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One of the exercises in CLP is about identifying and clarifying our own personal values. We each identify our top 5 values, writing one each on 5 index cards. Then we have to drop one… and another… until we are forced to choose our number 1, top value. What is your current One right now and why?

Generativity. I believe so strongly in the idea that growth and change are always possible. Before CLP, it wasn’t a value I was actively aware I held. But when we did the exercise, it came to me immediately. One of the best things about CLP for me was the time and space to remember or discover things within, in relation to what is without.

I see generativity as a key mechanism of activism, social justice, and systemic change. For me, it is hope in action – the basis of being and becoming, of resilience and resistance. Life energy that is inevitable and irrepressible. Often, it is stubborn persistence.

What is one big, burning leadership question you are wrestling with these days?

The same one I’ve been wrestling with for years: how can educational leaders advance social justice?

My work is teaching teachers who are seeking their Sixth Year Degree or Ed.D. Doctorate in Education. In either track, they can pursue CT 092 Intermediate Administrator Certification. The certification qualifies them to lead at a school building level as Curriculum Coach or Coordinator, Department Chair, Assistant Principal or Principal, and at a district level as Assistant Superintendent.

Each of these positions has far-reaching influence on the educational experiences of students, their families, and their communities. So much of what is considered formal “education” greatly influences the material conditions of power and privilege. I think about all the potential we are squandering by not better orienting and supporting these leaders in social justice work (like CLP has done more broadly!).

It is one thing to notice the potential of any single leader, or a team of leaders working together in a school building. They have a profound ability and responsibility to identify unjust inequity and create positive change. They each have so much potential power… Now, imagine the potential of all education leaders nationwide.

In 2015-2016 in the U.S., there were roughly 98,000 K-12 public schools, 35,000 K-12 private schools, and 4,600 degree-granting colleges and universities. In 2018, nearly a quarter of the U.S. population (76.5 million people) attended K-12 and college. If the educational leaders within all these institutions were supported in justice and equity work, so much inspiration and change could be accomplished. And, then, there are the millions more education leaders in community, government, and private sectors.

From my perspective, equity and justice are not only value orientations, but are the actions we take to implement these values in our daily lives. So, how can we – how can I – make it more likely that educational leaders who have the personal and professional commitment to do this work, can actually do it? And how do we support those who are coming into the work for the first time? Whether in elementary schools or higher education, I want to support their understanding of structural and interpersonal inequity, so they can guide themselves and work with the people in their charge toward a world where all are valued and able to truly and equitably self-realize.

What does your work in justice and equity training look like?

I have been involved in this work for some time, going back to the early 1990s when I was the City of Seattle’s first Diversity Coordinator. I have always tried to incorporate it in my teaching and research and, most recently, have been working in community and in university to bridge the worlds of academia with on-the-ground activism.

Some criticize academia for a lot of talk and no action – often rightly so. But research and teaching can and does contribute to activism when knowledge about poverty, racism, sexism or religion-phobia emerges that can be adapted in community-based work. So many academics are also activists who work with community members to create and then spread the word about successful approaches that can be replicated or adapted.

One of my recent activist efforts is through serving as guest editor of three special issues on Educational Leadership and Social Justice, for the Journal of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies (JELPS). The series is intended to encourage dialogue among education leaders and researchers about how inequity is perpetuated, and to share practical strategies for advancing a more just world.

Even though the articles are focused on educational leadership, much of the information is transferable to other types of leaders. I’m excited about the potential to spark interest and action within education and beyond.

Our “call for papers” received over 25 submissions, which is pretty good for a small academic journal! We were able to publish 15 of those (the third issue should be out by the end of January). I am proud of all of them. There is so much food for thought along with crowdsourced resources and actionable ideas. They were written by thoughtful, talented people and cover a lot of useful ground, including:

  • college access for low-income students;
  • addressing poverty and homelessness in schools;
  • reducing negative impacts of implicit bias;
  • using data to disrupt patterns of inequality;
  • trauma-informed practices;
  • narrowing the achievement gap for newly arrived Latin@ students through an alternative ESL/dual-language approach;
  • the equity benefit of K-12 dual-language programs;
  • advancing social justice via oral history and study abroad;
  • justice advocacy through principal/counselor collaboration;
  • LGBT educators’ perceptions of safety and support;
  • a just and socio-culturally responsive educational leadership program;
  • the political complexities of being a “diversity worker” in higher education;
  • promoting Social Emotional Learning’s role in achieving a more just society;
  • developmental orientations toward social justice leadership; and
  • the editorial I wrote introducing the series and sharing my thoughts on why it is important to engage education leaders in justice work.
What inspires you, gives you hope these days?

Imagination, resilience, forgiveness, people who are willing to connect, people who are willing to speak out. Social change requires all of these and each embodies a courage to move forward through structural and inter- or intra-personal obstacles.

This openness is really important to me, and brings me back to my core value of generativity. I get frustrated when people, organizations, or institutions will not consider alternatives, embrace different perspectives, color out of the lines, or tear up a broken template to create anew. I also can get frustrated when people – including me – do not step into the interior work necessary for engaging in collaborative and co-creative change processes. Being exposed to the Unconscious-Incompetence to Unconscious-Competence “steps” helped me understand that empathy and patience are also part of hope and action for change, because not everyone is action-able or action-ready in any given moment.

Despite these intermittent frustrations, I know that change is possible – and I see it daily. There is always a way to learn and grow, even when it’s hard and even when we make mistakes. There is so much work to be done, but shouldering it with others who are pulling in the same direction keeps me going. I need to believe that every valley has its mountain and good will prevail in the end.

This work of transformational change is hard. Stepping in, stepping up, over time, can be draining – physically, intellectually, emotionally, psychically, spiritually. How do you recharge, restore, take care of yourself, rekindle your fire?

One of my favorite ways to recharge is reading, writing, and puttering around in the wee hours. I love the quiet of that time. It’s as if the world’s molecules have slowed down and created more space to just be. Being awake during those hours usually results in much less sleep than I need, but it gives me the space to reflect and listen – to authors, friends, colleagues, and to myself.

CLP helped me understand that my ambivert-ness tends toward introverted-ness. I had not made the connection with my preference for very early morning time and that internal orientation. Now I have a better context for who I am and why I do what I do.

Introduce us to someone you are/were close with personally (e.g., family, teacher, friend, mentor), who shaped (or shapes) you and how you view leadership and possibility for a better community/world?

This is a difficult question for me to answer. So many people day-to-day in my life have inspired and shaped me: family, teachers, students, colleagues, someone I just met on the train, friends, a podcaster, a TED-talker, on and on. There is wisdom and shared experience everywhere.

As I ponder depth of connection and influence of my view of the world and approach to leadership, each in different ways, I think of my parents Mehadin and Barbara, Amartya Sen, Paulo Freire, Toni Morrison, Buckminster Fuller, Margaret Wheatley, Mary McLeod Bethune, Nawal El Saadawi, my dissertation chairs Michael Apple and John Fiske, and my sisters and colleagues Glenabah Martinez and Grace Livingston.

Someone who had a huge effect on me was my 5th Grade teacher, Mr. Williams. The day after the Apollo 17 moon landing, he convinced our class that the entire moon landing was a hoax; the government had staged the whole thing in Nevada and all the space funding was actually fueling the war in Vietnam (a theory that still exists today). When we challenged his claim by saying we had seen it on TV, he countered with “How do you know? What is your evidence?” He finally convinced us it was a hoax and had us cross the hall to tell the other 5th Grade class. As with our class, they took a bit of convincing. We finally succeeded, and returned to our classroom. Once we were all seated Mr. Williams said, “I hate to tell you, guys, but I was just kidding.”

I didn’t know what to believe. The class argued back and forth about which version was correct – and if there were even more possibilities. It is my earliest memory of understanding how important it is to not take things at face value; that there is always some philosophy or ideology at work. From that moment on, I have always felt I had to look much deeper. (And, for the record, I do believe Apollo 17 landed on the moon.)

There was so much around me at that time confirming how important it is to stand up for one’s beliefs: news footage of the Vietnam War, local and national civil rights protests, “flower power,” more mainstream awareness of Eastern philosophies, the Watergate hearings, feminism, Black Power, protests against nuclear power and mandatory draft registration. It helped me understand my mother’s activism and helped me know that I wanted to work on the side of good. I have tried to live this value even though I struggle being confident in knowing what is “good” and “right” – good and right for whom?

This is where CLP has really been so important in my growth. By working closely in CLP alongside so many different people from our New Haven community, I have been able to connect more readily, listen more deeply, and reflect more sincerely about what might be good and right for whom. CLP has helped me be clearer about my understandings, intentions, privileges and actions, and how they affect others.

What do you recommend to us, in each of these categories:

Reading – Playing in the Dark: Whiteness and the Literary Imagination by Toni Morrison. It is a critical analysis of white authors’ use of black characters to define white identity in classic literary works and a reclaiming of that space. Secondly, I would love it if you read anything from the special issues on Educational Leadership & Social Justice, for the Journal of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies.

Listening – To people, more and better. To Marvin Gaye’s song “Got to Give It Up” when I need a boost and Joy Crookes for quieter times. Mostly to whatever my kids are listening to: Lizzo, Billy Eilish, Tally Hall, the Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Soundtrack, Tierra Whack, and all kinds of Broadway musicals. To my son, who sings incessantly and my daughter on the drums. Also, to silence; when I take the time to listen, it speaks volumes.

Eating – Smoked salmon farfalle pasta, french fries well-done with mayonnaise and ketchup, Makloubeh with Khiyar bi Laban, and butter (all food is a vehicle for butter). In the world of fruits and vegetables: apples, green beans, and onions.

Watching – Lots of You-Tube “how to” tutorials for fixing things (2019 was the “year of disintegration”).

Laughing – Whenever and wherever possible with whomever is willing to share in the fun!

Wildcard – Quote to live by and the only bumper sticker I will put on my car: No matter where you go…there you are. I prefer the attribution to Confucius.

Interview with The Circle’s Creative Director & Editor, Lara Herscovitch (Cohort 10). To reach Lara directly: thecircle@clpnewhaven.org or Lara@LaraHerscovitch.com

To get in touch with Sousan directly: arafehs1@southernct.edu

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