Identity Statements: Affirming Self and Challenging Bias

I. What Are Identity Statements?

  • "I Am" statements: Written affirmations kids create about themselves (e.g., "I am an athlete").

  • "I Am Not" statements: Push back against labels or terms others have projected onto kids (e.g., "I am not annoying").

  • Purpose: To reclaim identity, affirm self, counter others' biases, and challenge societal narratives that assign or question identity.

II. Why Use Identity Statements?

  • Empowerment: Enables individuals to define themselves, thus reducing others' influence.

  • Impact: Helps kids reclaim and reaffirm individual and cultural identities.

  • Counter Messages: Addresses negative impacts from language used by adults, data, peers, and various media forms (e.g., ads, social media).

III. When to Use Them

  • After initial identity web creation.

  • To encourage positive social media use.

  • During homeroom, advisory periods, or special classes.

  • When reading narratives where protagonists are judged, labeled, or question their identity.

  • Recursively when revisiting identity webs throughout the year.

IV. Process for Creating Identity Statements

  • Step 1: Revisit Identity Webs: Students review their original webs to identify existing "I Am" statements.

  • Step 2: Affirm Who We Are: Students privately select and then share "I Am" statements they confidently declare.

  • Step 3: Model Naming Assigned Identities: The teacher introduces the concept of identities assigned by others due to bias (e.g., microaggressions) and models writing these external labels on an "outer web."

  • Step 4: Kids Name Assigned Identities: Students privately identify and write labels, words, or phrases that others have used to define them or their groups, adding them to their "outer web."

  • Step 5: Create Identity Statements: Students craft three types of statements:

    • An "I Am" statement (affirmation).

    • An "I Am Not" statement (refutation of an assigned label).

    • A third "I Am" statement that reclaims identity by directly countering the "I Am Not" label.

  • Step 6: Share and Go Public: Brainstorm ways to publicly present these statements (e.g., "I Am" wall, video, writing piece, gallery walk), emphasizing the distinction between personal identity and external stereotypes.

V. Impact and Follow-Up

  • Self-Definition: Strengthens kids' self-definition against pervasive negative societal messages.

  • Confidence: Fosters confidence and resilience, especially in challenging or less-safe environments.

  • Conversation: Initiates a visible public dialogue, allowing for reflection, connection, and a ripple effect within communities.

  • Educator Insights: Provides insights for educators into implicit messages they might be sending about student identity.

VI. Addressing Common Tensions

  • Students claiming "nothing to write" for assigned identities: This can stem from interpreting "assigned identities" as only heavy examples, feeling unsafe to share, or a position of privilege.

  • Solution: Prompt with, "What is something that no one knows about you?" to uncover subtle external perceptions, which can lead to statements like "I am loyal" or "I am not quiet (if you get to know me)."