We at NYSEC recognize our responsibility, as the organization and collective space for English educators across the state, to catalyze and stay engaged in conversations around equity and justice within and beyond our classrooms, schools, and communities. Our conceptions of equity and justice call us to name and challenge all forms of harm done to marginalized communities, and are influenced by anti-bias and anti-racist scholars, teachers, and activists. We also realize our duty to be responsive to the contemporary sociopolitical climate and the matters of urgency concerning English education, particularly as they relate to BIPOC, LGBTQ+, disabled, and other marginalized communities. We take our obligations seriously. And we acknowledge that we are a community of learners. We are not claiming absolute expertise. We are claiming a commitment to learning, growing, and doing better.
To that end, we will continue to build on these actions we have taken:
1. Inviting and centering the voices and experiences of BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and other marginalized communities at our annual conference.
2. Featuring conference workshops dedicated to equity and justice work in the classroom, including anti-bias, anti-racist, and LGBTQ+ inclusion workshops.
3. Creating and promoting online professional development sessions and book studies focused on equity and justice, including antiracism.
4. Supporting English language arts and literacy teachers from historically marginalized backgrounds.
In addition, we commit to the following action items:
5. Providing pedagogical support, curricular resources, and professional development that supports teachers. in creating equitable and just classrooms.
6. Supporting members in understanding and navigating state policy relating to intellectual freedom.
We are committed to assessing our progress and revising our approach to accomplish each of the goals. We will review our action steps, intended impact, and points of change annually to best meet our goals. Finally, we will report our progress and fi ndings to our membership for transparency and accountability.