Building Racial Competency in White Educators through the Transformative Act of Writing

Book excerpt: This book argues that the transformative act of writing can be used to strengthen the racial competency of White educators in profound ways, leading them to a more comprehensive consciousness regarding the way their racial identity impacts them personally and professionally. Through detailing the experiences of two White educators who engaged in a practice of deeply reflective personal narrative writing about their racial identity, this book presents written data from the participants and discusses the theoretical and practical implications of the participants’ written work. It also provides a strong, evidence-informed case for using reflective writing as a tool for strengthening the racial competency of White educators in order to positively impact their students, their classrooms, and their greater school communities. Lastly, the book offers writing exercises that can be applied to contexts within and outside the field of education so that readers can start the important work of further developing their racial competency. It will appeal to researchers, teacher educators, faculty, and scholars with interest in whiteness studies and advancing anti-racist pedagogies, as well as literacy education and diversity and equity in education.