There are several important assumptions underlying this curriculum and the teacher training.

The first is that there are many worldviews on issues of race, and that our understanding of and responses to racial concerns are always filtered through the personal stories that we hold. As researchers and writers, we are aware that we bring our own biases and beliefs to this work, and we believe that you will as well. You will also bring your unique life experiences and perspectives to this learning experience, and that is something that no one else can bring. This curriculum is designed to be flexible, so that you can bring your full, creative teaching self to each lesson.

The second assumption is that race is intrinsically linked to issues of class and gender, and because they really cannot be separated, conversations about one issue will generally lead to another. Because Oregon Uniting has focused its work on racial reconciliation, this curriculum primarily examines the issue of race in Oregon history. You should be prepared to address class and gender as they come up in your classroom activities.

The final assumption is that this curriculum relies heavily on cooperative learning, dialogue models, and a strong sense of interpersonal trust. Our team believes that we all recognize and come to understand our racial and cultural selves in our own time, and in our own ways. Often times, lessons about topics like race offered in the classroom become meaningful in unforeseen ways outside of school. We invite you use this curriculum as an opportunity to re-discover yourself, awaken your students, and change the course of Oregon History.