Reflection: Harnessing Energy of Social Movements for Lasting Change

Abstract

We are witnessing a change in the social consciousness of people across the globe as they are rising up in protest against inequities, injustice, systemic racism, anti-Black racism, and other forms of oppression. Thousands of people are infected and dying from the COVID-19 pandemic which has impacted Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) disproportionately and has laid bare the structural inequities in healthcare and other aspects of society. The killing of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, by the police has sparked not only national outcry in the U.S. and across the globe against anti-Black racism and other forms of injustice, but also conversations on systemic racism and white supremacy and their manifestations in policies and the daily lives of BIPOC. In this article I examine the role the protests and social movements for racial and economic justice can play in achieving lasting change in dismantling system racism, white supremacy, and the structures and policies that uphold it. I urge educators and organizations such as the National Association for Multicultural Education to harness the energy of the moment to call for changes in education and schooling grounded in decolonizing theory and practice. I end by calling for a rethinking and reimaging of diversity, equity, inclusion, social justice, and multicultural discourses, which some have argued, given the ongoing presence and impact of white supremacy and systemic racism in all facets of society including education, have not achieved the intended goals and in some instances have been coopted by those advancing neoliberal and neocolonial agendas.