On April 24-25, we will be engaged in a community-wide anti-racism training. Staff, parents, and students will work in different formations with two facilitators – Anika Nailah (local author, writing coach, cultural liberationist, and spoken word artist) and Jenna Chandler-Ward (of the organization Teaching While White, with offices in both Massachusetts and Oregon). Nailah will work with community members of color, and Chandler-Ward with the white community members. Chandler-Ward looks forward to engaging students in discussions about the need to talk about race and how to do it, as well as what it means to be an ally and take action against injustice. Using an arts-based approach, Nailah will hold space for students of color to increase their critical race consciousness and share their insights about how they navigate The Academy’s predominantly white environment and what it might look like for the white members of the school community to consistently show up to support them and daily anti-racism practice. These trainings are private and intended solely for the Academy community, though Associate Head of School Nora Bates Zale welcomes inquiries and the opportunity to network with other schools and youth organizations interested in pursuing this work through other avenues.