Open Windows, Open Minds: Developing Antiracist, Pro-Human Students

"Afrika Afeni Mills’ book fills an important gap in the arena of diversity, equity and inclusion. Most books are focused on the needs of children of color, but she helps us understand why White students need to build their cultural competence if we are to truly have a society that is bias-free. If you’re a White educator or parent, this book will help you to let go of the things that no longer serve you, and to teach your students to embrace those things that will help create welcoming environments where all feel a sense of belonging."

―Zaretta Hammond
Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor

Equip your students―and yourself―to grapple with racial identity and crucial questions about race.

As antiracist educators, we strive to create learning environments where White-identifying students learn to shift from centering their own racial identity to recognizing the histories, perspectives, and experiences of others. How do we make that vision a reality?

In Open Windows, Open Minds, transformational educator Afrika Afeni Mills explores why racial identity work is crucial, especially for White-identifying students and teachers, and shows educators how to use literacy instruction to provide more windows to racial awareness, antiracist thinking, and pro-human action in the classroom. This roadmap for moving from intention to action includes:

• Exercises that push educators to examine their own racial identity before facilitating antiracism work with students
• Prompts that lead educators from deep thinking to instructional planning and implementation
• Developmentally appropriate teaching strategies for guiding students toward understanding racial identity and engaging in action-oriented learning
• Tools and resources for navigating challenges, finding allies, and creating partnerships

Engaging in anti-bias, antiracist work requires actively thinking, doing, and evolving. Open windows to racial identity and awareness in your students and help create a more inclusive and equitable society.

Afrika Afeni Mills is a Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and an education consultant. She works with colleagues, teachers, coaches, and administrators to transform practices. Before these roles, she gained extensive experience as a classroom teacher, instructional coach, teacher developer, and school administrator since 1999. Afrika has been featured on podcasts, blogs, delivered keynote addresses, and facilitated sessions at conferences across the United States. Afrika believes that all educators can be motivated, engaged, dynamic practitioners and leaders when provided with the support needed to create student-centered, antibias, antiracist, culturally responsive learning environments that inspire wonder and creativity and nurture true diversity, belonging, equity, and inclusion. Recognized for her contributions, Afrika was named among Brightbeam′s Top 22 Education Influencers of 2022 and is an active member of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and Learning Forward. She holds an M.Ed. in Elementary Teaching from Boston College′s Lynch School of Education and Human Development, graduating at the top of her class.