The board of the Alabama Association for Middle Level Education strongly affirms the statement on racial bias released by the AMLE Board of Trustees. We acknowledge that systems of education were designed to serve some students, not all. We acknowledge that we have individually and collectively often advocated for all students instead of confronting directly the policies and practices that make the challenges of young adolescence especially difficult for students of color.
We hereby commit to taking direct action to hold ourselves to a higher standard. We move forward in the work by addressing inequities in education as a professional organization and by supporting the work of our colleagues at the middle level committed to building just institutions of education.
In particular, we commit to the following actions:
Curating, creating, and sharing resources specifically designed to support middle level educators as they seek to implement equitable and anti-racist policies and practices within their schools. We call on our colleagues to empower students to engage in difficult conversations that explore past and present issues confronting black and brown students and to create safe space for students to voice personal experiences, future hopes, and ways to affect positive change in their communities and in the world.
Developing and disseminating a framework for middle level schools to use for self-examination, and for planning and implementing actions towards more just and equitable learning environments.
Serving as a conduit to connect Alabama middle level educators committed to working collaboratively towards these ends.
We call every middle level educator in Alabama to action today. We challenge you to join us in this commitment – a deep, long-range commitment to engage in ongoing growth and change on a personal level in the professional sphere. We also urge you to participate now in the actions outlined here. Write, speak up, share resources, start conversations.
Alabama Association for Middle Level Education Board of Directors