Having Difficult Conversations About Race in the Classroom

Tips from Stephanie A. Jirard

"Let me make clear,” Stephanie A. Jirard, J.D., began. "Silence on the topic of race with your students is no longer an option."  

Jirard, a Title IX Coordinator, Diversity Chief Officer, and Professor of Criminal Justice at Shippensburg University, believes the equitable future many are protesting for will largely depend on how instructors respond. In a new webinar titled “Having Conversations About Race in the Classroom,” Jirard shared how to approach this topic with students to facilitate critical thinking, social justice, and change, including three main steps:  

1. Prepare yourself 

2. Relate to the student  

3. Debrief  

“Rinse and repeat. Rinse and repeat,” she said. 

She concluded by echoing her initial call to instructors, saying they cannot be silent on the topic. "Your work towards racial equality with [students] means that they can see it's a laudable goal to work towards dismantling structures that oppress society." 

Watch the full recording below, see our live Twitter thread featuring more tips, and be on the lookout for a follow-up Q&A with Jirard.  

About

Prior to teaching at Shippensburg, Stephanie A. Jirard was a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy's Judge Advocate General's Corps and served as a trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Division; a federal prosecutor at the U.S. Attorney's Office; an assistant Public defender at the Federal Public Defender’s Office; and a death-penalty defense lawyer with the Missouri Public Defender’s Capital Litigation Unit. As a professional coach, she also provides training on diversity and inclusion to organizations and agencies surrounding race, gender, LGBTQ, mental health, and the differently-abled, and has received training on how to lead conversations about race.