3 to 10 Project: Recent Episodes
Reed Dyer
Welcome to the 3 to 10 Project. Two white, cisgender men, Marc Waxman and Reed Dyer, who have been friends for over 25 years, exploring race, gender, and education by talking through the intersection of our experiences with what we are reading, listening to, and thinking about. And, most importantly, considering how to show up moving forward.
It’s a long-term commitment: three to ten years of anti-racist culture building.
To be added to our mailing list or share your feedback and comments, please email us directly at 3to10project@gmail.com.
Building from last episode's conversation about where we live, Marc and Reed welcome their sons onto the podcast. Sam (15) and Chase (12) lay it all out, sharing their views about the role of education in fighting racism, homophobic language in schools, parental virtue signaling, intersectionality, and why Massachusetts isn't a place any kid would want to grow up. We get some powerful advice from Sam about how to be an ally to people of color, and Chase presents the case for why his community proves the existence of white privilege.
Our friend Jason joins us for a second time as we begin our discussion by reflecting on if and how we have been showing up -- including the role of mindfulness -- around colleagues of color. And then we explore whether where we live impacts our intentions to be anti-racist. Does it matter why we live where we live, and what does our address say about us?
Finally -- another white guy on the podcast. What should anti-racist work look like for white men, anyway? We welcome our longtime friend Jason for a conversation about his own journey into anti-racism and how it connects to our own. Jason shares his experiences, as a Jersey kid now living in Georgia, and weighs in on the roles of discomfort and mindfulness in personal growth.
With news that a nearby school district had been challenged in a federal lawsuit to stop the practice of racial affinity groups, Marc and Reed consider why gathering by race might be an essential part of exploring our racial identity – but perhaps only if we’re willing to push into discomfort. Marc also presses Reed to develop a consistent practice of meditation as a tool towards working for social justice.
Marc raises the questions of how "mental models" can both help and hinder understanding between people, often without them even knowing. We then get personal, examining an email exchange between friends that helps us consider how intellectualizing issues of race and identity may serve as a barrier rather than an entry point to change.
In the second half of our conversation with three middle school teachers, we hear how the experience of pushing for anti-racist work in a district has felt for them. We also discover that their barriers are not only racial -- gender plays a bigger role that we realized.
If you haven't already listened to the first half of our conversation, we encourage you to check out episode 3 before listening to this one.
Marc and Reed turn the podcast over to three teachers who are working to engage with issues of race in their district, school, and classrooms. We hear what they've done to start conversations, support their students, and engage their colleagues in new ways of thinking. This episode is part one of their conversation.
Marc and Reed think more conversations about race shoulld be happening in schools but fear seems to be standing in the way. While we have empathy for teachers who may, rightfully, be feeling afraid and unprepared to champion racial justice, we also explore a few steps forward to make space for more conversations about race in classrooms and board meetings. Along the way, we consider the role of "moral panic" and availability bias.
Marc and Reed begin season two by discussing the value of this podcast -- as a routine and habit -- and how these discussions can help us better move justice work forward through personal accountability. Marc also makes his argument about why he needs to be on the move as we record.
Days after Juneteenth was named a federal holiday, we discuss the paradox of a holiday celebrating the end of slavery at a time of deepening attacks on anti-racism in education. Marc and Reed share their own recent experiences with school committees, coded language, and the sudden rise of the term "Critical Race Theory." As we conclude the final episode of our first season, we also share a few reflections on the ground we have covered, and the possible road ahead.
Recorded 6/20/21
Marc and Reed process Derek Chauvin's guilty verdict for the murder of George Floyd, sharing an unexpected reaction. We also consider the role of the police in American society and whether this could be an inflection point in history.
Recorded 4/25/21
Marc got elected to serve on his local school committee. We discuss how that happened and what he hopes to accomplish in this role. And, among the questions we discuss are two that seem important: 1) How transparent should Marc be around his ideas of anti-racism? And, 2) Who should Marc be listening to and observing?
Recorded 4/10/21
Working from a blog post from Black Girl in Maine, we consider what change looks like for us. How can we lean into, rather than push away, more complicated feelings of discomfort? And, it occurs to us that the whole podcast might just be virtue signaling. Who are we really doing the work of racial consciousness building for?
Recorded 3/28/21
We explore the concept of discomfort as a signifier of white fragility. Can being a white male in positions of leadership insulate you from feelings of discomfort? What are the implications of that? And, we consider how mindfulness might help us gain greater awareness of our own discomfort and, potentially, turn us towards action.
Recorded 3/13/21
Marc and Reed welcome our first guest, Gianna, who has a few thoughts to share about community organizing, white discomfort in social justice work, and whether the idea of a "safe space" prevents real progress. Gianna shares her experiences with community members, who want to make schools better but stop short when it comes to broader changes, like looking critically at local policing practices.
Recorded 2/27/21
What role should white voices play in the push for schools to acknowledge the role of race and racism within the system? How can community voices be amplified and how much might we all rely on the voices of People of Color to lead changes? What can we do to build community voice and organize to help better prepare children for the world?
Recorded 1/24/21
Who gets to make broad, sweeping statements? Reed and Marc wander into the crossfire of voices on issues of race, including John McWhorter, Sam Harris, Ibram Kendi, Resmaa Menakem, and Robin DiAngelo. Ultimately, we ask, "If we can't acknowledge that racism is systemic, can we ever have productive dialogue with each other?"
Recorded 12/20/20
In a first for the podcast, this episode was recorded over three different calls, as Mark progresses through a 100 kilometer run. Reed shares the actions he's taken as a result of the discussion in our last podcast, working to plan presentations in a way that are respectful and relevant to all participants, not just white educators. Then, as we consider how the experience of running 62 miles can shed light on Marc's us journey towards anti-racism, we unpack the concept of White Supremacy Culture.
Recorded 11/27/20
As most of the country beings to acknowledge that Joe Biden will be the next president, Reed shares a recording of a webinar he led the previous week about discussing inequity in schools. In the session, a participant raised questions about the intentions of the session and whether the guidance was appropriate for black and brown educators. Who was the session really designed for and what can Reed learn from this interaction to be better at his job moving forward?
Recorded 11/15/20
Days before the 2020 election, Marc and Reed share how an episode of another podcast helped them consider the long-term nature of building anti-racist culture within a community of white folks and led to the name for this podcast. Building from Resmaa Menakem's work, we discuss the role of mindfulness practices in anti-racism, and wonder how necessary physical proximity is to building lasting anti-racist culture among a community.
Recorded 11/1/20
Reed and Marc discuss what the role of the white male is when it comes to education in urban areas that are primarily students of color. We also give a nod to the role of sports, and especially Celtics player Jaylen Brown, in the work of liberation.
Recorded 10/17/20
Recognizing it is Indigenous People's Day tomorrow, Marc and Reed discuss the idea of loving your country and what we should be teaching future voters in this country.
Recorded 10/11/20
Marc and Reed discuss the idea of patriarchy and white privilege in the education system through the lens of their own efforts as educators, taking a critical eye to what they have done, what could have been done differently or better, and even ask the question if they should have been the ones to do the work that they did.
Recorded 9/27/20
We begin with an examination of our identify privileges, particularly as men, and how we interact within our professional roles. We then explore our own reactions to an open letter from the charter school network Uncommon Schools, about the changes they are making in response to the national conversation about race. Given our connection to the president of Uncommon Schools, we consider how our own views on education have changed since we all first became teachers, back in 1994.
Recorded 9/17/20
Marc shares two ideas for action in his community, inspired by a superintendent's bold use of the National Anthem in his school's system's opening meeting.
Recorded 9/3/20
Marc and Reed discuss two paradigms that influence people's political decisions and how those relate to race issues in America today.
Recorded 8/28/20