Our Commitment to Racial Equity
MAC’s seminal publication, The Way We Go to School, revealed that thousands of children in Boston were being excluded from school, many because they were Spanish speaking or deemed “unteachable” due to disabilities or behavior problems. (Image description: Report cover, showing a black and white illustration of two children behind a window)
MAC emerged over 50 years ago in response to the widespread and systematic exclusion of children of color from school because they were Spanish speaking or deemed “unteachable” due to disabilities or behavior problems. This exclusion of students occurred in the context of a nation whose history is steeped in the oppression of people of color through genocide, slavery, segregation, internment camps, illegal deportations, and other acts of structural and institutional racism.
Today, young people of color throughout the country including Massachusetts continue to carry this history on their shoulders as they attend school and live their daily lives. The echoes of centuries of racially discriminatory policies and practices such as anti-literacy laws, police brutality against communities of color, segregated housing policies, and inequitable school funding practices still resound. The legacy and continuation of racial discrimination and oppression remind us that we are still far from each of our children having a fair and equitable opportunity to learn, reach their potential, and thrive.
School should be a place where every child is supported to reach their greatest potential. The reality is that this is not the case for students of color. Black, Latinx, and bilingual English learner students are less likely than their White, primarily English-speaking peers to graduate. Moreover, Black and Latinx students are far more likely to be suspended or arrested at school, trends which increase the likelihood of becoming involved in the criminal justice system. Black and Latinx students with disabilities are also more likely than their White peers to be placed in segregated settings, resulting in lowered expectations and worse academic and post-secondary outcomes. These data urgently demand the elimination of institutional racism and racial bias to achieve equitable opportunities and outcomes for all students.
Over half of Black children with autism in Massachusetts are in segregated classrooms – double the rate for White children with autism (Image description: Two pie chart side by side. Title of image: Children with Autism by Race - Segregated Classrooms)
Yet statistics capture only a portion of the lives of students of color as members of a society that privileges whiteness at the expense of people of color. Children in our schools experience intersecting identities that inform their lived experiences. The experiences of Black and Latinx children with disabilities are unique and affected by multiple, complex forms of discrimination and inequities. The individual and collective experiences of students of color reveal the isolation, invisibility, and discrimination that students of color and their families face as they navigate webs of racial stereotypes and bias throughout their daily lives. Also omitted from the numbers are the rich and layered journeys, joys, strength, and resilience of students of color which tell a fuller story and counter the negative stereotypes, lies, and harmful messaging that is perpetuated by racism.
Removing barriers to educational and life opportunities for all children is and always will be MAC’s mission and guiding force. Inseparable from each barrier we seek to remove is the deeply ingrained racism woven throughout every aspect of society, including within educational institutions. Consequently, our work as a leading children’s advocacy organization is dangerously short-sighted and incomplete if we do not strive to dismantle racism’s systemic roots and actively pursue an anti-racist agenda.
MAC acknowledges that the reality and impact of racism exists even within our own organization. While MAC seeks to partner and work with majority people of color, the majority of our staff, leadership, and organizational network is White, in line with a larger, historical trend of White-dominated spaces in the disability advocacy space as a whole. To be the most effective advocacy organization MAC can be and to truly work in line with the organization’s core values, MAC must align its actions with its words and promote mutual accountability among its staff and Board, communities, and families that MAC joins in partnership.
For MAC, viewing our work through a racial equity lens requires personal, organizational, and external reflection and action. Specifically, this means confronting our own implicit biases, holding ourselves and others accountable for being anti-racist, developing and growing intentional partnerships, and ensuring that all our work aligns with a re-envisioned society that is racially equitable. Here are some concrete ways MAC is using a racial equity lens to guide our work at every level of our organization:
Staffing and Leadership: Revising our hiring and recruitment process, with the goal of having MAC leadership and staff reflect the diversity of the people we work with, and creating a workplace culture where staff of color are heard, seen, valued for the perspectives they bring, share in the decision-making power, and are recognized for all contributions they make to MAC’s work and mission.
Learning and Growth: Creating frequent learning opportunities focused directly on structural and institutional racism and racial bias as well as incorporating ongoing individual and collective reflection practice into MAC’s workplace culture.
Relationships and Partnerships: Strengthening our relationships with partner organizations working toward racial justice and organizations led by and primarily made up of people of color.
Data: Disaggregating demographic data of our Helpline callers and advocating for increased disaggregation of data from educational institutions so we can uncover and address any racial disparities that exist.
Case Priorities: Prioritizing client cases that reveal racial inequities so we can also address the impact of racism at the individual level.
Advocacy: When advocating with and on behalf of individual students of color with disabilities and their families, recognizing the layers of identity that include, but are not necessarily limited to race and/or ethnicity and disability. In schools, culturally responsive teaching practices, representative curricula, educator diversity, and positive, trusting relationships among educators, students, and families foster a sense of belonging and respect for all students that is at the core of equity. We advocate for transforming school cultures and other learning environments to be inclusive, safe, and supportive, and to foster a sense of belonging among all students. When advocating for equitable treatment and distribution of resources in our educational system, recognizing and addressing the impact of institutional and structural racism on students, families, and school cultures. Student and family voices will guide the directions of our advocacy statewide and at the school district level.
Racism and racial inequities should not exist in our schools or anywhere else. The steps that MAC is taking towards this vision as an organization, as well as this statement as a whole, will evolve as we evaluate needs and MAC’s role in creating a racially just society. We recognize that this commitment requires persistence, consistency, and intentionality. Our ultimate goal by making this commitment is to contribute to a cultural shift - both within and outside of our organization - toward a more racially equitable future.