I'm not a racist! I'm a teacher who believes in equity and justice. But is it possible that I may be unconsciously teaching white supremacy? We must look honestly at segregation and systemic racism in our schools and classrooms by first unpacking our own stories. Only then can we give students the power to imagine and create a more equitable society.


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-- Noelle Picara has over 35 years of training and 15 years experience teaching performing arts internationally to students and community members. Currently she is a teacher and Community Partnership Specialist at Design Thinking Academy, and previously she taught both performing and language arts at the Tatnall School and Ramstein High School. She is a singer-songwriter, dancer, writer, theater director, and producer who specializes in creating spaces that feature the voices of people who have historically been silenced. Noelle has studied circle singing with Bobby McFerrin, creative writing with Anne Waldman, Amiri Baraka, and Sonia Sanchez, and conscious dance through 5 rhythms.

Noelle has produced several multimedia social justice art exhibits. Through her business, Re-Humanizing, she facilitates expressive arts workshops for survivors of individual and collective trauma with non-profits such as SOAR, VAST, and the Ahimsa House. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx