Supporting Students Through the Chauvin Trial & Daunte Wright Shooting

Erica J. Ryan
Associate Professor of History
Director, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program
and
Sarah Trocchio
Assistant Professor of Sociology

To be honest, while I care about politics and current events, my course just isn’t about those things. I’m concerned that even trying to bring up something like the election in class might lead to things getting out of hand. What if a student says something that upsets others? What if I inadvertently use the “wrong” language and face blowback from students? It’s tough for me to see the value in giving up class time where we could be covering course content to discuss unrelated material that I don’t think of myself as having particular expertise in.
[the vignettes from Brown University]

In some classes, discussions about the trial are directly related to the course content, theme, or focus. In other classes, discussion may arise because students and instructors recognize the trial as a part of the broader conditions that shape teaching and learning. Regardless of their course of study, students will be impacted by the trial’s outcome, and some of those students may voice their concerns and reactions to faculty. They may look to us to listen and validate their responses and to offer some flexibility in our courses. Even students that choose not to share their feelings with us may be struggling, and Black students are especially likely to face acute trauma. Please don’t assume that if students don’t bring up these events that they are fine. For these reasons, we encourage all faculty to prepare proactively by thinking about how the verdict in the Chauvin Trial and the police shooting of Daunte Wright may impact our students, classrooms, and themselves, and to be prepared to offer flexibility in our courses, specifically around attendance and due dates in the immediate aftermath of these events.

From “Confronting a Sordid History of Racist Violence in the United States”, a statement by the American Historical Association, June 2020; USA Today, “Not Just George Floyd: Police Departments Have 400 Year History of Racism”; and Vox, “Trial by Trauma: the Derek Chauvin Trial is Retraumatizing Black Americans”

“Everything has a history, including our nation’s deplorable record of violence against African Americans, committed either outside the law or in the name of law enforcement itself. George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police officers cannot be understood in isolation, as a tragic moment detached from a familiar narrative of “who we as Americans really are.” What happened to George Floyd stands well within our national tradition.” (AHA*)

Importantly, the deaths of Floyd and "other black men, women and children across the U.S. during interactions with police officers, have inspired protests and calls for police reform, along with the rise of the Black Lives Matter social justice movement.

But law enforcement officials across the U.S. have a much longer history of killing black people, says Jennifer Cobbina, a criminal justice professor at Michigan State University....Too often people look at the contemporary issue, the issue that is going on right now but not understanding that all that is happening is seeped in 400 years of legacy of injustice,” she says, adding, “These past grievances, past harms by law enforcement, need to be addressed before even attempting to move forward.”

Dating back to the 1600s, the U.S., then a British colony, used a watchmen system, where citizens of towns and cities would patrol their communities to prevent burglaries, arson and maintain order. After the abolition of slavery in 1865 with the passing of the 13th Amendment toward the end of the Civil War, slave patrols were done away with and modern police departments become more common.

African Americans, however, were still heavily policed by law enforcement officials, especially in areas that passed black codes, or laws that restricted property ownership, employment and other behaviors.

The Ku Klux Klan and other hate groups terrorized black communities, carrying out lynchings and destroying black schools. Some law enforcement and other government officials became KKK members, especially in the South."” (USA Today*)

“The recent series of cases marked by severe, even murderous overreach on the part of police officers are part and parcel of historic trends. The killing of George Floyd stems from a constellation of structural injustices that are immune to the platitudes of anguish and concern that routinely follow instances of police-initiated violence against African Americans. As a nation, we’ve shown reluctance not only to learn our own history but to learn from it, which helps to explain why we continue to witness—and set aside as exceptional—egregious forms of human-rights abuses in case after case.” (AHA)

“In 2018, researchers at Boston University, the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital found that police killings of unarmed Black people have adverse mental health effects on Black adults who were not directly affected by the incident itself: stress, depression, and difficulties with emotions that manifested in “poor mental health days.”

Black Americans have a greater and more personal understanding of systemic racism — they understand a lack of fairness, a loss of social status, diminished trust in social institutions, and prior related traumas, researchers found.

“We already knew this was happening based on how people talked about it on social media,” Jacob Bor, a professor of global health at Boston University and one of the report’s authors, told Vox. “But we wanted to contribute population-level data to a phenomenon that we were already seeing. We sometimes just assume that racism causes health disparities, but when you’re not explicit, people make other interpretations like maybe it’s genetics, behavior, or culture, which is pretty wrongheaded.”

For those already carrying the trauma of systemic racism, it doesn’t take much to trigger a physical and emotional response: Just hearing about Floyd or Chauvin’s trial can be enough to trigger memories of the other Black men who died at the hands of the police. And seeing video of the incident or even just listening to audio, particularly hearing Floyd’s voice and how he pleaded for his life, adds to that existing trauma.

It is a kind of trauma that builds over time, increasing with other moments of violence, from the beating of Rodney King in 1991 to the killing of Trayvon Martin in 2012, and compounds with Floyd and the police killing of Walter Wallace in October 2020 or the police shooting of Adam Toledo just last month.

“This is a part of our generation’s collective and ongoing trauma that was also a part of the experience that our ancestors had to undergo, only in a different iteration,” says trauma psychologist Mariel Buqué.” (VOX*)

Further resources:

American Historical Association*: Statement on the History of Racist Violence in the U.S.
USA Today*: Police Departments Have 400 Year History of Racism
VOX*: Trial By Trauma: The Derek Chauvin Trial is Retraumatazing Black Americans
National Trial Lawyers; The History of American Police Brutality
Police Use of Force as Leading Cause of Death for Black Men: See Frank Edwards (2019) PNAS article summary here.
Police Brutality & Intergenerational Trauma: Articles in New Haven Register & Today.com
VOX: The Ugly History of Racist Policing in America

Start with Yourself: Self-Reflection and Strategies

Self-reflection is important preparation for facilitating sensitive conversations with our students. As educators, we have to process our own feelings and become aware of the way our own identities and experiences shape the perspectives we hold. Read the “Start with Yourself” section on page 2 of Fostering Civil Discourse guide. Then reflect on the following questions:

What emotions do the recent events surrounding the death and trial of George Floyd raise for you?
What perspectives will you bring to your reflection on these events with your students?
What can you do to ensure that students with a range of perspectives are supported in your reflection?
As this story develops, how will you continue to learn alongside your students?

Adapted from Facing History and Ourselves teaching guide, “Reflecting On George Floyd’s Death And Police Violence Towards Black Americans Guide”

Successful Strategies: Eleven Potentially Positive Actions*

Understand one’s racial/cultural identity
Acknowledge and be open to admitting one’s racial biases
Be comfortable and open to discussing topics of race and racism
Understand the meaning of emotions
Validate and facilitate the discussion of feelings
Control the process and not the content of race talk
Unmask difficult dialogue through process observation and interventions
Do not allow a difficult dialogue to be brewed in silence
Understand differences in communication styles
Forewarn, plan, and purposefully instigate race talk
- For example: “This is a workshop (or class) on race and racism awareness. We are going to have some difficult, emotional, and uncomfortable moments in this group, but I hope you will have the courage to be honest with one another. When we talk about racism it touches hot buttons in all of us, including me. Being honest and authentic takes guts. But if we do it and stick it out, we can learn so much from each other. Are you willing to take a risk so that we can have that experience together?”
Validate, encourage, and express admiration and appreciation to participants who speak when it is unsafe to do so
- "Mary, I know this has been a very emotional experience for you, but I value your courage in sharing with the group your personal thoughts and feelings. I hope I can be equally brave when topics of sexism or homophobia are brought up in class.”
  
  “As a group, we have just experienced a difficult dialogue. I admire you all for not ‘running away’ but facing it squarely.I hope you all will continue to feel free about bringing up these topics. Real courage is being honest and risking offending others when the situation is not safe. Today, that is what I saw happen with several of you, and for that, the group should be grateful.”

* Please read the chapter for detailed information on each of these strategies. From Derald Wing Sue’s Race Talk and the Conspiracy of Silence, Ch 13: “Helping People Talk About Race: Facilitation Skills for Educators and Trainers”

Create Space for Student Reflection: Conversation Starters for the Classroom and Beyond

In the midst of traumatic and violent events, it can be beneficial to focus first on emotional processing, addressing the “heart” before the “head.” Give yourself and your students space to reflect on your emotional responses to the event.

Let your students know that their learning environment is a safe space. Begin by making a brief agreement with the class that the classroom will be a safe space (if you have not done this already earlier in the semester). You could articulate a “contract” for the day by saying something like this: I would like to make space to discuss how the Chauvin trial is impacting our community. We may have some difficult, emotional, and uncomfortable moments in this discussion, but I hope you will have the courage to be honest with one another. When we talk about racism it touches hot buttons in all of us, including me. Being honest and authentic takes guts. But if we do it, and treat each other with respect and empathy, we can learn from each other and support each other. Can we all agree to listen to one another, and to treat each other with respect and empathy?
Acknowledge the trial and its emotional impact.
Consider sharing a resource from a trusted news outlet to establish baseline knowledge of the events and dispel misinformation. You might choose to share an article from a local news source to focus on the impact of recent events in your area. (Many students may have watched the video of George Floyd’s murder. Do not show this graphic video to your class, as it risks retraumatizing students.)
Give your students an opportunity to reflect individually by writing down their responses to your questions. Students should have the option to keep their reflections private. Potential writing and discussion prompts include:
- How is the news of the past week, including the verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial, affecting you?
- What would you like others to know about what you are thinking, feeling, and experiencing?
- What do you need from others to understand, cope, process, and be safe as this story continues to unfold?
- What can you offer to others to support them in how this story is impacting them?
Invite students to share any reflections they wish to, but also give students the option to keep their reflections private. If conducting a live session, we suggest using the polling feature to determine if/how students would like to share reflections, with options to keep thoughts private or anonymous. If students do wish to share, possible ways to do so include:
- A discussion in the classroom
- One-on-one or small group office hours with teacher
- Small group discussions among students on Zoom
- Excerpts from written responses shared directly with the teacher

Adapted from Facing History and Ourselves teaching guide, “Reflecting On George Floyd’s Death And Police Violence Towards Black Americans Guide”

If all else fails or you feel ill-prepared to facilitate conversations, respond with empathy. In Brené Brown’s words, “Rarely can a response make something better. What makes something better is connection.” However you choose to approach the topic, prioritize caring for students and caring for yourself as well. And please let us know if we can be of any help.

Supporting Students Through the Chauvin Trial & Daunte Wright Shooting