Nov. 5 DEIB Recap
A heartfelt thank-you to Dr. Courtney Wooten for leading such an inspiring and insightful workshop on allyship. Her thoughtful teaching gave our community new tools to engage with empathy, accountability, and courage. We also want to thank everyone who participated and showed up with openness and a desire to become even better allies. Your commitment makes our community stronger.
Key Takeaways:
- Center Race in Conversations: When we leave race out, we miss part of the truth. Real inclusion requires naming and addressing race directly.
- Land Acknowledgment: Recognizing Indigenous lands is an important step, but it must be paired with action toward justice and repair.
- What Is Allyship?
Allyship is a lifelong process of learning, listening, and standing alongside marginalized communities. It is not about agreeing on everything; it is about growing together through empathy and solidarity. - Why It Matters:
Strong, diverse communities are more resilient. Practicing allyship fosters connection, compassion, and equity. - Foundations of Allyship:
- Education – Learn from people and communities different from yourself.
- Empathy – Approach others with care and curiosity.
- Accountability – Take responsibility for impact, not just intent.
- Action – Use privilege and access to help dismantle inequitable systems.
- Navigating Pitfalls:
Growth requires discomfort. Recognize privilege, let go of the “right to comfort,” and push past fear or shame. When mistakes happen, apologize, learn, and recommit. - Ongoing Practice:
Allyship means showing up again and again. Knowing better and doing better helps us continue to grow together.
For those who want to dive deeper, Dr. Wooten recommended the video “Allies, Accomplices, and Co-Conspirators” and the resource “White Supremacy Culture Characteristics” by Jones & Okun (2001). Workshop slides and are now available here.
Council encourages all local PTAs to have a representative of DEIB, advocacy or another leader attend DEIB committee meetings.
NEXT MEETING: Wednesday, Dec. 3, from 11 am to 12:30 pm
WHERE: Zoom — Register
Questions? Please reach out to LWPTSA Council DEIB Chair Morgan Sampson at Diversity@LWPTSA.net.