Dr. Michael Addresses Racial Identity of White Communities in Tedx Talk

By Caitlin Burns | June 27, 2017

Dr. Ali Michael, adjunct professor of Counseling and director of K-12 consulting and professional development at the Center for the Study of Race and Equity in Education at the University of Pennsylvania, discussed race and racial identity during the Tedx Cheltenham event on June 3.

Dr. Michael teaches the Multicultural Lab: Self-Awareness I and II courses, which aim to foster the introspection and self-awareness needed by students to excel as counselors. Dr. Michael’s current research focuses on supporting teachers to mitigate the unintentional, pervasive effects of institutional and individual racism in their classrooms. She also studies how white families racially socialize their children.

“What is the point of talking about race and racism?” Dr. Michael said. “The point is to see the way that racism has fractured us as a country, as a community, and as individuals. And to work and repair–heal–those fractures in multiracial communities.”