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

Students are grappling with anti-racism in appropriate ways across the curriculum — with a focus on amplifying student voices about their own lives and experiences. Last year, students in Middle School explored the Black Lives Matter guiding principles during our first Black Lives Matter week in February. Seventh grade students worked on a problem statement about how to amplify voices that are speaking out in resistance to racism.

Hear from Chelsea, a 7th grade student, performing her poem about resistance and pain.

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.

Families

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

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Fall 2003

Two Rivers founded with an explicit aim to nurture a diverse group of students

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Fall 2015

Launch of Race and Equity Book Club

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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.

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Fall 2016

Expansion of Race and Equity Book Club

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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

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Fall 2017

Creation of Race and Equity Task Force to recommend all-school professional development the following year

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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

 

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Fall 2018

Launch of Race and Equity Steering Committee and listening sessions

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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  

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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.

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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. 

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Spring 2020

Launch of Black Lives Matter Week of Action in Schools at Young Elementary

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Spring 2020

Two Rivers commits to becoming an anti-racist organization

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Fall 2020

Schoolwide launch of Race and Equity Crews to explore book Unconscious Bias in Schools

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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.”

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Fall 2020

Launch of organization-wide Black Lives Matter Week of Action in Schools

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Spring 2021

Two Rivers publishes Equity Vision Statement to guide the organization’s antiracist work