Identity & Me
One part of your identity that people can see.
What is skin color, hair type, clothing style?
What is skin color?
Everyone gets one pencil, even if one kid doesn't have a backpack.
What is unfair? This is using equality not equity.
Unfair treatment of a person or group based on characteristics such as race, gender, or ability.
What is discrimination?
Alex notices that every time they talk about their family, their friends only ask about their mom and dad, even though Alex has two dads. This makes Alex feel uncomfortable. How could Alex's friends be more inclusive in their conversations to avoid making Alex feel left out?
They should ask about Alex’s family in a way that includes all types of families, such as saying, "Tell me about your family!"
One part of your identity that others might not know by looking.
What is an invisible trait (religion, language)?
True or False: You can tell someone's gender by looking at them.
What is false?
One student gets help reading during the test while everyone else has to work independently.
Widely held but oversimplified ideas or beliefs about a particular group of people.
What is stereotypes?
Maya lives close to school and always gets there on time. Her friend lives far and is often late because of bus delays. Who might have more privilege here?
Maya
True or False: Everyone has the same values and identity.
False
One way we can make spaces more inclusive for people with disabilities.
What is use ramps, use captions, create quiet zones, offer fidgets, etc?
A student is punished for arriving late without being asked why.
What is unfair? This lacks empathy.
Forming an opinion or judgment about someone based on assumptions, often without knowing them personally.
What is prejudice?
Jamie, a student with a learning disability, is placed in a lower-level class, even though they have worked hard and are capable of doing higher-level work. Their teacher assumes that Jamie can't handle the tougher material. What type of bias is being demonstrated, and how can Jamie's teacher correct this?
The teacher is showing prejudice based on assumptions about Jamie's abilities. The teacher can correct this by giving Jamie a chance to show their true abilities and providing equal opportunities to succeed.
The food, language, and traditions you grow up with are part of your _____.
What is culture?
During a STEM activity, the group is building bridges out of marshmallows and toothpicks. A boy in the group keeps taking tools out of a girl’s hands, saying, “Let me do it — you’re not good at building.” Another youth of color says, “He always does that to me too.”
How might gender and race be playing a role here, and how can the group make the space more fair?
What is: some people get talked over more because of their gender or race. We could:
Call out the student respectfully (e.g., “Let’s make sure everyone gets a turn to build”).
Create a system for taking turns.
Use a group norm like “We listen to every voice.”
Your club hands out flyers for an event, but they’re only in English. Some families speak Spanish, Chinese, and Tagalog at home.
What is unfair? Equity means sharing info in the languages people use. Flyers should be translated so all families are included.
Having advantages because of who you are.
During a school play, the cast is mostly made up of students who are able-bodied, with just one student using a wheelchair. The performance is held in a location without wheelchair access, making it difficult for the student in the wheelchair to participate.
How does this situation illustrate a lack of equity and fairness, and what changes could be made to ensure everyone has an equal opportunity to participate?
This situation shows a lack of equity, as not all students have the same access to participate due to physical barriers. The school could provide wheelchair access to the performance space and make accommodations so that all students can participate fully.
Define identity in your own words.
:)
Your afterschool group is doing a group read-aloud. One student, Jordan, has dyslexia and has trouble reading out loud. When it’s Jordan’s turn, a few kids giggle when they stumble on words. Jordan stays quiet for the rest of the day.
What would equity and empathy look like in this situation?
What is:
Letting students choose how they want to participate (e.g., reading silently, summarizing instead).
Teaching the group about different learning needs.
Standing up for Jordan kindly and helping others understand that reading challenges don’t mean someone is less smart.
A school has a rule that every student must complete homework each night. However, one student struggles at home because they have to care for younger siblings while their parent is working late. They ask for extra time to finish their homework.
What is fair? This is equity in action.
The presence of many different types of people, with various backgrounds, identities, and perspectives, in one place.
What is diversity?
Lena is applying for a job and is asked to include her race on the application. She is unsure whether sharing this information will help or hurt her chances, as she has heard about the difficulties faced by people of color when seeking employment.
How could Lena feel about the question, and how might this situation reflect privilege or inequity?
Lena may feel unsure or uncomfortable, as people of color often face discrimination in hiring. This situation reflects inequity, as some people may have advantages in the hiring process based on their race or other factors, while others face barriers.