In the wake of the devastating fires on Maui, many educators and students are going back to school while continuing to grapple with grief and trauma. We have seen an outpouring of aloha in fundraising, volunteering, organizing, and mutual aid efforts, along with an abundance of resources for supporting each other as we move forward.

A letter from Chai Reddy - a message and hope and gratitude.

Shanti Fellow Kealoha Scullion’s research on the impact of the Shanti Alliance program on youth participants.

Shanti Alliance students reflect on their DEI journey.

During the month of July, Shanti Alliance educators from schools in Hawaiʻi, California, and Massachusetts came together weekly to read and discuss the book Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People, by Mahzarin R. Banaji and Anthony G. Greenwald. Blindspot, based on the development and research outcomes of the Harvard Implicit Association Test, explores both the biases that we have (many of which are surprising even to ourselves), and how they influence our actions in personal and professional spheres.

In its attempts to continue providing instruction, U.S. schools are implementing practices to make it as safe as possible for students to return in the Fall. A number of districts and independent schools are using terms like contact tracing, social distancing, and positivity rates to create safe environments and a return to learning.

Every school has its own “language” that is unique to its community. Maybe the person who guides students is an Advisor while in another school it is the Homeroom teacher. Is it Homecoming, Fall Festival, or some other gathering term that encourages students and alumni to assemble in different ways to celebrate the nostalgia of the school?

Yesterday, Tuesday, January 5th, was a historic day. In the state of Georgia, an African-American man was elected to the U.S. Senate for the first time in its state's history. A runoff election took place and the number of votes cast was much greater than anything anticipated in a runoff election.

There is a lot to be proud of, but we know there is more work to be done. You may or may not have seen that in the news, a significant increase in violence against Asian-Americans is taking place. In similar ways that the voices of Black and Indigenous peoples have been silenced, the systemic exclusion of Asians in the United States has deep roots.

If we don’t acknowledge certain identities, we could be doing harm by not properly crediting or giving a pass. We might assume that there is a race issue in our school, but really it is race and gender. Perhaps something is presented as a challenge to one’s ability, but it is in juxtaposition with sexual orientation.