Tearing Down Institutional Racism with Darnisa Amante
Air Dates: March 18-24, 2019
Schools across America face an increasingly diverse student population while deep-seated institutional biases endure. Darnisa Amante argues that successful leaders who dig deep and unpack their own experiences with race and bias can help tear down the barriers of institutional racism and make schools better.
Dr. Darnisa Amante is an educational and racial equity strategist who is deeply committed to the study of culture; innovation; and adult development. Since earning her master’s degree in Anthropology from Brandeis University, and her doctorate from Harvard’s Educational Leadership Doctorate (Ed.L.D.), Dr. Amante has honed her knowledge of culture and adult development to transform organizational and school cultures on issues of equity; change management and re-design. Dr. Amante is founder and the CEO of The Disruptive Equity Education Project (DEEP), based in Manchester, N.H.
DEEP is a professional development and strategy organization that is focused on the intentional, developmental, and complex work that is associated with changing mindsets around equity and dismantling systemic oppression and racism. As an organization, we believe that if the work of equity is not personal, intentional, and carefully planned then it will not be sustainable. To attain lasting results, DEEP engages leaders across school systems; students; parents; and organizations focused on equitable organizational change in transformative workshops. Our workshops challenge conceptions of inequity and reframe the task of achieving equity and racial equity. We build opportunities for individuals and teams to explore individual roles and team roles in dismantling inequity in their own communities.
“We work together to change mindsets around equity and dismantling systemic oppression and racism,”
Said Amante, “Most importantly, the work that we do at DEEP is about bridging stronger connections to humanity; embracing the challenges of inequity with love and care; and offering key insights and strategic interventions to ensure that our work is sustained over time.”
“Story in the Public Square” broadcasts each week on public television stations across the United States. A full listing of the national television distribution is available at this link. In Rhode Island and southeastern New England, the show is broadcast on Rhode Island PBS on Sundays at 11 a.m. and is rebroadcast Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. An audio version of the program airs 8:30 a.m. & 6:30 p.m. ET, Sundays at 4:30 a.m. & 11:30 p.m. ET on SiriusXM’s popular P.O.T.U.S. (Politics of the United States), channel 124. “Story in the Public Square” is a partnership between the Pell Center and The Providence Journal. The initiative aims to study, celebrate and tell stories that matter.