationship to education, along with Helms’ White identity
development model, will be described as the theoretical basis for the positive White racial
identity development necessary to engage in race work in schools. Using CRT and Helms’
model, this study will answer the following research questions:
1. How does a group of White educational leaders in a suburban Los Angeles school district
engage in the process of unpacking racial identity and heightening racial consciousness
through facilitated discussions?
UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 17

2. How are the individual journeys of White educational leaders engaged in unpacking
racial identity and heightening racial consciousness described?
The purpose of this study is to engage in dialogue with educators through the facilitation of
discussion sparked by the America to Me documentary series to dive deeply into how race
impacts the educational system on multiple levels, from individual racial identity to interactions
with students and colleagues, to participation in the broader educational system. The literature
review will explore research done in these three areas. The first section will review the individual
racial identity development of educators. Next, research on educators’ interactions with students
and colleagues, and the impact that race plays on such interactions, will be described. Third,
research on the implications that race plays on the educational system will be explored.
The chapter concludes with a model of the conceptual framework of the study that
includes the connections between the theoretical framework, exploration of current research, and
the theory of change of emergent strategy.
Historical Context
The formal U.S. education system that is evident in public schools today started as
European settlers colonized this land, and was built with a White Christian agenda in mind. The
Puritans and Pilgrims were the most influential groups in establishing schools as we now know
them as they built schools based on the need to educate children to read the Bible in order to
bring society closer to God (Jeynes, 2007). In a relatively short time frame, these settlers
established both primary schools and schools of higher education and built separate schools to
educate Native Americans in the ways of the Christian religion (Jeynes, 2007). As can be
imagined, this deculturation of Native people was not widely accepted by all indigenous people
and led to many conflicts between Native tribes and colonists (Jeynes, 2007). From the start,
UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 18

American education built separate facilities that were said to be equal to the facilities of White
students in order to teach a White Christian male agenda.
This agenda has continued in education as many other groups of people have entered the
educational system. During Black enslavement, certain states had laws forbidding slaves from
being educated while other states worked to ensure the education of Black people through charity
schools in order to maintain and supervise Black people (Jeynes, 2007; Ladson-Billings, 2006;
Leonardo, 2013). As Mexican Americans began entering school in the United States, segregation
of schools occurred as White people believed Brown people to be academically ill-equipped due
to a lack of English skills (Jeynes, 2007). Low expectations for Brown students became a
mindset of White educators that persists today (Ladson-Billings, 2006).
While education managed to separate races, one Supreme Court case became understood
as the way to end segregation. Brown v. Board of Education is often hailed as the court case that
occurred and demonstrated the country’s exceptionality toward progress in race relations
(Ladson-Billings, 2004). This law overturned a previous case, Plessy v. Ferguson, that
maintained that separate but equal facilities were acceptable for Black and White people and
instead mandated the desegregation of students in American schools (Ladson-Billings, 2004).
Ladson-Billings (2004) argued that Brown v. Board of Education passed because of its service to
White interests, including improving the nation’s image, stimulating the economy, and appeasing
racial unrest, in addition to improving educational conditions for Black children. She also states
that Brown v. Board of Education had some unintended consequences, as it was passed in a
nation in which White supremacy and racism are embedded (Ladson-Billings, 2004). Because of
the decision of the court, Black teachers lost their jobs as they were allowed to be fired without
cause once schools were desegregated and White schools did not hire them, White private
UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 19

schools emerged as a way to segregate the educational system informally, and the legal strategy
used exploited the notion of Black inferiority (Ladson-Billings, 2004). Because this case was
won in a society filled with racism, it became a step to solving the educational debt owed to
students of color, but clearly was not the answer as achievement gaps exist more than 50 years
later.
Historically, research shows that certain races, classes, and genders are more inclined to
excel in the public education system as it has been built (Ladson-Billings, 2006). While many
scholars address the achievement gaps that exist between subgroups of students, Ladson-Billings
(2006) argues that this gap is more of an educational debt, likened to the national debt. It is a
historical gap that grows ever more ingrained over time. The debt is viewed and interpreted
historically, economically, sociopolitically, and morally. She argues that the statistical gaps in
academic achievement that exist between White students and students of color can be interpreted
as an inherent problem of the educational system as it was created (Ladson-Billings, 2006). In
order to ensure the academic achievement of all students, the educational system itself must
undergo cultural change.
Theoretical Framework
This study used critical race theory, specifically how it is applied in education, and
Helms’ White racial identity development model to create a foundational understanding of both
why White educators need to heighten racial consciousness and how they can develop a positive
racial identity.
Critical Race Theory
Critical race theory (CRT) is a body of legal scholarship that evolved from both critical
legal studies and the civil rights movement and was founded by scholars who are ideologically
UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 20

committed to the struggle against racism (Bell, 1995). Derrick Bell (1995), a founding member
of the theory, states that CRT is unapologetically creative and relies on storytelling, narrative,
and the interdisciplinary treatment of the law and aims to disrupt racism beyond the aims of the
slow-moving previous legal scholarship and civil rights movement. CRT picks up where the civil
rights movement left off and challenges the ideology of the time that valued colorblindness
(Tate, 1997). Tate (1997) explains that CRT scholars understand the history of separate but equal
and see value in the work of civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr. who asked for his
children to be valued by the content of their character instead of the color of their skin, but are
now tasked to move beyond the colorblind philosophy as it is no longer capable of making social
justice gains in ways necessary to disrupt systemic racism.
Richard Delgado, another founding member of CRT, names three ways that CRT moves
beyond critical legal studies, which assumes racism, like classism, is a function of social
structure (Tate, 1997). First, Delgado (1987) explains that CRT moves beyond incremental
reform, arguing that incremental legal reform instructs people of color how to interpret their
lives. Second, CRT moves away from the idealism of critical legal studies that reflects the
interests of the power structure in place (Delgado, 1987). Third, critical legal studies uphold a
false consciousness that suggests that people of color buy into the legal system (Delgado, 1987).
Delgado (1987) argues that people of color already have a distrust of the system based on their
life experiences.
Critical race theory has five tenets (Bell, 1995; Ladson-Billings, 1998; Solorzano &
Yosso, 2002; Tate, 1997). First, race and racism are fundamental to how the United States
society functions. Additionally, other intersecting oppressions, such as gender, gender identity,
class, and sexual orientation, are present and cannot be ignored. Second, critical race theory
UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 21

challenges dominant ideology by critiquing the use of terms like colorblindness and neutrality.
These terms hide the power and privilege of dominant groups. Third, CRT has a commitment to
social justice by eliminating oppression and empowering minoritized groups. Fourth, experiential
knowledge and storytelling are essential to understanding and valuing the lived experiences of
people of color. Fifth, CRT maintains a transdisciplinary perspective and pulls from fields
including but not limited to women’s studies, ethnic studies, and sociology to understand the
effects of oppression. Solorzano and Yosso (2002) extend the definition of CRT into education,
stating, “CRT in education is a framework...that seeks to identify, analyze, and transform those
structural and cultural aspects of education that maintain subordinate and dominant racial
positions in and out of the classroom.”
The historical marginalization of students can systematically be viewed through the lens
of critical race theory with the understanding that race continues to be a factor in education in the
United States, the United States educational system is built on property rights, and the
intersection of race and property rights is central to understanding educational inequities
(Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1997). The emphasis on property rights in education has taken the
place of the emphasis on human rights. Ladson-Billings and Tate (1997) argue that the
conversation regarding property taxes to fund schools, and the idea of intellectual property of
curriculum, coupled with the historical ownership rights of White males over both females and
Black men, has created an educational system that values property rights over human rights.
Critical race theory centers the stories of those who have been historically owned and allows for
a new focus to be present in revisioning educational systems.

UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 22

White Racial Identity Development
The first tenant of CRT is that racism exists in our society. Janet Helms, the creator of the
White racial identity development model used in this study, explains that White identity
development is closely related to the development of racism in the United States (Helms, 1997).
Helms (1997) explains that in order to adopt a positive White racial identity, a White individual
must accept their whiteness, abandon individual racism and institutional racism, and work
toward the development of a non-racist White identity. The model Helms (1984) proposes is
based on the idea that all individuals, regardless of race, go through the process of developing
racial consciousness in which the final stage is the acceptance of race as a positive aspect of
individual identity. This study focused on the White racial development model since the
educators in the setting being studied were White.
Helms (1997) builds upon earlier racial identity development models and ultimately
explains positive White racial identity development in six stages. Her six stages focus on the
cross-racial interactions of Black and White individuals. In this study, the White racial
development model focused on identity development in relation to interactions with Black
individuals for two reasons. First, the documentary series used as a guide to racial conversations
focused on Black students in public education. Since the educational leaders studied were White,
and the documentary series focused on Black students, this cross-racial interaction was the focus.
Additionally, most empirical studies using the White racial identity development model study the
cross-racial interactions of Black and White individuals.
The first stage is the Contact stage, in which White people are first aware that Black
people exist and are mostly unaware of themselves as racial beings (Helms, 1984, 1997). Helms
explains that people in the contact stage are likely to ignore racial differences by stating that they
UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 23

do not see color (1984) or utilize stereotypes as the standard by which Black people are
understood, making statements like “You don’t act Black” (1997). In this stage, a White person
has two choices, either to withdraw from relationships with Black people or to befriend Black
people (1984). Withdrawal results in limited cross-racial interactions, is marked with fear and
caution with regard to Black people, and is generally accepted by White peers as long as the
individual stays silent about such withdrawal (Helms, 1997). Befriending Black people can cause
socialization through racialized experiences to move the White individual into the next stage
(Helms, 1997).
The second stage of the White identity development model is Disintegration and is
marked by a consciousness understanding that one is White (Helms, 1984, 1997). In this stage,
White individuals are conflicted with the need to act with human decency toward the racial
inequality present in society and the desire to meet the cultural expectations of other White
people (Helms, 1984, 1997). In this stage, White individuals can react by changing behavior by
avoiding Black people or overidentifying with Black people, attempting to change environmental
beliefs by convincing others that Black people are not inferior, or adding new personal beliefs
downplaying the existence of racism and the White person’s role in racism (Helms, 1984, 1997).
The third stage is Reintegration, in which White people consciously acknowledge White
identity and believe in White superiority and Black inferiority (Helms, 1997). Behaviorally,
White individuals in this stage can act passively superior by remaining distant from interracial
relationships or actively prejudiced by involving themselves in violence or exclusion and
promotion of White superiority (Helms, 1984, 1997). As White individuals begin to question
their White identity, through outside factors like social justice movements or internal awareness
UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 24

based on social experiences, fear and anger will begin to dissipate, and the individual can enter
the fourth stage (Helms, 1984, 1997).
The active questioning of White people as superior over Black people is the beginning of
the Pseudo-Independent stage and is marked by an acceptance of others (Helms, 1984, 1997). An
acknowledgment of White people as being responsible for racism and an examination of one’s
own role in racism occurs in this stage (Helms, 1997). In this stage, White identity is no longer
negative, but neither is it positive as the goal of White people in this stage is often to help Black
people change themselves to fit White norms (Helms, 1997). Helms (1997) explains that people
in this stage can often feel marginalized as White people will treat them as though they are
breaking White norms and Black people are insulted in the assumption that Black people must
change to combat racism, rather than making the changes in White individuals. A continued
intellectual journey into positive White identity leads to the next stage (Helms, 1984, 1997).
The fifth stage of White identity development is Immersion/Emersion and is marked by
the new understanding that changing Black people to fit White norms is no longer the goal of
White identity, rather changing White people to combat both individual and systemic racism
becomes the goal (Helms, 1997). Helms (1997) expresses that in this stage, White people can
begin the work of tackling racism.
The final stage of the White racial identity development model is Autonomy and is
characterized by the acceptance and valuing of racial differences, with the seeking out of cultural
experiences in which to continue learning (Helms, 1984, 1997). A marked increase in
understanding of other forms of oppression happens in this stage, and individuals are acutely
aware of the process of engaging in consciousness work (Helms, 1997). In this process, Helms
UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 25

(1997) explains that White individuals are more open to new understandings and are no longer
grounded by cultural or racial factors.
Helms’ model is one of many available models of White identity development and was
intentionally chosen for this study because of the connection to the America to Me documentary
series. The Organizer Guide (America to me, 2019b) of the documentary series references
Singleton’s (2015) norms for courageous conversations that were used in this study. Singleton
(2015) references Helms’ model of White identity development in his book Courageous
conversations about race: A field guide for achieving equity in schools. A noted limitation of this
racial identity development model is the lack of emphasis on social justice and action. However,
this study focused on the personal identity development of educational leaders rather than the
action of the leaders after building a more positive White racial identity.
As a cognitive development model, Helms (1984) explains that the development of a
positive White identity is based on individual perception. Because perception is necessary, one
cannot change someone else’s stage of racial development (Helms, 1984). However, Helms
(1984) explains that one can create the environment necessary to promote positive racial identity
development. While the article in which Helms (1984) describes the process of aiding
individuals in the advancement of racial consciousness refers to counselors, the same process can
be used for educators. In order for educators to heighten racial consciousness and advance
through the stages of White identity development, the educator must be adaptable and ready,
have experiences of interaction between races, and have formal educational experiences to guide
the progression (Helms, 1984). The facilitation of discussion using the America to Me
documentary series as a formal educational experience to guide positive White racial identity
development was used in this study.
UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 26

Conceptual Framework
Figure A: Conceptual Model of Theory of Change

The conceptual framework for this study is based on emergent strategy, the theory of
change that states we have the ability to intentionally create the just communities we desire
(Brown, 2017). Brown (2017) explains that the crises we face as humans are massive and ever-
present and that we are small creatures. However, the actions and connections we make on a
small scale are largely connected to the massive world in which crises occur (Brown, 2017, pg.
3). There are multiple elements of emergent strategy that impact this research study, and the
image of the dandelion is the basis for the conceptual framework. The dandelion itself is a
resilient plant with medicinal properties, rooted firmly in the ground, and growing to create seeds
that spread in the wind in multiple directions to create fields of dandelions elsewhere. As a
UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 27

dandelion is rooted, this study was rooted in critical race theory, growing positive White racial
identities and spreading racial consciousness in multiple directions.
Emergent strategy ties social justice work to fractals in nature (Brown, 2017, pg. 52).
Fractals are never-ending patterns that replicate themselves infinitely, expressing the idea that
“what we practice on the small scale sets patterns for the whole system” (Brown, 2017, pg. 53).
The conceptual framework expresses that as one elevates racial consciousness on a small scale,
like dandelion seeds, the consciousness will spread, replicating itself in new contexts and
communities.
Additionally, emergent strategy explains that transformation is nonlinear and iterative
(Brown, 2017, pg. 105). Emotional growth, like the work of developing a positive White racial
identity and heightening racial consciousness, is an iterative cycle of learning, experimenting,
receiving feedback, and repeating. This cycle is reminiscent of a dandelion’s continued growth,
spreading, taking root, and continuing to create fields of additional dandelions. In this study, the
educator must develop individual racial identity, interact with students and colleagues as
racialized beings, and engage in the transformation of the system as a whole nonlinearly, just as a
dandelion spreads its seeds in multiple directions.
Literature Review
Emergent strategy connects individual educators to other individuals and the larger
institution of education. In this study, the literature reviewed is also connected and grouped into
three categories, how the educator develops individual racial identity, how the educator relates to
students and colleagues with regard to race, and how the educator works within the racialized
system of education. It should be noted that these three areas of interest are not organized
linearly, but instead must be engaged in simultaneously in order to facilitate change. Vaught and
UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 28

Castagno (2008) explain that change facilitated by challenging educators to examine individual
experiences without understanding systemic racism is negated by structural racism itself, and the
permanence of systemic racism negates the possibility that individual identity development alone
could impact more substantial change. Therefore, all three areas must be understood as
interrelated and addressed together.
Educator to Self
In K-12 education, like other institutions in Western society, White teachers often remain
disengaged in conversations surrounding race (DiAngelo, 2012). While gender, class, and other
oppressions are named and addressed, conversations about racial identity, especially among
White educators, are often avoided (Vaught & Castagno, 2008). In order for White educators to
engage in conversations surrounding race and refine teaching practices to serve students of color
better, a crucial first step is to look deeply at their own racial identity development (Carpenter &
Diem, 2013). Many White teachers understand racism as individual acts of discrimination and
White privilege as individual benefits and do not recognize the systemic nature of both racism
and White privilege (Vaught & Castagno, 2008). In fact, White educators often use their own
racialized power to shut down conversations of race by distancing themselves from individual
acts of racism (Vaught & Castagno, 2008). Educators must learn to be aware of their own White
privilege and participation in systemic racism to engage in anti-racist work (Case, 2012) and
develop a more positive White racial identity.
In a study of student teachers, Bloom, Peters, Margolin, and Fragnoli (2015) found that
when student teachers were placed in diverse school settings, they were better able to understand
both their own racial identity and the systemic nature of White privilege. Half the student
teachers placed in diverse schools mentioned a greater awareness of their own race and ethnicity
UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 29

compared to just 23% of those student teachers placed in non-diverse schools (Bloom, Peters,
Margolin, & Fragnoli, 2015). Additionally, more than twice the number of student teachers
placed in diverse school settings expressed an awareness of White privilege, compared to those
educators placed in non-diverse schools (Bloom, Peters, Margolin, & Fragnoli, 2015). While
awareness of racial identity and privilege is a necessary first step in engaging in anti-racist
education, awareness alone does not lead to empathy or understanding of systemic racism, as
many educators take awareness and fit the ideas into an already established racist framework
(Vaught & Castagno, 2008). Awareness alone does not equal change or positive identity
development.
In order to disrupt how racism and White privilege manifest in education, educators must
be active participants in continued self-reflection and inquiry, and must continually examine
race-related issues (Carpenter & Diem, 2013; Utt & Tochluk, 2016). Educators who are engaged
in the work of self-reflection and identity development will find that difficulties arise as the
‘truths’ of other White people are addressed and as concerns about the intersectionality of
gender, class, religion, and sexuality with race arise (Flynn, 2012). These concerns are not causes
to abandon the work of self-reflection and racial identity development, but are the reasons why
engaging in community becomes important. By connecting with a community of anti-racist
educators, and revealing one’s own process of growth in race-related conversations, White
educators can help others become open to the process of positive White racial identity
development (Carpenter & Diem, 2013).
Educator to Others
As educators work to develop their own positive racial identity, it is essential to examine
both the internal biases of individual educators and how the educators interact with others
UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 30

through the process. Two specific roadblocks to race-related conversations are noted in the
literature. First, White educators often place focus on the culture of students rather than the race
of students (Vaught & Castagno, 2008). This is problematic as White educators can deflect their
racial power and define themselves as neutral in race relations because they see positive value in
focusing on culture rather than race (Vaught & Castagno, 2008). In a study of student teachers,
Bloom, Peters, Margolin, and Fragnoli (2015) found that some teacher candidates who were not
placed in diverse settings felt as though the cultural background of students was irrelevant to
student achievement. These White teacher candidates did not have to address race because they,
instead, hid behind the idea of culture and named it as irrelevant, which is consistent with Helms’
Contact stage of White racial identity development (Bloom, Peters, Margolin, & Fragnoli, 2015).
In contrast, not a single teacher candidate placed in a diverse school setting named culture as
irrelevant, and instead, recognized the differences between their own and their students’ cultural
backgrounds and were able to name their White privileges and advantages in direct contrast to
their students with different cultural backgrounds (Bloom, Peters, Margolin, & Fragnoli, 2015).
The second roadblock to positive race-related conversations is the set of low expectations
that White teachers have for students of color. White teacher candidates expressed positive
expectations when they knew they were going to be placed in mostly White school settings
(Bloom, Peters, Margolin, & Fragnoli, 2015). In contrast, student teachers who learned they were
going to be placed in more diverse school settings had negative expectations about the schools
and noted that the students they were to be serving needed additional support in the classroom
when compared to students in majority White schools, indicating a perception of low
expectations and additional energy expended to serve students of color (Bloom, Peters,
UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 31

Margolin, & Fragnoli, 2015). These low expectations are evidence of the internal biases that
White educators are socialized to believe and bring with them into the school systems.
In order to combat these biases, educators must engage with an anti-racist community.
The literature explores these race-related conversations that take place in teacher development
programs, in classrooms with students, and between colleagues in school settings. Carpenter and
Diem (2013) studied the relationship between professors and students in teacher preparation
programs and the effectiveness of race-related conversations in higher education classrooms.
They found that in order for effective conversations to take place in teacher preparation
programs, professors had to put forth the effort to address race relations in the classroom and
provide a safe space for students to engage in race-related conversations without being judged
(Carpenter & Diem, 2013). The professors in the study noted that there are barriers in the
educational system that prevent race-related conversations from happening in higher education
classrooms, including formal barriers like time, money, and priority levels and informal barriers
like the comfort and commitment level of both professors and students (Carpenter & Diem,
2013). However, because these barriers exist, it is the responsibility of the professors to create
space and acknowledge the willingness of students to engage in race-related conversations
throughout the entirety of teacher preparation programs, not just in isolated classes or discussions
(Carpenter & Diem, 2013).
As teachers enter the classroom, addressing race with students can take place effectively
as White educators continue to develop their positive White racial identity. In a study of eighth-
graders who participated in a unit on race discussion in their classroom, Flynn (2012) found that
23 out of the 38 students who participated said that the knowledge they gained from the unit on
racism and White privilege was the most important idea they learned that year. Effective
UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 32

conversations with students about race had some of the same qualifiers as effective conversations
with adults (Flynn, 2012). Flynn (2012) found that the teacher-student relationship needed a
strong rapport and that a classroom with a sense of safety and the creation of an intentional
dialogic space were essential for effective race discussions to occur. When these factors were in
place, students of color said that teachers should not be afraid to talk about race with their
students (Flynn, 2012). Flynn (2012) stated that simply discussing individual acts of racism and
discrimination with students in school settings was not enough and that educators must expand
the conversations to include discussions of systemic racism and White privilege in social
institutions like schools.
White educators can address their own biases and learn to have effective race-related
conversations to heighten racial consciousness in settings that include teacher preparation
programs and classrooms and can expand those conversations and be leaders of race discussions
as they progress in their own White racial identity development. White teachers can foster an
anti-racist community in schools by building trust and engaging in dialogue with colleagues and
students of color in which the White teachers listen without defending White privilege or
personal actions and communicate accountability by apologizing when engaging in a racist or
privileged act (Utt & Tochluk, 2016). Additionally, Utt and Tochluk (2016) state that White
educators cannot do this work alone and need accountability partners who can help White
educators value the learning of other White people, embrace the role of influencer, and receive
critical feedback to increase the awareness of enactments of racism and privilege. By creating
community and keeping themselves accountable, White anti-racist educators can influence other
White educators, thereby benefiting students by admitting their whiteness and taking
responsibility to disrupt the larger system of racism in education (Utt & Tockluk, 2016).
UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 33

Educator to System
The educational debt has proven that the system is failing students of color (Ladson-
Billings, 2006). As whiteness is the norm in the system, educators must evaluate their role as part
of a larger collective, rather than solely individuals who educate. As educators develop a positive
White identity and heighten racial consciousness, awareness of the relationship to the
educational system must be examined.
The educational system was not built to address race-related concerns, and teachers and
administrators historically were not invited or encouraged to discuss how classroom, school, and
district policies and procedures might be connected to White privilege and might work to
perpetuate the failure of students of color (Vaught & Castagno, 2008). When Vaught and
Castagno (2008) interviewed White teachers inside the educational system about their beliefs
surrounding systemic racism in education, teachers believed that race dynamics solely centered
on the volume of people of certain races in certain areas and was not a systemic issue. This
failure to understand the educational system as inherently racist means many White teachers will
fail to see how racism impacts students of color (Vaught & Castagno, 2008). White anti-racist
educators need to build communities to address systemic racial oppression because other White
teachers believe that racism exists only in isolated incidents and is not a systemic concern.
White educators who effectively work with other White people and with people of color
to end racial oppression can authentically teach the possibility of anti-racist actions to others in
the educational system (Utt & Tochluk, 2016). One way that White anti-racist educators can
influence other educators is to address intersectionality and help others understand that racism
often does not stand alone, and is tied to other oppressions such as classism, sexism, and
heterosexist practices (Utt & Tochluk, 2016). By defining how identity is related to race, class,
UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 34

gender, and sexual preference, among other identity markers, White anti-racist educators can
influence communities by relating racism to other oppressions community members may have
faced (Carpenter & Diem, 2013; Utt & Tochluk, 2016). The focus on equity and social justice,
with purposeful conversations surrounding racism and other oppressions, must be a central
priority by White educators in a comprehensive approach to disrupting systemic racism in
education (Carpenter & Diem, 2013).
Summary and Rationale for the Study
The literature reviewed presents ways in which White educators interact with their own
understandings of racism, their colleagues and students, and the educational system as a whole.
Models of addressing biases individually and changing personal perspectives are explored.
Studies examining the interaction of White educators with their students in classrooms, and their
professors in teacher education programs are reviewed. Additionally, studies that examine the
educational system, and the impact that racism plays on student achievement are summarized.
The interactions of the White educator with themselves, others, and the system are reviewed
through the lens of CRT and Helms’ White racial identity development model.
In viewing the literature through the theory of change of emergent strategy, or the ability
to create the just world desired, a gap in the literature is discovered. While these studies examine
the interaction of individuals in a racist system, they do not address the intentional work of
educators to heighten racial consciousness in an individual setting. This study used CRT,
problem-posing, case study methodology to examine racism in one educational setting by
utilizing the America to Me documentary series to set the stage for White educators to examine
their own biases and how they manifest in their district. America to Me encourages discussion on
institutionalized oppression and the barriers to access and opportunity that exist in the school
UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 35

system. While educators are developing positive racial identities, they are working with students
and colleagues to serve students as effectively as they currently understand. As the racial
consciousness of educators develops, the relationships that educators have with others
simultaneously develop. America to Me examines educators’ relationships with students of color
and their relationships with each other as racialized colleagues. Additionally, the expectations
that White educators have for students of color based on their race are examined. This study
documented and analyzed this journey.

UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 36

CHAPTER THREE: METHODS
Critical race theory (CRT) in education and Helms’ White racial identity development
model were used as the theoretical basis for the positive White racial identity development this
study examined. This chapter will describe the process this study used to answer the following
research questions using CRT, problem-posing, case study methodology:
1. How does a group of White educational leaders in a suburban Los Angeles school district
engage in the process of unpacking racial identity and heightening racial consciousness
through facilitated discussions?
2. How are the individual journeys of White educational leaders engaged in unpacking
racial identity and heightening racial consciousness described?
Following a description of the methodology, the context and process for recruiting
participants will be described. Immediately following this section, researcher positionality is
explained due to the participatory design of the study. Data collection procedures and data
analysis are described, and the limitations of the study are addressed. Finally, the credibility and
trustworthiness of the study and the ethics needed for such a study to take place are examined.
Methodology
A qualitative research approach was chosen for this study because the purpose is to
reflect on the racial journey of the participants as they engage in analysis and discussion
regarding racial consciousness and identity development. Qualitative research is a tool to explore
how people interpret their experiences and the processes through which they construct their
knowledge (Maxwell, 2013; Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). Merriam and Tisdell (2016) define the
characteristics of qualitative research as having a focus on making meaning, using the researcher
as the primary instrument for data collection and analysis, gathering data and findings
UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 37

inductively, and relying on rich description. Each of these characteristics is connected to this
study throughout this chapter.
This study used the synthesis of CRT, Freire’s problem-posing method, and case study
research as defined by Smith-Maddox and Solorzano (2002). This methodology focuses on race
and racism in the research design, data collection, and analysis; challenges dominant ideology of
race neutrality in education and focuses on the conditions of people of color; helps educators
commit to the empowerment of minoritized groups by focusing on the racialized and gendered
experiences of people of color; offers a transformative method of examining race, gender, and
class discrimination through the use of storytelling and experiential knowledge; and uses
transdisciplinary knowledge of ethnic studies, women’s studies, history, and law to understand
the effects of discrimination and challenge negative stereotypes of people of color. (Smith-
Maddox & Solorzano, 2002).
CRT, problem-posing, case study methodology is closely related to the theoretical
frameworks of this study. CRT has five definitive characteristics, including the existence of
racism, the challenge to dominant ideology, the commitment to social justice, the value of
experiential knowledge, and the use of a transdisciplinary perspective. The five tenets of CRT
directly relate to the five characteristics of the methodology explained above. It also connects to
Helms’ White racial identity development model by challenging racial neutrality in education
and recognizing and valuing the differences between White people and people of color. As
White people understand race and build a positive White identity, they learn to challenge the
status quo and value the lived experiences of people of color (Helms, 1984, 1997). The
methodology chosen for this study demonstrates the emphasis of meaning-making that Merriam
and Tisdell (2016) describe, as it ensures understanding from the participants' point of view by
UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 38

utilizing transformative research focused on storytelling and experiential knowledge. Meaning-
making aligns with the study's purpose of heightening the racial consciousness of educators as
participants engage in studying the stories of communities of color and developing their own
positive White identity. Educators build their own positive racial identity by recognizing and
valuing the strengths of communities of color. Emergent strategy says we have the ability to
create the just world we desire (Brown, 2017). CRT, problem-posing, case study methodology
identifies the problems in education, analyzes causes, and finds solutions in order to create an
educational world we desire.
Smith-Maddox and Solorzano (2002) provide the structure of case study analysis through
a six-part process. The steps include beginning with a question, examining assumptions,
planning the research in the field, designing data collection protocols, analyzing data, and
explaining findings through patterns that emerged and lessons that were learned (Smith-Maddox
& Solorzano, 2002). This chapter addresses five of these six steps in detail. Research questions
are listed at the beginning of the chapter, assumptions are examined in the positionality section,
planning the research and the design of data collection protocols are addressed in the data
collection section, and the data analysis section describes the process in detail. Findings are
addressed in chapter four.
By utilizing CRT and ways of researching that provide validity to historically minoritized
voices in a field in which those voices have previously been silenced or named inferior,
researchers can shift the field of educational research to move beyond White patriarchal norms
(Tate, 1997). Using educational research as it has historically been used, through qualitative and
quantitative methods, does nothing to challenge the normative majority because these methods
UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 39

were born of the normative majority. CRT, problem-posing, case study methodology, as used in
this study, works to shift educational research.
Sample
This problem-posing, case study relies on purposeful sampling in order to choose a
setting and participants through which the most insight can be gained (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016).
One goal of purposeful sampling is to select participants with the most significant relationship
that can be formed in order to answer the research questions (Maxwell, 2013). The context and
participants in this study connect directly to the research questions.
Context
This study took place in Foothill Unified School District (FUSD), a suburban school
district in Los Angeles County, that serves students in grades TK-12. FUSD enrolls just under
7,000 students in ten schools, including seven elementary schools and three secondary schools.
FUSD is a racially diverse district serving a population in the 2018-19 school year that
was 42% Hispanic, 33% White, 10% Asian, 4% Black or African American, and 10% other
races or not reported (Educational Data Partnership, 2020). In total, 37% of the students
attending Foothill schools live below the poverty line, as measured by free and reduced-price
lunch applications (Educational Data Partnership, 2020). Secondary schools’ demographics
match the district profile; however, the elementary schools are greatly divided. Four elementary
schools receive Title I federal funds based on higher percentages of students qualifying for free
or reduced-price lunch. Three elementary schools are considered affluent schools and do not
receive federal funds. The racial and economic demographics of the two types of schools are
vastly different, as the Title I schools average demographics are 60% Hispanic, 20% White, 6%
African American, and have 53% of students living below the poverty line while the affluent
UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 40

schools, in comparison, service students who are, on average, 28% Hispanic, 45% White, 2%
African American, and 22% of students living in poverty (Educational Data Partnership, 2020).
This difference in demographics provides differing experiences for teachers and administrators,
especially when addressing race in the classrooms.
Staff demographics are vastly different from the student population in FUSD. According
to Education Data Partnership (2020), in the 2017-18 school year, the demographics of teachers
in Foothill Unified were 2% African American, 18% Hispanic, and 71% White. The changes in
data over the last four years show that White teachers have moved from making up 75% of the
teaching force in 2014-15 to 71% in 2017-18, the percentage of Hispanic teachers has increased
from 15% to 18%, and the percentage of Black teachers has decreased from 3% to 2% in the
same time frame (Educational Data Partnership, 2020). Different racial demographics have
remained relatively consistent. While slow changes are occurring in diversifying the teaching
force, the reality is that the teaching demographic is not representative of the student
demographic as a majority of the teaching force is White, and the majority of the students are
students of color.
Historically, Foothill Unified is in a town built through the development of universities
and the citrus industry. White educators and landowners employed Brown immigrants to do
manual labor in both the orchards and college campuses. This colonization model still exists in
the schools as White educators best serve White students who own knowledge through advanced
classes, and students of color achieve less in classrooms with lower expectations. Because
educators in FUSD have worked in this district with White norms, the process of heightening
racial consciousness and developing positive racial identity is essential in order to understand
how racism impacts FUSD schools. Freire (1970, 1973) asserts that schools are not neutral
UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 41

institutions and either work to maintain and reproduce the current social order or work to
transform society. FUSD functions to maintain the social order and prepare students for the
world that students and staff currently live in, rather than to transform the community, as the
mission statement of the district is that every FUSD student is equipped academically,
empowered socially, and prepared to participate in a diverse world. In a setting such as this
traditional district, specific actions need to take place in order to engage White educators in the
experience of heightening racial consciousness. Because this research is contradictory to the
status quo of the district and is in stark contrast to the daily workings of FUSD educators, the
question of how educators go about doing this work can be answered directly by this research
study as there are currently no other methods in which educators in Foothill Unified are formally
engaged in racial dialogue.
In a survey given by FUSD to all stakeholders in 2019, comments from survey
participants stated the need to address racism in schools and to embrace multiculturalism in
school culture. Parents stated they needed to learn how to teach their children about racism, they
wanted to increase activities in history classes to include the contributions of black people, and
generally wanted to improve upon a racist culture in school. Students mentioned they had
witnessed racist interactions and heard racist comments and felt like the actions to address these
aggressions were insufficient. Due to this data, the district’s Board of Education both approved
an action step in the Local Control Accountability Plan to address racism in the district and
agreed to allow this research study to take place. Because CRT, problem-posing, case study
methodology challenges race neutrality and helps educators commit to the empowerment of
minoritized groups, it is an appropriate methodology for this context.

UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 42

Participants
Because this study took place in Foothill Unified, all participants were educators in the
district. Due to the nature of this qualitative work, and the critical discussions that were expected
to occur, the sample size of participants was set to be at least four to ensure group dialogue, but
no more than ten to encourage courageous conversations (Singleton, 2015). As an FUSD
educational leader, I was both a participant and the facilitator of the research study.
The criteria for participation in the research process was that each person is an
educational leader interested in engaging in conversations to heighten racial consciousness and
develop positive racial identity. The focus of the research study was on White educational
leaders; however, participants of all races were invited to engage in conversation, as dialogue is
often made more productive by multiple perspectives (Singleton, 2015). In total, 21 people, in
addition to me, were invited to participate in the research process, including site and district
administrators. When self-reporting racial data, 13 potential participants identified as White, two
identified as Brown, one identified as Other Race, and five did not identify race. The potential
participants were overwhelmingly female, with only five males invited due to the nature of the
gender demographics of the educational leaders in FUSD. The CRT, problem-posing, case study
methodology was appropriate for these participants, as it facilitated ways in which the
participants could commit to the empowerment of minoritized students through heightening their
racial consciousness and developing their own positive racial identity. The participants invited
were those who have direct contact with students and the district systems that serve students of
color.
A summary of the research study, including the purpose and process, was distributed to
educational leaders in the district, including district office directors, coordinators, and site
UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 43

administrators who directly serviced students in the district. Due to the nature of the
superintendent and assistant superintendents having evaluative authority over the participants,
they were not invited to participate. Of the 21 invited administrators with the potential to
participate, three White women in addition to me agreed to be a part of the research study.
Positionality
In critical research, the point is to do research with people, instead of on people (Merriam
& Tisdell, 2016). As a White, female educator currently employed by Foothill Unified, I
positioned myself as a participant in this study, alongside other participants in order to do the
work of heightening racial consciousness and developing positive White identity together. My
position as an educator who has worked for FUSD for many years as a teacher and administrator
framed the historic systemic knowledge I brought to the research. I have experiential knowledge
of working with students in the classroom, leading teachers in an FUSD school, and examining
systems at the district level. This knowledge has led me to the point of doing this research.
Patel (2016) asks researchers to answer the questions of 'Why Me? Why This? and Why
Now?' in order to position themselves in their research. My position as a White educator in
FUSD means that I am a member of the specific group with whom I engaged in critical research.
Merriam and Tisdell (2016) state that gaining access as a researcher and developing trust with
participants is more easily done when participants and researchers share similar characteristics
and positionality. While my whiteness, and the whiteness of the other participants, centered
White voices in a study of race, such centering must occur to examine how White educators
develop positive white identity. Because we were White educators serving students of color in an
educational setting, this work became crucial as we learned to become aware of the impact race
has on the work that we do. My educational journey led to the moment in time in which this
UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 44

research needed to be done. The need to address race in FUSD was made clear by community
members and educational stakeholders, and I had the ability and desire to do the work. My
positionality as an educational leader in a district position intended to close achievement gaps,
with the ability to do participatory critical research aligned with the purpose of this study.
My biases as a researcher in this study are directly related to my positionality. My
gender, class, and race intersect to impact the way I view the educational system. This study
utilized a critical lens and examined racial power dynamics in the educational system. Because
CRT, problem-posing, case study methodology was used, the influence of gender and class on
racial bias could be ignored. Throughout this study, I engaged with other participants in
challenging my socialized biases in order to address these power dynamics. As a White, middle
class, female educator, I needed to consistently challenge my personal biases as I worked to
develop a more positive White racial identity alongside the other participants.
Data Collection
This study used multiple data collection methods to examine how White educators
heighten racial consciousness while engaged in group dialogue and personal reflection. Multiple
methods were used in order to gain greater depth, rather than breadth, of understanding of the
participants' experiences (Maxwell, 2013). Semi-structured interviews, participant observations,
and artifacts were used to gather data.
Process
The research in this study was done through the facilitation of a discussion group
addressing race in the educational system, and how the White educational leaders in the
discussion group worked on developing a positive White identity in order to understand how
racism impacts the work educators do with students each day. This discussion group commenced
UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 45

in October of the 2019-2020 school year, after spending the first month of the school year
inviting potential participants and establishing schedules.
The group dialogue was facilitated using the documentary series America to Me, a ten-
episode miniseries examining race in a suburban high school outside of Chicago, with
demographics similar to Foothill Unified School District. The documentary series was a specific
intervention this study used as an action to facilitate inquiry. The group discussion consisted of
five meetings occurring every two to four weeks for three months. The meetings occurred in the
afternoons and early evenings to accommodate school schedules, and except for one meeting
which took place at a school site due to scheduling concerns, took place off school grounds at a
neutral location to allow participants to speak freely. Between meetings, it was expected that the
four participants viewed between two and four episodes of the series in order to be prepared to
engage in discussions guided by episode guides published by the media company that created the
documentary series (America to me, 2019a). In addition to the discussion, participants were
asked to create a racial autobiography as they worked to develop positive racial identity during
the three months together.
Group Interviews
This study used semi-structured interviews with White participants in a focus group style.
Semi-structured interviews are built with interview guidelines to drive data collection but contain
questions that can be flexibly worded and ordered (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). Because the nature
of the research study topic could be considered highly personal and sensitive, decisions were
made in the field as to when interviews could happen in a group and if they might need to
happen individually. Focus group interviews were necessary to collect socially-constructed data
within the group participating in the case study analysis (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). I facilitated
UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 46

the focus groups and participated in the construction of data alongside the other three
participants. Individual interviews were scheduled to happen should the participants feel the need
to share information outside of the group setting. However, during group interviews, all
participants felt comfortable sharing their experiences and thoughts with the group, and
individual interviews were not necessary to gain new information.
As participants engaged in group discussions, biases were challenged, and racial identity
development occurred. Group interviews were an essential tool to learn about the experiences of
the White participants as they engaged in dialogue surrounding race and developed their own
racial identity. Because the discussions occurred over a three-month time frame, and the purpose
of the study was to reflect on the journey of heightening racial consciousness, each participant
needed to be present at each group interview to document individual journeys. Due to the
personal nature of the journey to positive White racial identity, interview questions were heavily
reliant on Patton's (2015) experience and behavior, opinion and values, and feelings questions.
Interviews were audio-recorded to capture all relevant information. Recordings were transcribed
before data analysis.
Observations
Throughout this study, I was a participant as observer, meaning that my research goals
were known to the group, but I was present and involved in the work of the group (Merriam &
Tisdell, 2016). As a participant in each group discussion, I made notes of the setting and
participants who were engaging with me. More detailed observational data took place after each
group discussion and focused on the interactions between participants and with activities,
conversations that occurred, subtle factors including nonverbal communication, and my behavior
in the group (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016).
UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 47

As I facilitated conversation and participated in group discussions, I observed the five
group settings and audio recorded as I engaged in dialogue. After each group session, I wrote
narrative memos and recorded audio memos in order to capture as many non-verbal details of the
observations as possible. These memos were highly descriptive and reflective in order to
describe what I saw as a researcher and to start the process of data analysis (Merriam & Tisdell,
2016). After each observation, data was transcribed, and specific incidents or behaviors were
used to drive subsequent discussion group questions, as observational data led to understandings
regarding the racial journey of White educators that could be expanded upon in subsequent
meetings.
Document Analysis
Throughout the research study, I examined documents and artifacts to gather data
relevant to the study. Many documents were examined before the start of the research study and
were used to drive group discussions. These documents included a board policy on equity, public
records of student achievement data and demographics, and past news stories regarding race in
education in Foothill Unified School District. All of these documents were public and were
accessed early to start data collection.
Additionally, throughout the study, each participant created a racial autobiography that
could have been examined and analyzed to inform the process of positive White racial identity
development. As participants, we used this journal to answer racial autobiography prompts as we
watched the documentary series episodes on our own, and then shared what we wrote in group
discussions. At the end of the group discussions, I asked the other three participants if they
wanted anything written in their racial autobiographies to be shared with me individually. The
UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 48

other three participants felt as though everything in their journals had been shared aloud in the
group discussions.
Data Analysis
CRT in education, combined with Helms’ White racial identity development model, were
used as frameworks to analyze data in this study. These frameworks were particularly useful as
lenses through which to view data in this study as educators shared their journeys of developing
a positive White racial identity in an educational context because they centered race and
challenged the normalization of whiteness in education. Through the lenses of CRT and White
racial identity development, I analyzed interview data, observational data, and data collected in
artifacts to describe the journeys White educators took to heighten racial consciousness in the
educational setting.
This study utilized the six-step case study analysis process described by Smith-Maddox
and Solorzano (2002). The fourth step in the process is analyzing data. Throughout the study, I
decided which data captured the essence of what was learned, looked for themes that emerged in
the data, and reviewed themes based on multiple rereadings of the data (Smith-Maddox &
Solorzano, 2002). In order to identify themes, I used the guidelines described by Corbin and
Strauss (1990, 2008) of the constant comparative method of open coding, axial coding, and
selective coding. In open coding, interview answers, observational data, and data from
documents and artifacts were broken down using conceptual labels, compared against each other,
and formed into categories and subcategories (Corbin & Strauss, 1990, 2008). During axial
coding, as data analysis continued throughout the research study, open codes were related to each
other, and relationships between data were formed (Corbin & Strauss, 1990, 2008). When all
UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 49

categories were formed, selective coding formed core categories that informed the findings of the
study (Corbin & Strauss, 1990, 2008).
The theoretical and conceptual frameworks informed initial codes that were used to
analyze data of the study. CRT informed codes such as dominant ideology, race neutrality,
empowerment, and storytelling/experience. Helms’ White racial identity development model
informed the use of codes such as contact, disintegration, reintegration, pseudo-independence,
immersion/emersion, and autonomy. Finally, emergent strategy with this study in education
allowed for codes such as educator to self, educator to others, and educator to system. As the
data analysis commenced, additional codes and categories were used as individual themes
emerged from each participant’s journey.
Limitations and Delimitations
A significant limitation of this study is the amount of time spent in the field. Due to the
nature of the dissertation timeline, research had to be conducted within a few months.
Additionally, because this study was conducted at the beginning of the school year, with
educational leaders who were also attending to matters at school sites, a limitation was the lack
of participants’ time available to be committed to the discussion group. Ten episodes of the
documentary series were discussed in only five meetings.
One necessary delimitation of this study was the number of participants. In order to
encourage courageous conversations, the participant group was limited to four people.
Additionally, these participants were employed by the same district, limiting the experiences
studied to a small number of educational leaders in the Foothill Unified School District. Another
delimitation of the study was the intentional focus on the racial journey of White educators.
Because of my positionality as a White researcher, I am focusing the study on White educators,
UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 50

and informing the research with the stories and experiences of people of color through the use of
the documentary series America to Me.
Credibility and Trustworthiness
The goal of this research study was to understand the journey White educators took to
develop a positive White identity. In order to maintain the trustworthiness of this qualitative
study, strategies surrounding credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability were
used.
Credibility, or internal validity, is the extent to which descriptions and explanations are
correct and match reality (Maxwell, 2013; Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). This study used
triangulation with multiple sources of data including interviews, observations, and the analysis of
documents and artifacts in order to maintain credibility. It also used member checks by sharing
initial observations and findings with the group of participants to ensure that the participants'
experiences were accurately captured. Additionally, multiple interviews and observations took
place, opportunities to clarify researcher understanding were taken advantage of, and as data was
analyzed, it was continuously compared to other pieces of data. Being a researcher as participant,
my individual credibility was important to address. I used reflective journaling throughout the
process, and relied on accountability partners both inside and outside the research group to
reflect upon my internal biases.
Transferability refers to the ability of findings from this study to be applied to other
situations, and can only be judged by the readers of this study (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). To
allow for a judgment of transferability, data analysis includes rich descriptions of the actions and
interactions of participants.
UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 51

Dependability is defined as the consistency between data and findings, not whether the
study can be replicated to produce the same results (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). In this study, the
journey of White educators to heighten racial consciousness can be replicated, but the results are
bound to be different due to the personal nature of racial journeys. Accurate record-keeping, rich
description of data, member checks, and peer review of findings were used to increase
dependability.
Confirmability, or the ability to confirm that data can be tracked to original sources, was
addressed through audit trails. An audit trail is a detailed account of the decision making and
procedures of a study (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). I kept detailed accounts of all interviews,
observations, and artifacts that were examined. Also, racial autobiographies and other documents
and artifacts that participants created can be used to confirm findings.
Ethics
The nature of this study was very personal, as all participants embarked on a personal
journey of positive racial identity development in an educational setting in which they have
worked for years. Emergent strategy, as the conceptual framework for this study, celebrates this
personal work as the individual journey that impacts the larger world (Brown, 2017). In this
collaborative and personal work, ethical considerations became prominent and participants need
to be protected from harm, have the right to privacy, and feel informed in their consent to
participate before the research begins (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). During the work, ethical
considerations arose and were addressed as needed to engage in the purpose of the study.
Additionally, due to the critical nature of the research and the CRT lens through which the
research was done, the empowerment of minoritized groups and dismantling of racism in
education needed to be ethically considered in the study.
UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 52

This study centered antiracist work and the development of positive White identity
through what Tuck (2009) refers to as desire-centered research. Tuck (2009) explains the need to
end the single narrative of damaged minoritized communities, and instead, move to a desire-
centered framework in which the lives of the marginalized are given the humanness in research
that they display in life. Rather than document the dominant ideology of pain and brokenness in
marginalized communities, the time is upon us as researchers to create outside understanding of
the complexity of human lives that includes resistance to the White patriarchal system, while
simultaneously revisioning the system as a whole into something more (Tuck, 2009). The
complex personhood of the participants in educational communities needs to be understood and
celebrated. This study used CRT, problem-posing, case study methodology as a means of
understanding the complex interaction of race and educational systems from the perspectives of
both outsiders looking into the systems in the documentary series America to Me, and as insiders
looking at ourselves in the educational system of Foothill Unified School District.

UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 53

CHAPTER FOUR: FINDINGS
This study was conducted to examine the journey that four educational leaders in one
suburban K-12 district in Los Angeles County embarked on to engage in discussions sparked by
the America to Me documentary series. Specifically, the educational leaders reflected on their
personal racial journeys and unpacked their individual racial identity development. Throughout
this process, educational leaders developed a racial autobiography using the facilitation guides of
the America to Me documentary series to address biases, name racial experiences and ideas, and
develop a more positive White racial identity. The study answered the following research
questions:
1. How does a group of White educational leaders in a suburban Los Angeles school district
engage in the process of unpacking racial identity and heightening racial consciousness
through facilitated discussions?
2. How are the individual journeys of White educational leaders engaged in unpacking
racial identity and heightening racial consciousness described?
The participants in the study consisted of four White educational leaders, with the
researcher being both the facilitator of group discussions and one of the four participants in the
study. The invitation to participate was sent to 21 educational leaders in the school district,
including 16 women and five men. 13 of the 21 leaders invited identified as White. Of the 21
invited, three leaders accepted the invitation and joined me, as I was the fourth participant in the
study. With the group of leaders invited, it is essential to note that the four participants were all
White women. The four participants, including me, shared concerns before committing to the
project that included the fears of lacking a vulnerable space for administrators, creating trust
among colleagues, and the ability to complete the work assigned. After individual conversations
UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 54

with me, the other three educators agreed to participate. Additionally, all four participants were
heterosexual, cisgender, women with traditional American upbringings. Finally, all four of us
were mothers of children who are or recently have been a part of the public school system.
One concern of the participants and the Board of Education was the anonymity of the
district and the participants. Because the sample size of participants was small, and to maintain
anonymity, all four participants, including myself, are referred to using pseudonyms. Details that
could identify any of the four participants are purposefully omitted from the findings. My
process of developing a more positive White identity and heightening racial consciousness is
included in the overall findings as a participant using a pseudonym, but not specifically
referenced as the journey of the researcher. The use of pseudonyms for individual participants,
including myself as a researcher, is to protect the confidentiality of each participant in a small
school district, as this study will be read by Board and Cabinet members in the district.
While I was a participant in the study, to keep confidentiality third-person pronouns are
used with pseudonyms throughout this chapter when referencing the findings of each participant.
However, I am also the researcher so first-person pronouns are used when referencing my
decisions as the facilitator of the process and the participants’ collective identification as a group.
This study took place in a single school district with only four participants so the language used
in the findings is intentional to protect the confidentiality of the participants. Additionally, during
the meetings, rich details and individual stories were shared among participants. While the
themes of those details were explored, note that individual details that would break
confidentiality were not shared.
Once committed to the process, all four educational leaders worked together to create a
safe space for learning. Sarah, an administrator who had worked for Foothill Unified for over 20
UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 55

years, brought a sense of scholarship to the group. It was evident throughout the process that she
had engaged in reading and studying about race and bias for many years before entering into this
study. She provided the group with many books and resources that were beneficial to her
journey. Charlotte, an administrator who had been in education for almost 30 years and had spent
half of that time in Foothill Unified, was initially hesitant about entering into a space of trust
with colleagues. Throughout the process, she experienced discomfort and actively practiced
moving through that discomfort to engage authentically with the group. Her insightful comments
and courage provided space for others to reflect on our own understanding of racial
consciousness. Deborah, an administrator who had worked in education for over 30 years, agreed
to participate in the study immediately upon being asked. However, she had some concerns about
being able to fit the time to participate in an already busy administrator schedule. Her ability to
process her thinking aloud with her colleagues, and willingness to name her own biases and learn
along the way demonstrated her growth in Helms’ stages of racial identity development.
Amanda, an administrator who had worked in Foothill Unified for 15 years, entered the group
discussions by balancing past practice with new understanding. Throughout the study, she
actively worked on abandoning old ideas with new knowledge and practiced being confident
enough to engage in racial identity development. All four women attended all five group
discussion meetings and dedicated ourselves to learning throughout the process together.
The first section of this chapter will address the process the educational leaders engaged
in to unpack racial identity and heighten racial consciousness while using the America to Me
documentary series. Because the process focused on the intervention of watching and responding
to the documentary series America to Me, the episode guides and facilitation of the creation of a
racial autobiography are highlighted. While not all questions published in the guides were
UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 56

explicitly asked, the episode guides were given ahead of time (America to me, 2019a).
Participants were able to reflect on the questions individually while watching the series. For this
reason, many themes emerged based on the reflection questions, even though they were not
explicitly answered. The first research question addressing how White educational leaders
engage in the processes of unpacking racial identity and heightening racial consciousness in K-
12 educational spaces in a suburban Los Angeles school district will be answered in this section.
The second part of this chapter will answer the second research question by describing
the individual journeys of White educational leaders engaged in unpacking racial identity and
heightening racial consciousness. Through five meetings together, and time spent individually
engaging in the ten episodes of the documentary series, all four educational leaders reflected on
what shaped us as individuals, the heightened racial consciousness they experienced as
individuals and educational leaders, and the steps necessary to continue learning. Each educator
engaged in emergent strategy as we reflected on the iterative cycle of learning that informs how
we connect to ourselves, others, and the racialized educational system as a whole.
The Collective Journey
This section will answer the first research question by addressing the process the
educational leaders engaged in to unpack racial identity and heighten racial consciousness while
using the America to Me documentary series.
Meeting 1: Setting the Stage
The first group meeting was planned and facilitated by me to intentionally create a
vulnerable space in which to engage in racial identity development. As conversations occurred
between myself and each participant before the start of the group meetings, it was clear that a
safe space in which White women could trust each other was essential to the anticipated deep
UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 57

learning. Because classrooms with a sense of safety and intentional dialogic space are essential
for race conversations to occur between students and teachers (Flynn, 2012), this meeting space
was made intentional and safe.
Entering the Learning Space
The first way that vulnerability was created was to provide space for each participant to
debrief the days’ events and what feelings, emotions, or weights the participants were bringing
into the meeting space. In addition to debriefing the days’ emotions, we answered the question of
what brought us to participate in the upcoming work. As a facilitator, I asked that question to
gain an understanding of the starting points of each participant in the process of creating a
positive racial identity. Each participant had catalysts that brought us into the shared space
together that included the communities that we grew in. Through storytelling, all four
participants shared how interactions with children, both biological children and the students we
serve, were reasons for entering into racial identity development discussions. Sarah mentioned
that her own children drive her to look at how she fits into a diverse world saying, “My kids
teach me a lot about life, so a lot of questions have been on my mind. This is one of them.” Both
Deborah and Charlotte explained that their experiences with the schools they work in were
catalysts to engage in the work of recognizing the need for diverse staff and the ability to serve
all students better. Amanda said that the lack of racial awareness in her past educational
experiences led her to want to explore this topic more deeply.
Additionally, when explaining what brought us to this work, all participants
acknowledged the dominant ideology we grew up with, and the need to challenge our thinking to
make progress. Deborah shared that in her past she had not acknowledged concerns for students
of color because she did not think concerns existed and stated, “I am not as aware as I need to be
UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 58

about what does and doesn’t exist as far as racial interaction.” She noticed an increase in her
awareness in the last couple of years and was challenging herself to continually become more
aware of the experiences of her students of color. Amanda stated that the idea of participating in
this study was “terrifying and also very exciting.” She mentioned that in her college studies,
awareness of gender disparities was focused on while race was ignored. She acknowledged that
her past actions focused on gender issues, potentially to the detriment of students of color, and
recognized the need to own past experiences and move forward in a way that better serves those
in the educational community in which she works. This conversation demonstrated the
participants’ intention to reflect on racial dynamics for the sake of creating a more just world for
the children we serve.
Creating Common Understanding
After the initial welcome, I reviewed resources for the facilitation of discussion and
understanding of the research study. The conceptual framework provided the participants with a
visual snapshot of the study, and transparently showed the direction and purpose of the study.
Because the America to Me Organizer Guide (America to me, 2019b) uses Singleton’s (2015)
four agreements, a handout of the agreements was passed out and discussed. Each of the four
agreements, including staying engaged, experiencing discomfort, speaking your truth, and
expecting and accepting non-closure, were reviewed as a group. During this conversation,
participants explained reasons why we may not engage. Charlotte mentioned that other
commitments may arise and Deborah indicated that her introverted personality may not look like
she is engaged. With mention of introversion, all four participants agreed that we drew our
energy during times when we were not engaged socially throughout the day, which proved
difficult when working in education and constantly being around other people. When discussing
UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 59

experiencing discomfort, Charlotte described herself as a fixer and Deborah said that she was a
peacemaker, both roles that made experiencing discomfort something to move away from. Sarah
mentioned feeling the word ‘blame’ come to mind. Less than 20 minutes into the first meeting,
Charlotte acknowledged that each participant was starting something new and becoming more
familiar with each other and asserted, “I feel the discomfort here. We are all trying to explain
ourselves. I hear all of us justifying.” The participants responded by telling a bit more about our
personal stories and what experiences with race brought us to this point in our lives. Deborah
shared her concern with speaking before having time to process new learning. Amanda and
Charlotte shared personal stories about how their own children learned to acknowledge race and
the discomfort that came with recounting these stories. Sarah expressed that discomfort had
already occurred in the meeting we were engaged in. These stories allowed the participants to
share situations where we previously experienced discomfort, thereby adding to a shared
understanding of what it means to engage in racial discourse as White women.
Next, all participants chose a journal provided by me to be ours for the remainder of the
time together. The documentary series America to Me was explained, and participants were made
aware of the practice of journaling to document our racial autobiographies, as described in the
America to Me Organizer Guide (2019b). After the process was explained, all participants took
time to reflect on the definitions of four terms that would be essential to a collective
understanding when engaging in racial identity work as White women. The four terms I chose
were race, racism, whiteness, and White privilege, as these terms proved fundamental to the
process of building positive White identity. The participants found that our ideas about the
definitions of these words were related, but that we all had shades of meaning that caused our
definitions to differ. In order to continue the connected journey together, these four words
UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 60

needed a shared understanding related to the study. It is important to note that as the researcher, I
entered the conversation with working definitions of all four words. Due to this positionality, my
previous understandings of the terms were referenced in discussion.
In discussing the word ‘race’, all four participants had slightly different meanings.
Charlotte named race as “the different origins of people as defined by culture and skin color,”
Deborah said the race was “one’s ethnicity, the origin of their people group,” Sarah said that race
was “a way of categorizing people based on the assumption that the way we look or the DNA we
passed along creates a pattern of likeness or congruence,” and Amanda said race is “the skin
someone is in.” In the discussion surrounding race, the participants made connections to gender
and religion, which is the first step in understanding that racism does not stand alone, but is often
tied to other oppressions (Carpenter & Diem; Utt & Tochluk, 2016). The shades of meanings
presented showed that there were differing ideas about the word ‘race’ and that it was necessary
to identify a common understanding. This study used the definition of race provided by the
America to Me Organizer Guide (2019b) that explained that race is a social construct based on a
person’s perceived skin color, hair texture and physical characteristics.
Defining the word racism provided a more collective sense of understanding among the
participants. We understood racism to be belief in a hierarchy of race and the superiority of one
race over another that resulted in negative biases, judgments, actions. The introduction of the
working definition that is used in the study expanded this individualistic view of racism to a
systemic view of racism. DiAngelo (2018) defines racism as a system of institutional control and
legal authority that is based on racial prejudice that functions independently from the intentions
of individuals and becomes the default of society as it reproduces itself (DiAngelo, 2018). The
introduction of racism as systemic connected racism to other oppressions like sexism and
UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 61

classism. Discussion was held surrounding the differences between these oppressions and
Charlotte explained that systemic oppression is like “guilt by association” in that White people
are part of the system even if they choose not to engage in it. Amanda stated that, according to
Kendi (2019) the opposite of racist is anti-racist and that people cannot abstain from racism due
to its systemic nature. Additionally, connections between economic and gender oppressions were
made. Deborah recognized that gender identity in California schools is being addressed and
questioned why the charge for racial discrimination is not as prevlaent in her experience.
Charlotte answered that the difference between gender identity discrimination and racism is that
White people are leading the charge against gender identity bias because it negatively impacts
White people. Amanda explained that the same was true for economic oppression. The common
understanding of racism was understood through referencing the power imbalances the
participants were aware of in the fight against other oppressions like gender and economics.
After defining race and racism, the participants attempted to collectively define whiteness
and White privilege. Because White people do not often view themselves in racial terms or draw
attention to their race (DiAngelo, 2018), I chose these two terms to bring awareness to the race
of the participants. These two words proved more difficult to come to a shared understanding on,
as there were varying degrees of familiarity with the terms. During the conversation, Sarah solely
asked clarifying questions while the other three participants engaged in dialogue. Charlotte
shared her understanding of whiteness as “a sign of ignorance” and named the term as
derogatory. Deborah contrasted that term with blackness and wondered what both terms meant.
Amanda shared that whiteness implied a power structure that the racial term White leaves
behind. The working definition used in this study was explained as a socially constructed
ideology of those who identify as White that includes White normativity, or the power to define
UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 62

social norms, White structural advantage, or the control in political and economic spaces, and
White transparency, or the lack of White racial consciousness (Lietz, 2015). The participants
connected whiteness to White privilege, naming the benefits, rewards, and things afforded to
White people for no other reason than their skin color. Again, a connection to economic
oppression and an acknowledgement that White people can more easily rise out of poverty
because of their Whiteness was stated by multiple participants. The America to Me Organizer
Guide (2019b) was referenced and White privilege was defined as the inherent rights,
immunities, and advantages given to those who are or are perceived to be White.
Through the conversation of all four definitions, the participants engaged in respectful
dialogue, learned more about each other as White women, and started to build trust in the setting
we had created. At the end of the meeting, the first racial autobiography prompt was assigned.
The prompt came from the America to Me Organizer Guide (2019b) and asked, “What was your
earliest experience with race? What was your most recent experience with race?” In closing, I
thanked all participants for their time and energy in the space and open communication between
each other was encouraged and welcomed. I followed up with an email to all participants
thanking them for their openness and preparing for the next meeting.
Meeting 2: With the permanence of racism, whose humanity is valued?
The second group discussion meeting was held one week after the first and each
participant came to the meeting having watched episodes one and two of America to Me. The
episodes highlighted the permanence of racism and the difference between living and surviving.
Entering the Learning Space
After some time to debrief the day and enter into the safe space, the participants reflected
on the first racial autobiography question from the previous week that addressed our earliest and
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most recent experiences with race. This was the first time the participant’s heard about each
other’s racial background. Sarah and Charlotte both explained that they grew up in mostly White
towns and remembered the first student of color to enter their classrooms as young students.
Both shared experiences of Asian students coming to their schools and that being the first time
they each remembered sharing learning spaces with people of color. Deborah and Amanda had
different experiences in that they grew up in communities that had small numbers of people of
color and do not remember the first time they met a student who was not White. When
discussing family experiences as young children, Amanda, Charlotte, and Deborah shared a
similar story. All three participants grew up with parents or grandparents from whom they heard
the n-word for the first time. A shared experience was voiced as the three women collectively
recalled family members using this word in reference to brazil nuts in bowls of mixed nuts,
calling them the toes of Black people. This shared experience brought painful feelings from the
three participants with Charlotte stating, “Oh my God, it still hurts” and Amanda sharing that she
is thankful her own children do not have to think about this when they see mixed nuts. Deborah
added that this experience demonstrated that people we love say and do things without
intentional malice and do not realize the negative impact they are having. Amanda shared that
after growing up with experiences like this, she struggled balancing being anti-racist with
pointing out racist practices that are not ill-intended. Having a shared racist experience allowed
the participants to quickly move into more current experiences with race, knowing that as White
women with similar backgrounds, we faced and continue to face similar struggles.
When discussing our most recent experiences with race, all four participants referenced
occurrences in our workplaces and all four occurrences demonstrated the beginning of larger
individual themes that manifested throughout the study. Sarah shared an experience in which a
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student on campus used the n-word. In her example, students came to her and she investigated
and discussed the situation with the student, and felt like the students on the campus handled it
well saying, “It was all that you would want as far as advocacy from your existing students.”
Then Sarah heard from parents who felt as though the issue of hate speech needed to be
addressed more globally at the school site. Sarah found herself questioning how she should best
handle this situation knowing that she was White and had never had the experience of being
called a derogatory term related to her race. This demonstrated a larger theme that emerged
throughout this study with Sarah in that when she engaged in unpacking racial identity and
heightening racial consciousness, she did so with the intention of how to best serve all
stakeholders in her educational community including parents, staff, students, and her own well-
being.
Charlotte shared her recent experience that happened when two students of color were
talking to each other and were overheard by a White staff member. The students made a joke
using racial language and the White staff member believed that they should be reprimanded for
their language. Charlotte spoke with the students to understand their perspective and investigate
if any students were offended in this process and specifically brought attention to the racial
language used. However, before speaking with the students, she spoke with a Black staff
member with whom she has a strong relationship, and asked for some direction on how to
approach the students. Afterward, one student went to the Black staff member and explained his
conversation with Charlotte. Charlotte’s inclusion of the Black staff member and specific
attention to the racial language used by the students demonstrated her dedication to cultivating
the connections between students and staff members that was a larger theme in her process of
racial identity development.
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Amanda’s recent experience with race occurred when looking at subgroup achievement
data for Foothill Unified School District in comparison to the state of California as a whole.
When compiling the data that would be shared with other educational leaders in the district, she
found that while the district performed higher than state averages, similar achievement gaps
existed between students of color and White students. Like her earlier experiences, this
knowledge made her question how to address racism in education while building relationships
with staff members who do not intend to underserve students of color. She questioned how
educators continue to do the work they do in the spaces they are in when the difficulty of serving
students is compounded by racial concerns that are not explicitly addressed, highlighting a larger
theme that emerged throughout the study with Amanda as she wrestled with White people’s
larger responsibility to dismantle racial injustice.
Deborah noted a recent experience in which she met a family at their home to pick the
kids up for school. In this home meeting with unstable living conditions, Deborah saw first hand
the intersectionality between race and economic oppression. The family was considered
homeless by the school district and Deborah noticed that the students did not have more than one
bedroom to share between the parent and five children, and did not have anything to cook with in
their home. She felt as though school was a place where they needed to be in order to at least eat
both breakfast and lunch. She contrasted this experience with the first time she remembered a
student acknowledging race on the playground when the student realized that in a soccer match
there was only one White student playing with him. This connection of understanding that
economic oppression of her students of color is compounded by the understanding that students
recognize race was the beginning of the unveiling of a larger theme of racial and economic
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intersectionality for Deborah. Her understanding of racial oppression was made more clear
through her own personal experiences of economic oppression.
America to Me Episode 1: Context Matters
After sharing experiences with race, the participants examined the role that the
documentary series America to Me played in guiding our reflection in this study. The first
episode of the series introduced students of color and their families as they attended Oak Park
River Forest High School outside of Chicago, Illinois. After watching an episode where students
of different races attend the same school, participants answered the following reflection question:
“Think about the social life in your school or community: do people of similar races stick
together or do they mix? If they stick together, why?” This question was chosen from the
reflection questions in the episode guide for episode one (America to me, 2019a) because all the
participants were educational leaders who had a broad view of all stakeholders in educational
settings. It was meant to allow the participants to reflect on our current educational settings.
Sarah commented that the adults at her school worked toward having students mix
together but that students themselves did not mix well because they had lasting relationships
after being in school together for many years. Charlotte added that the friendships students form
may not always be about race, but more so about lasting community friendships. Sarah professed
that it is difficult to get new students connected when they are introduced to the group in the
beginning of the year. She related what she knew about the students she serves with what she
saw in the documentary series regarding students connecting with different parts of their identity
with certain groups of friends at school by saying students understand “This is what I need to be
in the classroom. This is what I need to be to fit into this group or that group. But maybe with my
pals I can just be me.” Deborah mentioned that she believed students in her school community
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mixed well, but stated that at lunch is when differences arose, especially surrounding the
different foods that are eaten by students. Both Sarah and Deborah noted that context does
matter, which is the title of the episode.
Each episode guide has a racial autobiography prompt (America to me, 2019a). The
racial autobiography prompt for episode one stated, “Describe the racial demographics of a
school (K-12) that you attended, and how you made decisions about which groups of students
you befriended or spent time with. What did race have to do with your experience?” Because
time had been previously spent examining early race experiences, I asked the participants to
focus reflections on high school in order to coincide with the series.
Amanda and Charlotte both shared similar experiences of attending school in White
majority high schools, befriending all types of people, and dating interracially. Amanda shared
that as she was friends with and dated people of color in high school, she experienced getting
away with breaking the rules more often than her friends. At the time, she did not attribute it to
being White, but understood the implications of her Whiteness upon reflection. Sarah attended a
high school that was almost exclusively White, so race did not impact who she spent time with.
However, other biases such as socioeconomic status or religion played into how groups were
organized in her school. Deborah attended a White minority high school and spent time with
majority White students because of the activities she was involved in. After answering the
question, Deborah added, “I don’t think I ever really thought about race that much.” All four
participants, because of our Whiteness, did not have to think about how race impacted our
experiences in high school.

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America to Me Episode 2: Living or Surviving
The privilege of not having to think about how race impacted friendships in high school
carried over to the racial autobiography question from episode two which stated, “Describe a
time in your educational experience when you felt racially valued or affirmed because of, or in
relation to, your race. What do you remember about the experience and what was the racial
impact of the experience on your life?” (America to me, 2019a). Sarah started the discussion on
this topic by stating, “I had no idea how White central everything I was learning was.” She
questioned the other participants to see if this was unique to her experience. Amanda shared that
the question was difficult to answer and remarked “I can’t think of anything in particular because
I think I was always racially valued.” Deborah responded that she could not answer the question.
With only the experiences of racial affirmation, Charlotte connected the feeling of gender
discrimination in education as the “closest we as the four of us in this room get to even feeling
ever slighted.” While the participants could not name our own experiences in racial affirmation,
Charlotte did name an example of a way to affirm students of color from the documentary series.
A White teacher at Oak Park River Forest High School who organized a Spoken Word class for
students stood out to the participants as a shining example of how to create spaces for students to
feel valued and affirmed. After understanding that we have not felt devalued because of race, it
was important for us as White educational leaders to see an example of another White educator
who we felt was addressing this concern. Carpenter and Diem (2013) found that by connecting in
community and revealing one’s own process of growth in race-related conversations, White
educators can help others become open to the process of positive White racial identity
development. This connection was made through the discussion group and viewing of the
America to Me episode.
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As we finished our second meeting together, I thanked the other participants for their
sincere commitment to this journey. After the meeting was over, I sent an email with the
discussion guides for the next two episodes that were going to be discussed, highlighting the
racial autobiography prompts that would be focused on. I reminded the participants to read the
poem that we were using to open the next meeting. Finally, I sent citations for any books we had
mentioned in our meetings together in order to start a library of resources that we would have
after our meetings were over.
Meeting 3: Racialized Relationships and Personal Agency
The third group discussion meeting was held one week after the second meeting and each
participant came to the meeting having watched episodes three and four of America to Me. The
episodes highlighted the racialized relationships in families and communities and how students
of different racial groups have individual agency.
Entering the Learning Space
The documentary series watched in this study is named after a line in the poem “Let
America be America Again” written in 1938 by Langston Hughes (Rampersad, 1994). The
participants read the poem before meeting and started our time together by reflecting on our
thoughts of the poem. This activity was recommended in the America to Me Organizer Guide.
Each participant's thoughts connected to the individual themes that emerged in the second
meeting.
Sarah’s reaction to the poem was that the words written in 1938 were just as relevant at
the time of the study. At the end of the poem, Sarah shared that she felt “like there was a defeat
in there, going back to that idea that everybody needs to belong. I mean everybody needs to feel
like they can contribute and have that feeling of self efficacy and empowerment.” Her
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connection to the theme of best serving all stakeholders was demonstrated when she gathered
from the poem that everyone wanted to contribute to living in America, but not everyone was
welcome to do so. She explained that the defeatedness came when people felt like “I’m here to
contribute and my contribution is not welcome. I’m just like these others who want to give and
yet I’m not able to give. I’m not a member.” In Sarah’s racial identity development journey, she
wanted to ensure that all stakeholders in her educational environment are members who are able
to contribute.
In reacting to the poem, Charlotte asked, “Are we just wired to be like this?” She
wrestled with the individual struggle, stating, “I wonder if we don’t know any differently. We
know it’s not right but we keep doing it.” Her reference to individual struggle and the
participation in a racist system was juxtaposed with experiences of how she learned to combat
individual oppression herself. Charlotte stated that the way she has learned to broaden her
perspective on comparative equality as referenced in the poem was to travel abroad and see how
other people live. She gained new understanding by exposing herself to perspectives other than
her own. Her hope for her staff and students is that they can gain new understanding by viewing
situations through differing perspectives.
Deborah connected Langston Hughes’ poem to her own experiences with economic
oppression, allowing her to continue to create her understanding of systemic racism by
connecting it to socioeconomic marginalization. She explained her belief that “we constantly
view our lives in relationship to what we see around us. It’s hard not to place value on your life
based on what you see around you.” The theme of connecting to economics was demonstrated as
she shared stories of visiting other countries and having experiences with families with much less
money than she had in the United States. She shared that she grew up with the belief from her
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working class family that in the United States “everybody has an equal chance to make
something out of their life.” When she was in college she realized that “no, the people do not.”
Deborah disclosed that she continued to readjust her mindset to understand that other people do
not have the same experiences. In this meeting, she remembered that the intersectionality of race
and economic oppression compounded the experience of economic oppression alone.
Amanda focused on the last line of the poem that states, “And make America again!” and
felt like this line was a convergence of current politics in America and the name of the
documentary series. She shared that the poem displayed the power hierarchy that existed
between different members of society. In exploring the theme of White people’s responsibility to
be anti-racist, Amanda connected the power struggle to the classroom and wondered “how many
kids we’ve had who feel that as they walk our halls and sit in our classrooms, think ‘I’m in the
same space, but I don’t have what the person next to me has.’” She connected the words in the
poem to the larger theme of White educators working to create systems of schooling that foster
success and inclusivity for all students.
America to Me Episode 3: Racialized Relationship in Families and Communities
After discussing the poem by Langston Hughes, I moved the conversation toward
discussing the theme for episode three which addressed racialized relationships in families and
communities. At the start of talking about this episode, the group took time to reflect on the
characters in the series, particularly one White chemistry teacher that all four participants felt a
disdain for. In the episode, the White teacher wrote a racial autobiography that he gave to two
Black students to read and discuss. Charlotte declared, “I couldn’t even write about the answers.
I was too upset.” Amanda mentioned, “I had to pause because he used the words ‘fix Black
people.’” Sarah summarized the group's frustration by naming that “the problem is it seems that
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his whole foundation is based on Blacks are inferior.” This finding is connected with critical race
theory’s tenant that racism exists and is fundamental to the way society functions in the United
States (Bell, 1995; Ladson-Billings, 1998; Solorzano & Yosso, 2002; Tate, 1997).
After naming this foundational understanding in this character in the documentary series,
each participant spent time answering the racial autobiography prompt explaining how this idea
manifested in our own lives. The racial autobiography prompt was to “Discuss one or more
experiences with your family that shaped your racial identity and your understanding of who you
are racially. Consider your family history and what you know about the racialized history of your
family. Feel free to use this as an opportunity to engage with family members who can provide
insight into the racial dynamics of your family” (America to me, 2019a).
Charlotte shared that her family history revealed connections to enslavers and
membership in the Ku Klux Klan, and while this history did not include family members who are
alive today, the connection to this blatantly racist past produced discomfort. Amanda shared that,
while she knew the immigration story and economic context of her family background, the racial
dynamics were never really discussed. She questioned if that was because her entire family was
White. Sarah shared that her family has also examined the immigrant story of one side of her
family contrasted with a White wealthy story on the other side. Deborah shared that her family
history was more concerned with their economic plight as her grandparents lived in an all White
town. An examination of family background led to conversations of more recent exposure to
conversations with immediate family members.
All four participants shared about conversations with family members both currently and
growing up that embraced the dominant ideology that critical race theory challenges by
critiquing terms such as colorblindness and race neutrality that hide the privilege of dominant
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groups (Bell, 1995; Ladson-Billings, 1998; Solorzano & Yosso, 2002; Tate, 1997). Amanda
asserted that she worried about conversations her own children have with family members
because of the separatist ideals those family members have. Charlotte shared that she also
experienced times when her children heard racist ideas shared by family and said that “it’s a real
internal struggle for the kids. Kids are going to hear things and have questions, but they can’t
unhear it.” Sarah shared about racially charged conversations with family members in which
microaggressions against family members of color were heard. Deborah expressed that she was
raised with the ‘separate but equal’ mentality. While race was not specifically mentioned as a
reason to avoid building relationships with people of color, saying “the culture is so different”
was a reason given for staying separate. While each participant had these individual experiences
that shaped racial understanding, we all felt the need to acknowledge these parts of our pasts and
move forward by not allowing them to decide our future behaviors.
America to Me Episode 4: Agency Among Different Racial Groups
Episode four’s focus was on having agency in different racial groups. The racial
autobiography prompt was to “Share an experience when someone else’s perception of who you
are racially differed from how you define or view yourself. How did that affect your sense of
agency? If this has never happened to you, share an experience of when you had a perception of
someone’s racial identity that turned out to be different from how they themselves identified.
How might that have affected their sense of agency?” (America to me, 2019a). Because all four
participants were White and present White to others, we had never experienced being perceived
differently. Nor had any of the participants known of experiences in which we perceived
someone's race to be different than they identified. In order to address this topic, the group spent
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time in conversation surrounding two students in the documentary series who had experienced a
loss of agency.
Because the participants could not name experiences in which our race was perceived
differently, I asked participants to engage in conversation surrounding two of the reflection
questions for episode four that asked “How does race inform your sense of agency around your
racial identity? How does your sense of agency shift depending on who you are or who you are
with?” (America to me, 2019a). Charlotte shared that she did not believe her agency shifted due
to the racial dynamics of a room, but she may act differently around other people for a number of
reasons. Sarah expressed that her agency shifts based on how she sizes herself up as a learner in
a space. She said that if she was unsure of her readiness to hold conversations with people in the
room, she might play her role a little bit differently. Building off of Sarah’s idea about being a
learner, Amanda shared that she was becoming a better learner but that her agency changed in a
room depending on the race of the people in the room because she did not want to say something
hurtful to those she was speaking with. Because of the Whiteness of the participants, race was
not always a driving factor in the shifting of agency.
In closing, I reminded the participants that the break between this meeting and the next
was longer than any other because of the holiday season. I distributed the episode guides for the
remaining episodes so all participants were prepared to have them as we watched the
documentary series during the next four weeks. As the date of the next meeting approached, I
reached out to the other participants to remind them of our upcoming time together.
Meeting 4: Racialized Relationships and Personal Agency
The fourth group discussion meeting was held four weeks after the third meeting and
each participant came to the meeting having watched episodes five through eight of America to
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Me. The episodes highlighted academic expectations based on race, racial identity development,
whiteness, and code switching.
Entering the Learning Space
In the first few meetings, I built in prompts to engage the participants in reflective
thinking. This was intentional to build a safe learning environment (Flynn, 2012). At this point in
the group meetings, each participant was comfortable enough in the learning space to dive right
into conversation. Because so much personal background was shared in the earlier meetings, and
because so many episodes were watched in preparation for the fourth meeting, the participants
immediately engaged in the film series and reflected on the discussion prompts for each episode.
Because four episodes were watched in preparation of this meeting, not every episode’s racial
autobiography prompt was explicitly answered. The decision of which prompts to address was
made during the group discussion, based on the direction of the conversation among participants.
America to Me Episode 5: Academic Expectations Based on Race
In America to Me, the expectations that were held for students of color were contrasted
with the expectations that were held for White students. The participants each recognized a
pattern that many teachers held higher expectations for White students and lower expectations
for students of color (Bloom, Peters, Margolin, & Fragnoli, 2015). Charlotte shared her
frustration with the teachers in the documentary series saying that she wanted to see them do
more for their students of color. She said, “Everybody there talks about how there’s a problem
but what are they doing to step up?” This demonstrated the theme of Charlotte focusing on the
actions of staff members to best serve their students. Sarah brought the conversation to a
personal level and lamented that in education there is a “tendency for us to just acknowledge our
effort.” She felt the injustice of Black students who were “shut out of AP courses” and explained
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that the conversations surrounding the injustice were happening but the rigor for students of
color was not being increased. Deborah compared the low expectations for students of color to
the low expectations she saw for socioeconomically disadvantaged students at the school she
worked at, again connecting her understanding to her larger lens of economic oppression. She
stated that high expectations for marginalized students have to start in elementary school and
excuses from educators cannot be allowed. Deborah shared that when teachers told her that their
work was made more difficult by having disadvantaged students, and teachers from more
affluent schools would have just as hard a time with the students they serve, she questioned the
teachers by asking, “How about if our teachers taught our kids as if they were all affluent
students?” Deborah, Charlotte, and Sarah all shared their frustration in seeing expectations for
students of color held to a lower standard than expectations for White students.
America to Me Episode 6: Racial Identity Development
As conversation shifted to addressing the stories of individuals in the documentary series,
I chose to focus on a reflection question from the episode guide for episode six that asked, “What
have you learned about yourself while watching the stories of the students and teachers at
OPRFHS? Has your perception of yourself or those around you changed?” (America to me,
2019a). This topic was addressed briefly here but will be analyzed further in the next section of
this chapter as the individual racial identity development of each participant is analyzed.
In this meeting, Deborah started by sharing that she realized that she tended to lead her
school in looking at what all stakeholders have in common instead of recognizing differences.
Deborah admitted that she focused on similarities because she is not well enough prepared to
focus on building racial identities and feared offending people or doing something wrong.
Amanda confessed that she also feels like, as a White person, she is going to do something
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wrong. She shared that she appreciated having models of White people engaged in racial
conversations in the documentary series because she knows she will do things wrong and can
learn from others’ experiences. The racial identity development of both participants focused on
the mistakes White people make and how to move forward when the inevitable offense occurs.
In the documentary series, a slam poetry competition took place and a White student
earned low marks from the judges. Charlotte shared frustration with this occurrence because she
felt like the student shared an experience that was not race related and was marked down because
she was White and did not have an experience of racial injustice to share. Charlotte felt like race
should not have impacted the judges’ decision. Sarah responded to this thought by
acknowledging that White people can never know what it is like to be Black and said, “You can’t
know what it’s like to wear your race on your skin.” In this conversation, the dominant ideology
of colorblindness was contrasted by the racial identity progress being explored through the
documentary series.
America to Me Episode 7: Whiteness
A student in the documentary series said that White people were really good at taking up
the space in the room. This idea resonated with Sarah as she reflected on the body language,
confidence, and comfort White people have as they move through the world. After speaking, she
acknowledged that she took up the space in the room with the other participants. The recognition
was made that all the participants were space takers, and this acknowledgement allowed us the
grace to settle into the conversation.
Since the participants discussed the space White people take up, I chose to specifically
address the racial autobiography prompt from episode seven that asked participants to “Describe
a time when you were quiet or vocal about a situation related to race. Explain why you chose to
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engage in the manner that you did and what race had to do with your decision” (America to me,
2019a). Deborah and Charlotte engaged in conversation surrounding the placement of students
and teachers in classrooms when race was a factor. Deborah shared that due to an experience in
which she acted as a mediator between a Black family and a White teacher, she was more aware
of the teachers she would place Black students with. In her past experience, a mother asked for
her Black student to be placed in a classroom with other Black students, so she was more likely
to make the choice as an educational leader moving forward. Charlotte shared a conversation
with a Black teacher who questioned the practice of placing Black students together for the sole
reason of race. Both participants agreed that the placement of students needed to be made based
on which teacher was the best fit for students, and acknowledged that their Whiteness limits their
ability to always know which placement may be best so asking Black parents and Black staff
members proved beneficial to student success in their experiences.
America to Me Episode 8: Code Switching
The racial autobiography prompt for episode 8 asked participants to “Describe a time
when you felt as though you had to show up, act, or engage a particular way that differed from
who you are culturally and racially, in order to get access or be accepted within a space. If this
hasn’t happened to you, describe why you think it hasn’t” (America to me, 2019a). In this
meeting together, it was acknowledged that as White people, we do not have to alter our
behavior or approaches to education in order to fit into the leadership space. Amanda shared that
Foothill Unified had a goal to increase culturally proficient teaching practices and create
welcoming schools. She shared that because this goal led to difficult conversations in addressing
internal biases of teachers and leaders, the actions to address this goal were often not prioritized.
She explained that “setting the norm of being in discomfort doesn’t feel like you could check it
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off your list at the end of the meeting.” Deborah agreed that in the educational leadership field,
things that are concrete tasks that can be checked off get done faster than ideas that have
opinions that leaders do not have control over. Additionally, Amanda acknowledged the
privilege of being able to do things that can be checked off a list because the lists of White
leaders are made to suit White educational spaces. She explored the larger theme of White
responsibility to dismantle injustice as she explained that the work of creating culturally
proficient educational spaces “takes constant work and reflection and discomfort.” Sarah
explored the theme of caring for all stakeholders when she acknowledged that in the Foothill
Unified community, there are some people who do have to code switch and it is up to the
community to decide if they are going to be allies for marginalized people or make it harder for
them to exist in community together. These are examples of how these White leaders progressed
through their agendas and tasks without having to adjust behaviors to fit into a setting, and ways
that these leaders can challenge the idea that Whiteness is a norm that should be adhered to.
In closing, I thanked the participants for continuing to engage in this journey, especially
during a busy holiday season. This meeting was the one meeting that was held outside of the
normal meeting space so we gave thanks to the participant who hosted us. Before the final
meeting, I sent an email reminding the other participants to finish viewing the series, and
prompted them with the discussion questions that would be addressed in our next meeting.
Meeting 5: Racialized Relationships and Personal Agency
The fifth group discussion meeting was held two weeks after the fourth meeting and each
participant came to the meeting having watched episodes nine and ten of America to Me. The
episodes highlighted racial fatigue, self preservation, and collective responsibility.

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Entering the Learning Space
After four meetings together, the participants entered the space for the last time
comfortable with each other and eager to engage in conversation. All four participants finished
watching the documentary series and held conversations about characters in the series we related
to and questioned what happened next for students and teachers we had spent ten episodes
watching. Additionally, the participants acknowledged that the completion of the series
coincided with the completion of our time together for the purpose of this study.
America to Me Episode 9: Racial Fatigue and Self Preservation
The idea of racial fatigue was unfamiliar for some White participants in the group. For
this reason, I chose to focus on the reflection question from episode nine that asked “List some
examples of racial fatigue that you’ve either experienced or witnessed. If you haven’t
experienced or witnessed any, why not?” (America to me, 2019a). Three participants shared that
because of their Whiteness, none of them had experienced racial fatigue. Charlotte shared that
racial fatigue “was hard for me to connect with. I know that it exists in other parts (of the
country) but I just didn’t experience any of that. I know it exists but I personally haven’t been a
part of that whole experience.” Amanda witnessed the racial fatigue that a colleague of color
faced when Amanda was a teacher, but did not experience her own racial fatigue since she is
White. Deborah expressed her continued discontent that instances of racial fatigue occur stating,
“There’s a part of me that just still feels it’s hard for me to believe some things. I know it’s true
and I’m still surprised by some of the things that go on. I shouldn’t be surprised.” In order to
understand racial fatigue that the participants had not experienced, we used examples in the
documentary series to relate to.
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One particular example in the documentary series that sparked conversation among the
participants was a situation in which a Black film student and her White teacher engaged in a
conversation surrounding race matters in the student’s film. The student and the teacher engaged
in a heated discussion in which the student explained that Black women’s voices are not heard as
loudly as others. The teacher used Oprah as an example of a Black voice that was heard. At that
moment, the student was experiencing racial fatigue after trying to explain herself. As White
watchers of the series, the participants had differing views on the conversation. Charlotte felt that
the student had issues with authority and always felt the need to be right. Deborah agreed that the
student was very opinionated and said that “in that conversation I just wanted her to listen to him
just a little bit to what he was trying to say.” Both Charlotte and Deborah shared frustration with
the Black student’s behavior in the conversation. On the other hand, Sarah and Amanda felt as
though the Black student responded to her White teacher appropriately, and the teacher did not
receive the response he wanted. Sarah mentioned, “I didn’t think he was listening to her either,
frankly.” This example demonstrated that the White participants’ understanding of and reaction
to racial fatigue differed.
America to Me Episode 10: Collective Responsibility
Before responding to the prompt for episode ten, I noted that the participants focused
much of their conversation on the adults in the documentary series. Because of this, I asked “In
our own evolution as educators, what parts of some of the adults that we have seen through this
series can we see in our journey as educators? What can we relate to? What can we see that we
have grown out of but participated in at some point? Who can we relate to?” The answers to
these questions demonstrated the individual themes of each participant. Building on her theme of
caring deeply for all stakeholders, including herself, Sarah shared that she appreciated the
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introspection that a certain teacher in the documentary series showed. She explained, “I think it’s
easy to get caught up in thinking about so many of the things we do to make it equitable and
really inspect to make sure that it’s equitable.” Charlotte shared that she did not feel particularly
connected with any of the teachers in the documentary series, but instead connected with a board
member who was “fighting battles and wanting to make headway.” This demonstrated her theme
of leading to connect stakeholders like students and staff in her current administrative role.
Amanda connected with a White teacher who took on responsibility to actively work toward
being anti-racist, which connected to her theme of the larger responsibility of White people to
dismantle the educational system of White supremacy. She shared that she appreciated his
willingness to “get to know families and be a part of that when he was invited into that space”
and recognized that when he did make mistakes “it didn’t stop him from continuing to to try to
do good work.” Deborah did not name a particular adult in the documentary series that she
connected with but did share “how rarely, if ever, race comes into the conversation” about
students in school. She connected to her understanding of economic oppression by stating that
she often addresses home life and socioeconomic status of students, but not race. As the
participants connected our own stories to the stories of the adults we have watched in the
documentary series, the thematic lenses through which our racial identity development had been
shaped were referenced.
Because our time together was ending, I was sure to ask the participants to respond to the
final racial autobiography prompt. The last prompt of the series asked participants “After
watching America to Me, describe your feelings, thoughts, strategies, and intended actions for
achieving racial equity and achievement in schools and your community. How has America to
Me moved you to be a catalyst for change? How will you strategically move your classroom,
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institution, and/or community forward to have a better understanding and sense of urgency for
change when it comes to racial equity and achievement?” (America to me, 2019a). The process
of this journey took the participants from entering the space concerned with being vulnerable to
naming our role in the collective responsibility to move forward. Amanda acknowledged the
group's willingness to have racial conversations and shared her next step of taking on the
responsibility as an educator to model conversations surrounding race so as to disrupt the status
quo of White normativity. She shared,
When it’s conversations that are not surrounding race, we as adults are very good models.
We can say, “This is how you speak to a child in a wheelchair.” When you tell adults, “I
want you to model a good conversation that’s racially based,” we say we can’t talk about
race. “I don’t know how to model that. I might hurt somebody’s feelings.” And so we
don’t. Our kids pick up on exactly what we model. So if we’re never talking about it, if
we’re never acknowledging it and saying “This is how you have these conversations”
we’re perpetuating it.
Sarah offered her insight by saying, “I’m much more aware of the lifetime of change that’s ahead
of me” and named that she had been reflective for many years and this experience continued her
journey. Charlotte, who had concerns with the space being safe in the beginning of the group’s
time together, said, “I think it’s a healthy thing to talk about this and I think because we all have
similar backgrounds, it’s been safe.” This safe feeling allowed her to see the collective action
that can be had and she shared that “for the next steps, I’d like to see it move beyond talking
about it.” Finally, Deborah agreed that “it would be really great to move forward” and shared her
next step to “broaden my friendship ring to more people of color.” She explained that she had
more friends of color in her younger years and felt that her friendships in her adult life had been
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isolated to White people. Each participant thoughtfully and honestly addressed the final prompt
and recognized our part in the collective responsibility to move forward in heightening racial
consciousness and developing a more positive White identity.
In closing the final meeting together, I acknowledged the journey the four of us went on
and thanked the women who participated in this study. Collectively, we were awed that the
journey had already ended, as it felt like we had just begun. While our time together was
transformational, I brought emphasis back to the research and explained to each participant that I
would send the findings to them to ensure that I captured their thoughts accurately and provided
the appropriate anonymity.
The Individual Journeys
This section will answer the second research question by describing the individual
journeys of White educational leaders engaged in unpacking racial identity and heightening
racial consciousness. During the research study, participants shared rich stories and personal
details of our life journeys. In keeping with the promise of confidentiality, broad themes and
generalized stories are shared, as such detailed accounts of the participants’ personal lives would
eliminate anonymity.
Sarah
Educator to Self
Sarah progressed through many stages of White identity development. She shared stories
from her childhood explaining that she remembered the first time she understood that people of
color could live alongside her and was “so enthralled with that idea because I had never been
around anyone Black before,” perfectly describing the Contact stage of White identity
development. She grew up with family members and a town culture of the Reintegration stage,
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and saw those she was close to acting according to Reintegration by keeping a distance from
relationships with people of color. Sarah demonstrated that she had since moved beyond those
stages of White racial identity development, and consciously shared how she worked to live her
life in the Immersion/Emersion and Autonomy stages of development. When asked about how
she would like to move forward, Sarah shared that she planned on “furthering that conversation,
moving on to practice and peeling out, whitling back, cleaning up, and still listening.” Her
seeking out continual learning was demonstrative of the Autonomy stage, and work in this stage
is never complete. Sarah understood the continued practice that must occur.
Educator to Others
In accordance with the larger theme throughout the study, Sarah was always very aware
of the perceptions and concerns of others in addition to her self-awareness. She relayed stories
about conversations with students, teachers, and parents in which she spent an extraordinary
amount of time listening deeply to the concerns of others in order to make decisions about her
own actions. Sarah consistently asked herself in relation to her Whiteness, “Can I address this
and be taken seriously given who I am?” This introspection with issues surrounding race
demonstrated Sarah’s entry into the Immersion/Emersion stage of White identity development,
as she understood that changing the way she handled situations as a White educational leader
was imperative to combating individual and systemic racism. Sarah can continue to move into
the Autonomy stage in her dealings with others, just as she has entered that stage individually.
Educator to System
Sarah made note of the larger systemic nature of racism both in education and in the
world at large. She shared that she thought often about “those little things that your brain does to
make sense of the world around you. Minutiae that your brain is picking up that creates an idea.
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And then there are these huge patterns in life.” The system created bias and as an educator she
actively sought to understand that bias through continued education and introspection. Sarah
demonstrated the root of emergent strategy by continually reflecting on the iterative cycle of
learning that connected herself, those she came into contact with, and the larger educational
system as a whole. Sarah understood the systemic patterns that are created in White normative
systems, and her next steps can be to continue the introspection, learning, and iterative cycle of
developing a more positive White identity.
Charlotte
Educator to Self
As a child, Charlotte grew up in an affluent White suburban neighborhood and
remembered the first time she met a classmate of color. While this was not her first experience
with race, it demonstrated her understanding of her existence in the Contact stage of White racial
identity development. She grew up with extended family members that demonstrated behavior
associated with the Reintegration stage, in that they actively promoted White supremacy.
Charlotte learned that she had familial ties to enslavers and, as an adult, chose to acknowledge
this fact and move on with her own family saying, “it doesn’t change who we are or what we
believe and how we act.” As a parent, Charlotte expressed behavior associated with the Pseudo-
Independent stage of White identity development marked by her acceptance and
acknowledgement of White people’s role in racism. As an educator, Charlotte asserted her need
to dive more deeply in her role in combating systemic racism, marking movement to the
Immersion/Emersion stage of development. As Charlotte continues the work of racial identity
development, she should acknowledge how she, as a White woman, benefits from White
normativty and privilege, instead of moving on from her familial history.
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Educator to Others
In keeping with the theme that emerged throughout the study, Charlotte placed a heavy
importance on her working relationships with both students and other staff members. She relayed
stories of how she learned a lot from trusted colleagues of color in her many years in education,
and shared instances in which she sought out the advice and input of adults of color during
situations in which her leadership was demanded. Charlotte felt safe enough in the space created
through the study to share areas of growth for herself. She recognized the lack of diversity in her
upbringing and made it a point to share her pointed efforts to serve minoritized populations in
her sphere of influence. Ultimately, Charlotte said, “I just want kids to feel ok.” In her effort to
make kids and staff feel ok, Charlotte must continually reflect on her responsibility as a White
leader and be sure to not solely rely on the advice of people of color.
Educator to System
Charlotte shared a deep appreciation for the educational system, but also understood the
existence of systemic oppression in education. She connected this understanding of racism to her
own understanding of gender discrimination by noting, “I think the only thing that you can
equate it to, maybe for me, is being a woman,” but also noted a stark difference between racism
and other oppressions. In other forms of oppression, Charlotte explained that White people
fought more adamantly against the oppression because White people had “the power to make
change” for themselves. Charlotte challenged this lack of action for racial justice on the part of
White people by stating that educators who benefited from White normativity in schools needed
to be responsible for changing the system to better serve students of color. Charlotte understood
that to create this change, teachers needed to have a safe space like the one she had in this study,
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and she demonstrated a hope to make that safe space happen for those she works with. As a
leader, it is Charlotte’s responsibility to create this safety in the spaces she leads.
Deborah
Educator to Self
Deborah grew up with multiple experiences with people of color. From the schools she
attended to the travels her family took, she often encountered people of color, but with these
interactions, Deborah struggled to recognize that racial injustice occurs. In the beginning of the
study Deborah admitted, “I am not as aware as I need to be about what does and doesn’t exist as
far as racial interaction and unnoticed bias.” This is consistent with the Disintegration stage of
White identity development as Deborah learned to downplay the existence of racism. Deborah
shared that her family always taught her to be respectful of all people but quietly encouraged
distance from relationships with Black people, citing a difference in culture as the primary
reason. Throughout the study, Deborah consciously worked to move out of the Disintegration
stage, and showed evidence of moving into the Pseudo-Independent stage. At the end of the
study, Deborah shared that “it just took me longer than I care to admit to really accept that these
things are going on” but now that she has begun to understand the implications of racial
injustice, she could examine her own role in racism, build community, and move into the
Immersion/Emersion stage of identity development. She appreciated the community built by the
research study and voiced, “it makes it easier to move forward when you know that other people
are in the same space of trying to learn how to do something better.” Because this recognition is
new, Deborah must actively look for how race is impacting her identity development.

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Educator to Others
As an educational leader, Deborah worked to bring people together by focusing on what
people have in common. She started to realize that this could be detrimental to people of color
but said, “I think that’s what I do because I think I’m still hesitant that if I try to acknowledge or
build racial identities that I’m not prepared enough and I’m just going to offend somebody or do
something wrong.” She also shared that she had a hard time believing that racial bias influenced
those she worked with, but started to name instances where she saw this behavior occurring.
Deborah began to have conversations with staff and parents regarding race, but felt that
educators “don’t understand the racial impact on learning” and needed more understanding to
address racial bias in education. As a leader, Debrorah must understand that she may offend
people in her quest toward building positive racial identity, but that she must acknowledge her
effort and growth in a way that disrupts the status quo.
Educator to System
As Deborah developed her understanding of racial injustice, she made a clear connection
to economic oppression. Because she experienced economic oppression herself, and worked with
many families who experienced economic oppression, this drove her understanding of the
hardships people faced and permeated her experience in the research study. Through dialogue
with other participants, Deborah was able to understand the intersectionality between race and
economic oppression, and in turn, better understand the exponential implications of racial
injustice on those in the educational system observing “You can escape White poverty. You
can’t escape being part of your race.” Deborah’s connection to the economic injustices of the
educational system allowed her to deepen her understanding of the racial injustices she learned to
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accept. As she continues to develop her racial identity, Deborah must be careful to resist
discounting racial injustices in favor of relying too heavily on economic disadvantages.
Amanda
Educator to Self
Amanda grew up in a suburban majority White neighborhood, but did not remember the
first time she met a person of color. From an early age, she had friends of color and built strong
friendships throughout high school with minoritized students. She shared stories that showed
how she grew up in the Disintegration stage of identity development and struggled with the
desire to act decently toward Black people and simultaneously meet the cultural expectations of
other White people and said that as a young person this was not something that she could
articulate, but she “felt the injustice of it.” As an adult, Amanda recognized that she had
definitions and worldviews that were shaped by her upbringing. She challenged herself to live in
the Autonomy stage of White racial identity development by seeking out cultural experiences in
which to keep learning. Amanda shared that she was “learning how to be a learner” in new
spaces and understood that racial identity development was a process in which she would make
mistakes but wanted “to be able to fail forward.” Amanda must not let a fear of failure stop her
from moving forward.
Educator to Others
Amanda questioned how to create relationships with others in the educational system and
bring to light the biased and racist practices that occur. Her interactions with others tended to
walk a thin line as she shared, “it’s that push and pull of constantly saying something but trying
to also build relationships.” She wanted to be a person who could “balance between actively
being anti-racist and pointing out something that is racist, knowing that it wasn’t ill-intended.”
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Amanda shared that when she was in situations of racial injustice, she had the immediate
response to freeze, instead of the fight or flight response that others may have. She shared that
she took in the moment and then chose to have conversations after the moment has passed,
although she wished she were more able to address situations immediately. As she grows in her
confidence to address racial injustice, Amanda’s racial identity development will continue to
emerge.
Educator to System
Amanda felt a deep responsibility as a White person to work within the educational
system to dismantle White supremacy and White normativity. As a child and up through college,
Amanda said she only ever learned about the White experience. She was always validated as a
learner in the educational system because of her Whiteness. Amanda understood that this was not
the case for students of color. She asserted that educators serve students from early grades in
elementary school and those students quickly move onto high school where the “potential for
really damaging situations with kids in the prime of their development” is magnified.
Amanda connected education to emergent strategy and shared that once educators knew better, it
was the responsibility of them to do better, and create space to break down the injustices in the
educational system. She recognized that the work necessary to rebuild a system of justice is
constant by sharing, “I don’t think it’s ever done, right?” As an educational leader, Amanda must
continue to work to create educational spaces that address the educational debt.
Summary
This study set out to answer two research questions. The first asked how leaders engage
in the process of unpacking racial identity and heightening racial consciousness and the second
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asked how the individual journeys of those leaders are described. Throughout the study, key
themes and findings emerged.
In studying how leaders engage in the process, it is important to note that all participants
needed a safe space to share vulnerability and shared definitions to be able to engage with a
common understanding. By taking time in the beginning of the process to create common
understanding of terms, conversations were made more meaningful. Additionally, while the
purpose of the study was to research racial consciousness, it was important to allow participants
to make meaning of racial injustice by connecting it to other injustices we had personally
experienced, including sex discrimination and economic oppression. This allowed the
participants to connect new learning about race to previous understandings of marginalization.
Finally, the process was only made complete by naming action steps to move forward. Emergent
strategy says that humans have the ability to create the just world they desire. By naming how
racial identity is unpacked further, participants were able to create closure on one research study
but move forward with the iterative cycle of learning that ultimately creates change. The White
participants were not experienced at modeling courageous conversations about race, however,
through practice of the process, the participants became better able to challenge the status quo, as
not having such conversations only perpetuates racial injustice.
The journeys that each individual educator took in developing racial identity were filled
with rich details and personal stories of both heartbreaking experiences and triumph toward
greater acceptance. Throughout these stories, larger themes individual to each participant
emerged. Sarah embodied what it meant to care deeply about all stakeholders when looking at
racial injustice. Her own identity development heavily depended on the impact of her decisions
on children, adults, and herself. Charlotte took her role as a leader very seriously and saw her
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responsibility in facilitating safe spaces for the adults and children she served in the educational
system. Her identity development was dependent on how she could facilitate change for those
around her. Deborah connected racial injustice very concretely with her understanding of
economic oppression. As her racial identity developed, she became increasingly aware of racial
injustice and made sense of her new understanding through the connection of an oppression she
had experienced. Amanda’s White identity development embraced the idea of White
responsibility to dismantle White supremacy. She understood the role of White educators’ to be
those who model conversations surrounding racial injustice and purposefully move forward in
exposing systemic racism in education to those who may not yet understand its implications.
Each participant learned in community throughout the journey and shared how we moved
through the individual stages of White racial identity development to heighten our personal racial
consciousness. Our journeys are not complete, as each participant named our next steps in the
journey of heightening racial consciousness. These next steps may be small in comparison to the
massive concern of systematic oppression in education, but emergent strategy explains that what
humans do on the small scale has larger implications for entire systems (Brown, 2017). The
small steps of these educational leaders will have larger effects on the educational system as a
whole.

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CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION
This study was conducted to reflect on the racial journey of White educational leaders as
they unpacked racial identity development and heightened racial consciousness through the
facilitation of discussion sparked by the America to Me documentary series. This study created a
space for White educational leaders to have safe and vulnerable conversations surrounding race.
This allowance of conversation is often absent from education because schools in the United
States are traditionally built according to the patterns and norms of Whiteness (DiAngelo, 2012).
By acknowledging that the history of schooling in the United States has mirrored White
supremacy (Ladson-Billings, 1998) and historically failed to serve students of color to the extent
that schools have served White students (Ladson-Billings, 2006), educational leaders can begin
to engage in conversations that combat the tradition of White silence (DiAngelo, 2012) and
begin to develop a more positive White identity. This study allowed White educational leaders to
begin to understand their whiteness and heighten their individual racial consciousness, which is
necessary for them to address achievement and opportunity gaps in their schools and participate
in race-related conversations and decision-making processes (Leonardo, 2009; Utt & Tochluk,
2016).
The literature reviewed in this study presented information on how White educators
interact with their identity development and understanding of racism, their colleagues and
students when working through issues concerning race, and the White normativity of the
education system as a whole. The interactions of the educators to themselves, others, and the
system were viewed through the lenses of critical race theory (Bell, 1995; Ladson-Billings, 1998;
Solorzano & Yosso, 2002; Tate, 1997) and Helms’ White racial identity development model
(Helms, 1984, 1997). Emergent strategy, a theory of change that states that humans can create
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the justice they desire, framed the research study as the White educational leaders purposefully
engaged in the process of exploring their own racial identity and personal racial consciousness
(Brown, 2017).
Through the synthesis of CRT, Freire’s problem-posing method, and case study research
defined by Smith-Maddox and Solorzano (2002), this study answered the following two research
questions:
1. How does a group of White educational leaders in a suburban Los Angeles school district
engage in the process of unpacking racial identity and heightening racial consciousness
through facilitated discussions?
2. How are the individual journeys of White educational leaders engaged in unpacking
racial identity and heightening racial consciousness described?
The CRT, case study, problem-posing methodology was used for its facilitation process that
allowed the purposeful sample of participants to engage in safe conversations that unpack how
racism impacts the educational system and those who work in it.
This chapter will elaborate on the critical findings of the study and how they relate to the
literature. Findings that answered both research questions will be discussed. After the findings
are examined, implications for practice and recommendations for future research will be
acknowledged. The implications for practice will be related to the conceptual framework of the
study that connected educators’ racial identity development to themselves, others, and the
educational system. The recommendations for future research will address how this same type of
study could be replicated with other stakeholder groups, and how the findings of this study could
be connected with other types of research. Finally, a summary of the importance of the research
study will be provided.
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Discussion of Findings
The facilitation of the discussion group based on the documentary series America to Me
provided answers to both research questions that the study sought to find. Answers to the first
research question that explored the process of unpacking racial identity and heightening racial
consciousness uncovered three important findings. First, all participants needed a safe and
vulnerable space to engage in the process. Second, participants related racial injustice to other
forms of marginalization they experienced as White women. Third, the process was only made
whole by encouraging the participants to name their next steps to move forward in continued
racial identity development. The second question addressing the individual journeys of White
educational leaders as they unpack their own racial identity revealed four important findings.
One participant engaged in the process by deeply thinking about the impact of racial injustice on
all educational stakeholders, including staff, students, families, and leaders themselves. Another
focused heavily on the relationships between leaders and staff members as they serve students of
color. A third participant focused heavily on the earlier stages of her racial identity development
as it related to economic oppression, an injustice with which she was familiar. Finally, a fourth
participant cued into the role and responsibility White educators have to combat racism in the
educational system.
The Process of Unpacking Racial Identity and Heightening Racial Consciousness
The following three findings answered the first research question regarding how White
educational leaders engage in the process of unpacking racial identity and building racial
consciousness.
Throughout the process of unpacking racial identity development, it was clear that all
participants needed a safe, vulnerable space and shared definitions of precisely what was to be
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discussed to engage in dialogue with a common understanding. Helms (1984) explains that
positive White identity development is based on personal perception, and in this study, the
participants needed to perceive that the environment was safe and vulnerable to dive deeply into
heightening their racial consciousness. Helms (1984) names readiness, experiences of interaction
between races, and formal experiences as necessary for White educators to develop a positive
White identity. The intentional creation of a safe space was an essential part of the formal
experience of this study. This finding connects with the literature that states that for effective
conversations about race to take place, a safe space for conversations to occur without judgment
must be created (Carpenter & Diem, 2013). Additionally, Flynn (2012) found that not only do
intentional dialogic spaces need to be created for effective race conversations to occur, but
shared definitions and particular discussion surrounding systemic racism and White privilege in
social institutions like schools must occur to move educators beyond simply talking about
individual acts of racism.
While the purpose of the study was to research racial consciousness, it was important to
allow participants to make meaning of racial injustice by connecting it to other injustices they
had personally experienced, including sex discrimination and economic oppression. By
understanding these connections, the participants were better able to begin to understand the
magnitude of marginalization based on race. This intersectionality connects to the first tenet of
critical race theory that to understand the fundamental function of race and racism in the United
States, intersecting oppressions such as gender, class, and sexual orientation cannot be ignored
(Bell, 1995; Ladson-Billings, 1998; Solorzano & Yosso, 2002; Tate, 1997). This study focused
on the White identity development of educational leaders. Helms (1997) states that the final
stage of positive White identity development is marked with an increase in the understanding of
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forms of oppression in addition to race discrimination, as individuals become acutely aware of
the process of engaging in consciousness work because they more deeply understand oppression.
With this understanding White educational leaders can influence other White educators in
understanding that racism does not stand alone but intersects with other forms of oppression such
as marginalization based on gender, class, religion, and sexuality (Flynn, 2012; Utt & Tochluk,
2016).
Participants explained that the process of building positive racial identity and heightening
racial consciousness was only made complete by naming action steps to move forward. This
finding is imperative to understanding the needs of participants as they engaged in this study.
Helms (1984) states that racial identity development is a process and White people are
continually working through the stages of identity development, while Brown (2017) explains
that emergent strategy is also an iterative process for individuals to understand that what they
practice on the small scale has broader global implications. The participants in this study embody
the idea of ‘process’ and found that they could only move forward in their personal development
by continuing the process beyond this study. This finding was similar to other findings in the
literature that name the importance of the next steps. Utt and Tochluk (2016) found that White
educators who work to end racial oppression did not do this alone, but taught anti-racist actions
to others in the educational system. Purposeful conversations focused on equity and social justice
were the next steps in a comprehensive approach to disrupting systemic racism in education for
White educators (Carpenter & Diem, 2013). In this study, participants understood the value in
modeling for others what they had practiced individually.

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The Journey of White Educational Leaders
The following four findings answer the second research question regarding how the
individual journeys of White educational leaders engaged in unpacking racial identity and
heightening racial consciousness are described.
One participant personified what it meant to care deeply about all stakeholders, including
staff, students, families, and the leader herself, when addressing racial injustice in education. She
thought carefully about the impact of the injustices of the educational system on all parties and
recognized the differences between the numerous stakeholders. This finding is connected with
the literature from Bloom, Peters, Margolin, and Fragnoli (2015) that states that teacher
candidates who were placed in diverse school settings recognized the differences between
themselves and the students they served and were able to name their privileges in contrast with
their students’ backgrounds. While the literature focused on the relationship between teacher
candidates and the populations they served, this finding took the connections further by including
all stakeholder groups.
Another participant focused on her role as the educational leader and saw her
responsibility in facilitating safe spaces for the staff and students she served in the educational
system. This finding was connected to other studies that focused on a leader’s response to
addressing racism in an educational setting. Carpenter and Diem (2013) found that in college
classrooms, professors as the leaders were tasked with moving beyond barriers and creating
spaces for race-related conversations to occur. Vaught and Castagno (2008) found that White
teachers must understand the inherent racism in the educational system to see how racism
impacts students of color. These pieces of literature align with this study’s finding in the
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demonstration of the need for the leader in the educational system to understand the impact of
systemic racism in education.
A third participant concretely connected her understanding of racial injustice to her
experience with economic oppression. This participant demonstrated critical race theory’s tenet
naming the importance of acknowledging intersectionality (Bell, 1995; Ladson-Billings, 1998;
Solorzano & Yosso, 2002; Tate, 1997) and the final stage of White racial identity development
that explains that individuals deeply understand all oppression as they engage in racial
consciousness work (Helms, 1997). This finding allowed this participant to gain confidence in
her ability to understand and combat racial injustice, and connected to the literature that states
that anti-racist educational leaders can influence other White educators in understanding that
racism intersects with other forms of oppression (Flynn, 2012; Utt & Tochluk, 2016).
A fourth participant understood the role of White educators’ to be those who model
conversations surrounding racial injustice and purposefully move forward in exposing systemic
racism in education to those who may not yet understand its implications. This finding is
connected to the theoretical framework by relating to the fifth stage of White identity
development, which states that the goal of a positive White identity is changing White people to
combat individual and systemic racism (Helms, 1997). To dismantle White supremacy in
education, White anti-racist educators must be active participants in self-reflection and inquiry,
must examine race-related issues, and must assist others in the development of positive White
identity (Carpenter & Diem, 2013; Utt & Tochluk, 2016). This finding moves beyond the
literature’s findings of how White educators can do this work and states that it is the
responsibility of White educators to dismantle White supremacy in education.

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Implications and Recommendations for Practice
In practice, the process of unpacking racial identity and heightening racial consciousness
has implications on White educational leaders that were identified throughout the study. Schools
function as participants in a racist educational system (Ladson-Billings, 2006), and the leaders
that work in the system are often ill-equipped to examine systemic racism (Carpenter & Diem,
2013; Vaught & Castagno, 2008). This study examined how White educators engaged in the
process of examining racism and building White racial identity and examined the implications
for the educators themselves, how they interact with colleagues and other stakeholders, and how
they work within the entire educational system. These implications align with emergent strategy
(Brown, 2017), which is the conceptual framework of the study that states that as educators
develop racial consciousness on an individual scale, that consciousness will spread like
dandelion seeds into complex contexts, relationships, and systems.
Educator to Self
As educators engaged in the work of unpacking racial identity, implications for the
educators themselves became clear. The work of heightening racial consciousness challenged the
experiences and knowledge of the participants, and personal emotions were impacted. The
individual participants needed a space of safety and vulnerability in order to engage in this work
effectively. As educational leaders who have worked to build their own positive White identity
plan to engage in conversations surrounding race, a safe space for participants to engage must be
purposefully developed (Carpenter & Diem, 2013). As individual racial consciousness developed
for participants in this study, each participant felt the need to move forward to increase their own
understanding and impact the racial development of others. The personal responsibility to
dismantle White normativity in education impacted the educators themselves. Understanding that
UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 102

racism is fundamental in the education system forces educators to challenge the dominant
ideology of colorblindness and race neutrality (Bell, 1995; Ladson-Billings, 1998; Solorzano &
Yosso, 2002; Tate, 1997).
Based on these implications, recommendations for practice for educators include:
● The America to Me documentary series should be introduced to cabinet level
administrators to share with their district staff members. As educational leaders
recommend the series to those they lead, individual educators may be more inclined to
watch the series and reflect.
● Training on how to hold courageous conversations should be provided for educational
leaders. In safe and vulnerable spaces, topics that are often ignored can be discussed.
Without such spaces, these topics may continue to be ignored or handled in ways that do
not promote personal growth.
● White educational leaders need to examine how their whiteness impacts their leadership.
Understanding how the implicit power structure of White supremacy influences decision-
making in areas such as hiring, discipline, and conflict management, is imperative to
beginning to challenge dominant ideology.
Educator to Others
As educators built their own racial identity, they felt the need to examine their
relationships with others. One implication of practice is that White educational leaders must
intentionally work with these relationships in mind and build circles of accountability while they
continue to lead the racial identity development of their colleagues. Systemic relationships must
be addressed as they work to better serve students, staff, and other stakeholders of all races.
Literature states that it is the responsibility of the leaders in an educational space to intentionally
UNPACKING WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY 103

build opportunities for racial conversations to occur (Carpenter & Diem, 2013; Vaught &
Castagno, 2008). These conversations will occur between educational leaders and other
stakeholders in the educational system. According to emergent strategy, what educational leaders
put into practice on the small scale in their individual settings will have a larger impact on the
system of educational leadership (Brown, 2017).
Based on these implications, recommendations for practice for educational colleagues
include:
● Educational leaders should create accountability circles and use the America to Me
documentary series to guide conversations surrounding race in education. These
accountability circles should be held between educational leaders, with staff members,
and with high school students.
● Professional development with facilitators trained in courageous conversations should be
provided for educators and school staff at all levels to create school environments that are
prepared to discuss topics like racial identity development and the impact of race in
education.
● Educational leaders and districts should examine hiring practices to diversify the teaching
and administrative forces. As colleagues put policies and practices in place to add people
of color to a majority White teaching and leadership pool, students and families will see
themselves represented in the personnel of school districts.
Educator to System
As educational leaders inwardly examine their own racial identity and outwardly engage
in community with other educators, they impact the educational system as a whole. Like fractals
in nature, what educators practice on the small scale sets patterns for the whole system (Brown,
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2017). In exploring racial oppression, it is clear that White educators connect their prior
understanding of marginalization based on experiences of gender, class, and other oppressions.
These connections must be acknowledged and valued as racial oppression intersects with other
forms of oppression (Flynn, 2012; Utt & Tochluk, 2016). It is also vital that White educators
engaged in this work understand that while oppressions intersect, the impact of racial
marginalization is a compounding factor that White people may not understand (Crenshaw,
1991). The acknowledgment of this allowed the participants of this study to engage deeply in the
experiences they understood and allowed them the safe space to examine the experiences of
stakeholders of color based on the America to Me documentary series. This understanding of
their own experiences, and examination of experiences of people of color, allowed the White
participants to envision their impact on the educational system as a whole.
Based on these implications, recommendations for practice for the educational system
include:
● The America to Me documentary series should be viewed and studied by school districts’
board members. In order to impact the system, those in power to make policy
recommendations and changes should be examining the impact of race on education.
● Teacher education programs and administrative credentialing programs should be
required to address racial identity development and the impact of race on education.
● School boards, cabinet level administrators, and other educational leaders need to
acknowledge and examine the institutional power structures of White normativity in
education. Policies and practices must be inspected for the impact they have on
perpetuating the dominant ideology of race neutrality and, instead, must commit to
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eliminating oppression and empowering minoritized groups (Bell, 1995; Ladson-Billings,
1998; Solorzano & Yosso, 2002; Tate, 1997).
Recommendations for Research
This study provided a safe space for White educational leaders to embark on the journey
of unpacking racial identity and heightening racial consciousness. While this journey took place
with four White educational leaders, there are two main recommendations for further research.
First, it is recommended that the America to Me documentary series be used in further research
with additional stakeholder groups, including other administrators, teachers, other school staff,
and students. By conducting additional research using the documentary series, themes of this
study can be supported, and new themes regarding racial identity development can be named.
Second, it is recommended that the connections between White identity development and student
performance in school be examined. By examining the connection between White identity
development and student performance, anti-racist educators can have evidence to see which
connections are most effective in supporting students.
Research with Numerous Stakeholder Groups
It is recommended that additional research be done using the America to Me documentary
series with additional stakeholder groups:
● Other administrators: This study took place with a small number of White educational
leaders in one school district. All administrators in this study were White. In additional
studies, administrators of color can be researched to compare results. Singleton (2015)
states that in courageous conversations, people of all races should be invited to participate
to gain understanding from numerous points of view. Research should be done with
additional administrators of all races to build upon the findings of this study.
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● Teachers: Since teachers are the adults in the classrooms serving students every day,
research should be completed documenting the journey that teachers take to build
positive racial identity using the documentary series. Like administrators, White teachers
and teachers of color can be studied. This research would add to the body of literature
that currently states that White anti-racist teachers must engage in self-reflection and
inquiry and examine race-related issues to dismantle White supremacy in schools
(Carpenter & Diem, 2013; Utt & Tochluk, 2016).
● Support Staff: When studying the impact of race-related conversations with educators,
one group that the literature has overlooked is support staff such as teacher aides,
custodial staff, food services staff, office managers, and other staff. It is recommended
that support staff be engaged in the process of building positive racial identity
development as they serve students on campuses each day.
● Students: Finally, students are in the classrooms working with educators of all types each
day. America to Me documents the experiences of a small number of students at one
school in a suburb of Chicago. Students from other schools in other areas of the country
should engage in the process of exploring their own racialized context to add to the
stories mentioned in the documentary series.
Connections Between White Identity Development and Student Achievement
It is recommended that research be completed measuring the correlation between White
identity development and different areas of student achievement:
● Academic achievement for students of color: In California, students of color show
academic mastery of standards at a lower rate than White students, while the racial
demographics of teachers are traditionally White (CDE, 2019b, 2019c). Ladson-Billings
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states (1998, 2006) that these statistics cannot be addressed with short term solutions to
raise test scores but must be addressed with solutions that use the lens of critical race
theory. Research should be conducted to measure if a correlation exists between the
White identity development of teachers and the academic achievement of students of
color.
● Student discipline rates: In the 2018-19 school year, 9.1 % of Black students were
suspended while only 3.0% of White students were suspended. Research should be
conducted that measures if a correlation exists between the White identity development
of teachers, administrators, and school support staff and the suspension rate of students of
color.
● Student perception of safety and connectedness in schools: Black students report lower
perceptions of school climate compared to students of other races (White, La Salle,
Ashby, & Meyers, 2014). In addition to academic achievement and discipline rates,
studies measuring a connection between White identity development and the perception
of students on school campuses should be conducted.
Conclusion
The purpose of this research study was to examine the process and describe the journey
of White educational leaders as they unpack racial identity and heighten racial consciousness. By
addressing White normativity in schools and examining White educators’ role in either
maintaining or challenging that White supremacy, the study allowed for a safe space for White
educational leaders to explore their own racial identity. The study was grounded in critical race
theory (Bell, 1995; Ladson-Billings, 1998; Solorzano & Yosso, 2002; Tate, 1997) and Helms’
model for White racial identity development (Helms, 1984, 1997) and approached the journeys
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of White educational leaders with the intentional idea that through emergent strategy (Brown,
2017), leaders can work to create the just communities they desire.
This study showed how deeply personal the journeys of White educational leaders were
as they explored their own racial identity and solidified the idea of emergent strategy that what is
identified and practiced on the small scale can have significant systemic impacts. Each White
educational leader in this study blossomed as a dandelion that grows in its field, intending to
spread seeds to other areas. The impacts that the participants in this study prepared to make on
the larger educational system were named in the next steps each leader committed to taking. This
study proved that providing safe spaces for racial conversations, and exploring racial identity
development, impacts leaders in ways that inspire them to create more safe spaces and further
develop their own racial identity while supporting the racial identity development of others.
The participants of this study were thoughtful and reflective. The process of facilitating
racial conversations proved beneficial to these participants and could potentially benefit a more
significant number of stakeholders if replicated. The America to Me documentary series proved
to be a useful tool in facilitating these conversations. The alternative to having vulnerable
conversations surrounding race is not to have conversations at all. By not having conversations
about race, educators maintain the status quo of White normativity in the educational system.
Acceptance of the White norm will continue to perpetuate the educational debt defined by
Ladson-Billings (2006). Therefore, it is imperative that White educational leaders, and other
stakeholders in the educational community, engage in conversations surrounding race, build
positive racial identity, and create safe spaces for these conversations to occur. All educators owe
this to the students they serve, and White educators can use their privilege to develop the
capacity for these safe spaces to exist.
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Appendix A: Discussion Question Matrix

Questions Source Question Question Purpose
America to Me Organizer
Guide

Opening Racial
Autobiography Question
“What was your earliest
experience with race? What
was your most recent
experience with race?”
This question was asked as
the first question to begin
each participant’s racial
autobiography, based on the
guidance of the Organizer
Guide.
America to Me Episode
Guide: Episode 1

Reflection Question
“Think about the social life in
your school or community: do
people of similar races stick
together or do they mix? If
they stick together, why?”
I chose this question
specifically because the
participants of this study were
school leaders with a broad
view of all stakeholders in the
educational system. It was
meant to allow participants
the space to reflect on our
current educational setting.
America to Me Episode
Guide: Episode 1

Racial Autobiography
Question
“Describe the racial
demographics of a school (K-
12) that you attended, and
how you made decisions
about which groups of
students you befriended or
spent time with. What did
race have to do with your
experience?”
Because earlier discussion
addressed the elementary
school experiences of the
participants, and the
documentary series focused
on high school, I asked this
question to focus participants’
discussion on our high school
experiences.
America to Me Episode
Guide: Episode 2

Racial Autobiography
Question
“Describe a time in your
educational experience when
you felt racially valued or
affirmed because of, or in
relation to, your race. What
do you remember about the
experience and what was the
racial impact of the
experience on your life?”

This racial autobiography
question allowed the
participants to connect our
personal experiences with the
White normativity of the
educational system.
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America to Me Episode
Guide: Episode 3

Racial Autobiography
Question
“Discuss one or more
experiences with your family
that shaped your racial
identity and your
understanding of who you are
racially. Consider your family
history and what you know
about the racialized history of
your family. Feel free to use
this as an opportunity to
engage with family members
who can provide insight into
the racial dynamics of your
family.”
I asked this question to
connect participants’ thinking
with the theme of episode
three, which examined
racialized relationships in
families and communities.
America to Me Episode
Guide: Episode 4

Racial Autobiography
Question
“Share an experience when
someone else’s perception of
who you are racially differed
from how you define or view
yourself. How did that affect
your sense of agency? If this
has never happened to you,
share an experience of when
you had a perception of
someone’s racial identity that
turned out to be different
from how they themselves
identified. How might that
have affected their sense of
agency?”
I asked this question as part of
the racial autobiography
process, but participants
found it hard to engage in
personal discoveries due to all
four participants identifying
and presenting as White.
America to Me Episode
Guide: Episode 4

Reflection Questions
“How does race inform your
sense of agency around your
racial identity? How does
your sense of agency shift
depending on who you are or
who you are with?”

I asked these questions to
expand the conversation
surrounding agency since
participants were not deeply
engaged in the previous racial
autobiography prompt.

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America to Me Episode
Guide: Episode 6

Reflection Questions
“What have you learned about
yourself while watching the
stories of the students and
teachers at OPRFHS? Has
your perception of yourself or
those around you changed?”
As the conversation in the
group discussion shifted to
discussing the stories of the
people in the documentary
series, I asked these questions
to bring awareness to the
learning of the participants
themselves.
America to Me Episode
Guide: Episode 7

Racial Autobiography
Question
“Describe a time when you
were quiet or vocal about a
situation related to race.
Explain why you chose to
engage in the manner that you
did and what race had to do
with your decision.”
Discussion among
participants moved to address
the space that White people
take up. This prompt
connected the idea of taking
up space and the action or
inaction that comes with that
privilege.
America to Me Episode
Guide: Episode 8

Racial Autobiography
Question
“Describe a time when you
felt as though you had to
show up, act, or engage a
particular way that differed
from who you are culturally
and racially, in order to get
access or be accepted within a
space. If this hasn’t happened
to you, describe why you
think it hasn’t.”
This prompt was briefly
addressed. Participants
quickly acknowledged that, as
White leaders, we do not have
to adjust to fit the White
normativity of educational
spaces.
America to Me Episode
Guide: Episode 9

Reflection Question
“List some examples of racial
fatigue that you’ve either
experienced or witnessed. If
you haven’t experienced or
witnessed any, why not?”
I asked this question to
explore the topic of racial
fatigue because the idea of
racial fatigue was unfamiliar
to some of the White
participants in this study.
Researcher generated
questions
“In our own evolution as
educators, what parts of some
of the adults that we have
seen through this series can
we see in our journey as
educators? What can we
relate to? What can we see
that we have grown out of but
participated in at some point?
Who can we relate to?”
Because the participants
focused conversation around
the adults in the documentary
series, I asked these questions
to allow the participants to
connect our own learning to
examples we were evaluating.
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America to Me Episode
Guide: Episode 10

Racial Autobiography
Question
“After watching America to
Me, describe your feelings,
thoughts, strategies, and
intended actions for achieving
racial equity and achievement
in schools and your
community. How has
America to Me moved you to
be a catalyst for change? How
will you strategically move
your classroom, institution,
and/or community forward to
have a better understanding
and sense of urgency for
change when it comes to
racial equity and
achievement?”
This final prompt was a
chance for participants to
complete our racial
autobiographical journey
through the documentary
series. This allowed us a
chance to think about our next
steps.

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Appendix B: Organizer Guide and Episode Guides

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Asset Metadata

Creator Taylor, Natasha (author)

Core Title Recognizing whiteness: the journey of White educators to unpack racial identity and heighten racial consciousness

School Rossier School of Education

Degree Doctor of Education

Degree Program Education (Leadership)

Defense Date 04/13/2020

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag critical race theory,education,educational leaders,emergent strategy,OAI-PMH Harvest,white racial identity development,whiteness

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Hinga, Briana (committee chair), Crawford, Jenifer (committee member), Olesniewicz, Julie (committee member)

Creator Email natalielorann@hotmail.com,taylorn@usc.edu

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c89-299902

Unique identifier UC11664169

Identifier etd-TaylorNata-8472.pdf (filename),usctheses-c89-299902 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-TaylorNata-8472.pdf

Dmrecord 299902

Document Type Dissertation

Rights Taylor, Natasha

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the a...

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA