The Michigan Association for Gifted Children recognizes the pain, frustration, and grief caused by more than 400 years of racial injustice and inequality in the United States.
Systemic and institutionalized racism and oppression lead to the exclusion and denial of gifted education for Black, Brown and Native Americans, and children of lower-economic status, in this country. Instead, the goal should be to seek out and include every gifted child. Access to gifted programs and services, as well as support and advocacy, must be equitable.
We know that innate gifts and talents are not divided by race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or gender, and MAGC is committed to working to address these issues. Actions to be taken include:
- Continue training and informing educators regarding systemic barriers to full participation.
- Aggressively advocate for adoption of “A Culturally Responsive Equity-Based Bill of Rights for Gifted Students of Color” in districts across the state. (www.nagc.org/blog/culturally-responsive-equity-based-bill-rights-gifted-students-color)
- Require each MAGC committee to create actionable items for practical change and hold MAGC accountable for operationalizing these steps toward equity.
- Increase the diversity and representation of the MAGC Board of Directors.
- Raise awareness in underrepresented families and communities regarding the characteristics of gifted children.
- Educate ourselves, as an organization and as individual members, so that we might understand how we can better serve and assist Black students and families in their pursuit of equity and justice.
Most importantly, MAGC recognizes that giftedness has no boundaries, and this foundational understanding will be reflected in the goals, actions, and policies of this organization. Justice and equity are the goals, and we will continue to strive for them in all that we do.
