2021 WAESOL Annual Conference

Is antiracist English language teaching possible? Reaching beyond the horizon for racial justice in TESOL

With increasing public attention to entrenched patterns of systemic racial injustice, the landscape of the English teaching profession has shifted over the past eighteen months, emphasizing for English teachers the degree to which the notion of language can never be conceptualized in a narrow sense but must always be understood in sociohistorical context and as intertwined with capital, class, gender, religion, ability, nation, and particularly race. As English language teachers practice our craft, our work continues to be embedded in histories of racial violence and domination, and in a contemporary context of inequitable global racial power. These enduring legacies are indelibly but invisibly woven throughout our language practices, pedagogies, relationships, and the educational, social, and institutional spaces we are immersed in.

This leaves English teachers asking ourselves complicated questions and navigating challenging terrain. What does it mean to be an English teacher at this particular moment? How might we as English teachers reconceptualize the goals of our practice given the racialized nature of the notion of English? How can we maintain a critical eye toward the legacy of colonization and racialization in which the profession is embedded when we know that privileged forms of English can open doors for our students? How can we negotiate the racialized nature of the English language as we are teaching it? How might we attend to the messy intertwining of English with what Flores (2016) has termed ‘hegemonic Whiteness’? How does our consciousness of our own racial identities become salient in our practice?

This presenter asks what an ELT practice that is clear-sighted about the injuries and damages of colonialism and racial inequity might look like. She asks: Is the teaching of English irretrievably rooted in race and empire? Is antiracist English language teaching possible? What might it look it? And how might it be achieved?

Washington state has a long history of welcoming people from refugee and immigrant backgrounds.  Since 1979, more than 140,000 people have resettled in Washington’s local communities through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.  Supporting the integration of newcomers involves many different members of our communities.  English as a Second Language Programs for kids and adults play a critical role in helping people to not only learn English but also supporting kids in schools, building community across refugee and immigrant groups, and gaining important knowledge and information needed for people to grow and thrive.  Join me in discussing how Washington communities play a vital role in supporting our nation’s response to welcoming our newest neighbors from Afghanistan.

Meet the board and hear about what WAESOL has been up to since last October.  It's been a busy year!

Come celebrate our Grants and Awards recipients and see how we celebrate our 46th year as WAESOL.