We Must Say No to the Status Quo

Veronica McDermott, Ph.D., is a retired school superintendent who continues to focus her efforts on school transformation, social justice, and equity. She is a frequent keynote speaker and workshop leader at national and international conferences devoted to issues of leadership and learning for equity and social justice. She is the author of many articles, chapters and opinion pieces, as well as co-author of two books designed to change the way educators think about, talk about and interact with our students who are not thriving. Dr. McDermott received her Ph.D. from New York University, a professional diploma from Long Island University, and her Masters and Bachelor degrees from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. In addition to being superintendent of schools, she has served as assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction; principal; district director of English Language Arts, Reading, Second Language and ESL; and English teacher. She was also a regional director with a national professional development organization that provided high-quality, embedded learning experiences for urban educators. Her legacy project is to eradicate the crime of squandered potential.

"Reading this book brought me back to an oft forgotten section of Martin Luther King’s 1963 ‘I Have a Dream’ speech: ‘We have come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now.’ McDermott reignites this urgency in a powerful, passionate, and compelling way. We Must Say No to the Status Quo is a wake-up call for 21st century educators, a must read for all of us. It illuminates a clear pathway for transforming our consciousness and our practice in the service of equity and social justice."

• PrefaceAcknowledgmentsAbout the AuthorIntroductionPART I: EMERGING FROM THE FOG OF PRIVILEGE1. What Is White Privilege?2. Developing Social Justice Literacy3. Privilege, Power, Politics and Schooling4. Overcoming Avoidance, Guilt, Feelings of Inadequacy, and Misunderstanding5. Acknowledging the Social and Psychological Toll of Continued Injustice6. You Can’t ‘Un-see’ What You Have SeenPART II: EXPOSING THE FLAWS IN THE RECEIVED NARRATIVE7. Embracing Dissonance8. Tactics of Deception and Flawed Theories9. Troubling the Dominant Narrative10. Silence Is Not an Option11. Change the Culture? Change the ConversationPART III: EMBRACING ALLY-HOOD12. The Importance of Allies13. False Starts, Missteps and Minefields14. Reflection, Resources, Resilience and Position15. The Many Faces of Activism in ActionAfterwordList of Activities and FiguresReferencesIndex