“Why Do We Need to Talk About Race So Much?” Montgomery County, Maryland’s Educators and Parents Circle in on Culture, Bias and Learning in Diverse and Changing Schools

by Meredith Carlson Daly
Montgomery County, Maryland
May 2014

Eighteen teachers and administrators sit in a wide circle. They’ve taken a detour from their day jobs at a middle school in Montgomery County, Maryland to talk about subjects most people try to avoid: race, culture, tension, bias, stereotypes. At first, some of them do not seem happy to be there.

“I wish we didn’t have to have these conversations,” a white educator tells the group. “As a scientist, I see us all as humans.” Her white colleague agrees: “Why do we need to talk about race so much?” she asks.

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