Commitment to Anti-racism
Who We Are
Since our founding, Two Rivers has sought to nurture a diverse group of students. In recent years, we’ve explicitly committed to a journey to become an anti-racist organization — recognizing and celebrating both our differences and commonalities; integrating the experience and perspectives of people of color throughout our curriculum; and having courageous and empathetic conversations about race and racism with one another.
How We are Living Our Commitment
Experiences for Students
Recently, students learned about Black figures who exemplify the Scholarly Habits. At 4th Street, families and students celebrated a HBC-You Block Party during Community Meeting. The month was capped by student and staff-led performances during the Black History Month Celebration.
Faculty and Staff
We have two goals in pursuit of being an antiracist organization: First, to nurture the bravery in our community and normalize talking about race. Second, to leverage that bravery to honestly analyze the racial climate at Two Rivers.
We created diverse, twelve-person Race and Equity Crews in which members meet monthly and discuss the book Unconscious Bias in Schools: A Developmental Approach to Exploring Race and Racism and evaluate their progress through “bravery task cards.” Additionally, the race and equity team fosters optional affinity spaces for faculty and staff members of all racial identities.
Faculty and Staff
In 2016, Two Rivers started Share Your DC to build connections across lines of difference, especially racial ones. During the 2020-21 school year, the focus evolved to anti-racism parenting. Discussions centered on readings, podcasts, and films: How To Be An Anti-Racist, Seeing White, I am Not Your Negro, and others. Parents wrote short autobiographies that chronicled their racial consciousness.
Two Rivers Public Charter School
Anti-Racism Timeline
Fall 2003
Two Rivers founded with an explicit aim to nurture a diverse group of students
Fall 2015
Launch of Race and Equity Book Club
Summer 2016
The first summer of Share Your DC launched with Two Rivers families. Parents and guardians share their identities and own experiences of living in Washington, DC in an effort to more meaningfully communicate across lines of difference.
Fall 2016
Expansion of Race and Equity Book Club
Fall 2016
Launch of Share Your DC, a parent and staff expedition on race, identity, and connection
“Even at a school that is as diverse as Two Rivers in terms of race, ethnicity, and background, it’s often easy to walk past kids and parents without really noticing anyone, or interacting beyond a perfunctory nod or ‘Good morning.’ The expedition has given me a chance to learn about others’ backgrounds and identities and rethink my own, cracking open the door to a broader perspective.”
– Share Your DC parent
Fall 2017
Creation of Race and Equity Task Force to recommend all-school professional development the following year
Fall 2018
Year-long instructional staff professional development with Teach to Lead which focused on uncovering, mitigating, and interrupting bias
“[As a result of the training], I now tell myself a noble story about each of my students, which has helped me to truly believe that ALL students really do want to do well and that it is my job to find out what lagging skill(s) are preventing them to do so.”
– Ms. Sherrie, Pre-Kindergarten teacher
Fall 2018
Launch of Race and Equity Steering Committee and listening sessions
Fall 2019
All staff professional development led by Two Rivers staff focusing on text, Courageous Conversations About Race: A Field Guide for Achieving Equity in Schools
Fall 2019
School-wide instructional focus: We will collectively work to ensure that every student of color has full and unencumbered access to becoming a mathematician.
Fall 2019
DC Public Charter School Board awards Share Your DC “Best Program Innovation Award”
PCSB recognized Share Your DC (SYDC), a unique parent and staff expedition, as a catalyst to help strengthen diverse school communities. Through six cohorts, over a hundred adults participated in (and co-facilitated) sessions to inspire connection across lines of difference – whether those are race, religion, economic class, whatever. Parent-produced posters serve as a Showcase of Learning. SYDC alumni have presented their insights at Busboys and Poets, the DC Charter School Conference, EL Education National Conference in Atlanta.
Spring 2020
Launch of Black Lives Matter Week of Action in Schools at Young Elementary
Spring 2020
Two Rivers commits to becoming an anti-racist organization
Fall 2020
Schoolwide launch of Race and Equity Crews to explore book Unconscious Bias in Schools
Fall 2020
The Power of Student Voices in Poetry Recognized by Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro
Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro stated in the Congressional Record “…I was particularly inspired by a group of young students led by Social Studies Teacher Nicole Clark, English Language Arts Teacher Monica Powell, and Inclusion Specialist Courtney Legg at Two Rivers Public Charter School in Washington, D.C. During their recent school showcase they presented their ‘‘resistance poems’’ which I have shared with my colleagues in an e-booklet and posted to my website.”
Fall 2020
Launch of organization-wide Black Lives Matter Week of Action in Schools
Spring 2021
Two Rivers publishes Equity Vision Statement to guide the organization’s antiracist work
Spring 2022
Two Rivers defines school racial climate and audits current racial climate utilizing metrics aligned to definition.
Fall & Spring 2022 - 2023
Race and Equity work was moved to school based teams to create a more intimate experience and engagement with the following this Crew Guide based on our anchor text Street Data
Spring & Fall 2023
Due to a number of leadership and staff transitions over the course of the last year and the inconsistency in implementing the crew guide in SY22-23 the Two Rivers team decided to return to a Race and Equity Steering Committee and maintain the work in a central location.
Fall & Spring 2023-2024
Over the course of the 23-24SY, Two Rivers Race and Equity work focused on relaunching affinity crews to help us reground ourselves and review data through an equity lens.
Spring 2024
The Race and Equity Team realized that our attempts to diversify the team with teacher voices was a struggle. To ensure teachers voice it was agreed that Teacher Leaders would be incorporated into the steering committee and we would actively recruit individuals who historically are underrepresented. We launched the new Race and Equity Steering Committee in June 2024 with a 2 day retreat.
Fall & Spring 2024-2025
The two day retreat helped the Steering Committee unpack data from the school year and develop a shared understanding of how to move forward for the 24-25 school year. The committee agreed to meet at least 6 times a year and throughout the summer as needed. Steering Committee Members also helped to move the work forward by leading Race and Equity Crews as facilitators.
