Pine Project: Professional Development

Reflective Opportunities

The video will offer you opportunities to pause to read the featured books, articles, and other resources. While they are not required, the video content that follows will assume you have done these assignments.

The number at the end of each Reflective Opportunity is a timestamp for the place in the video where you paused for reading or reflection. Return to this timestamp to resume watching.

Reflective Opportunity 1

In preparation for our first speaker, open your journal and make three columns. Without doing any research, make a list of things in the first column that you know about or associate with Haiti. Next, read Auntie Luce’s Talking Paintings including the Author’s Note. In the second column of your journal, make a list of impressions and the new information you gained about Haiti based on what you found in the book. In the third column, list the things written and illustrated in the book that you recognize you need more context to understand. (3:23)

Reflective Opportunity 2

Cultural humility is ongoing self-reflection and learning, recognizing the limits of one’s cultural understanding. Cultural competence is developing the skills to engage respectfully with diverse cultures. Both promote inclusion and respect. Reflect on a situation where greater Cultural Competence or Humility could have changed an outcome. Be specific and honest in your reflection, as this exercise is for your eyes only. Afterward, consider identifying any implicit biases that may have influenced the situation. (7:48)

Reflective Opportunity 3

In your journal make a list of the false narratives about Islam that you have heard shared in the past. Read In My Mosque and journal about what new narratives or feelings the book is sharing about the Muslim community. (36:17)

Reflection Opportunity 4

In your journal, recall a time when you lacked a certain Cultural Competence. Write out the pathway you took to gain that Cultural Competence directly from community-created resources. If you haven’t had this experience yet, now is the time to plan for it. What does the Cultural Humility you need to put in place look like? (40.53)

Reflective Opportunity 5

Before we hear from educator Xavier Botana and author Leonarda Carranza, please return to the picture book Abuelita and Me. Think about the silence on the bus as Abuleita was physically confronted and verbally attacked. How could someone (of any age) have stood up on that bus and said, “This is not fair.” changing the impact that Leonarda covers in this next piece? (1:01:39)

Reflective Opportunity 6

Consider the concept of “inclusion” and how its various meanings resonate across different contexts—language, mineralogy, mathematics, politics, and personal experience. Reflect on “inclusions” from your own life that have helped shape who you are today. How have the intersections in your cultural background, personal experiences, and professional roles influenced your perspective on leadership, community, and identity? (1:25:38)

Reflective Opportunity 7

Write about a specific moment or series of moments that exemplify how these inclusions have informed your approach to building inclusive environments. How do you see yourself in relation to others, and how do your decisions and actions impact both your immediate community and the broader world? Consider how the belief that “I am you, and you are me” influences your leadership style and relationships with others. What challenges have you faced in striving to create a space where everyone feels seen, heard, and valued, and how have these challenges shaped your growth as a leader? (1:26:14)

Further Resources

Website: Talking about race. National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Talking about race, although hard, is necessary. We are here to provide tools and guidance to empower your journey and inspire conversation.

Website: EmbraceRace.
Since 2016, EmbraceRace has supported parents, guardians, educators, and other caregivers working to raise children who are thoughtful, informed and brave about race so that U.S. multiracial democracy can thrive. We identify, organize, and create the tools, resources, discussion spaces, and networks to:
– Nurture resilience and joy in children of color
– Nurture inclusive, empathetic children of all stripes
– Raise kids who think critically about race and racial inequality
– Support a movement of kid and adult racial justice advocates for all children