Summary: <br> When I was a little boy, I remember sitting in a small theater with my family where we watched the 1977 release of the first Star Wars movie.<br> <br> <br> <br> <a href="https://williamdparker.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/starwars.jpg"></a>Photo by Tobias Cornille – Creative Commons No known copyright restrictions https://unsplash.com/@tobiasc?utm_source=haikudeck&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=api-credit<br> <br> <br> <br> It was a pivotal moment. The visual effects and music were like nothing I had ever seen or heard. The characters were funny and endearing. Afterwards, I pretended to be Luke Skywalker with my friends who used tree limbs or broom sticks for light sabers.<br> <br> <br> <br> I was eight years old at the time. Although the movie became iconic in its stamp on American cinema, I did not realize until much later that something was missing.<br> <br> <br> <br> A few weeks ago, my 15-year-old son, Jack watched the movie with me via Disney Plus. When it ended, what was missing dawned on me, and I asked him, “I’m curious. Did you notice how many characters in that movie were black?”<br> <br> <br> <br> He thought about it for a moment. <br> <br> <br> <br> “Well, I don’t know what color all the aliens and droids were, but all the main characters – including the Empire and Resistance actors – they were white.”<br> <br> <br> <br> I can guarantee that question never crossed my mind when I was eight years old, but I would bet it came across the mind of lots of African American girls and boys in 1977.<br> <br> <br> <br> White School Leaders During Black History Month<br> <br> <br> <br> This month marks the beginning of Black History Month. During the protests and marches that spread across our nation and the world, I was challenged, like many other educators to reexamine my own understanding of racism. Frankly, I made a lot of promises to myself to go deeper, to learn more about my neighbors and to find better ways for educators to meet the needs of all members in their school communities. <br> <br> <br> <br> Keeping this promise has meant reading new (and old) books, having difficult conversations, and learning to look at life from the perspective of others – including re-examining some of my favorite old movies.<br> <br> <br> <br> A Discussion on Race with Jen Schwanke<br> <br> <br> <br> Recently, I sat down with <a href="http://jenschwanke.com">Jen Schwanke</a>, Principal of Dublin Elementary School in Dublin, Ohio, for this week’s podcast episode. We talked about the momentous summer of 2020. We talked about our struggle as white educators to become better listeners. And we discussed several ways education leaders can keep their promises about anti-racism. <br> <br> <br> <br> Here are some of the takeaways from the episode:<br> <br> <br> <br> Increase Your Reading<br> <br> <br> <br> Over the summer, Jen and I read or reviewed several books we would recommend for other educators, including:<br> <br> <br> <br> * <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Open-Wide-Freedom-Gates-Memoir/dp/1586482866">Open Wide The Freedom Gates: A Memoir</a> by Dorothy Height <br> <br> <br> <br> * <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Stamped-Kids-Racism-Antiracism-You/dp/0316167584/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=stamped+for+kids&qid=1612309632&sr=8-1">Stamped (For Kids): Racism, Antiracism, and You</a> by Sonja Cherry-Paul (Adapter), Jason Reynolds (Author), Ibram X. Kendi (Author), Rachelle Baker (Illustrator) <br> <br> <br> <br> * <a href="https://www.amazon.com/s?k=caste+by+isabel+wilkerson&gclid=CjwKCAiAjeSABhAPEiwAqfxURSNt80QjmZZH35nuR5Q8bo0UBKvgmy_D02WBcc8YHbxK-UDT_kAzdxoChJ0QAvD_BwE&hvadid=439173873747&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9026521&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=5254623783108605547&hvtargid=kwd-946151330124&hydad..."></a>
