Inspired by the late John Lewis. “Do not get lost in a sea of despair,” said Lewis. “Be hopeful, be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year. It is the struggle of a lifetime. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.”

Purpose: We will use the power of our positions in an effort to effect real and meaningful change for our schools, students and communities. We will continue to seek ongoing professional development on equity, anti-racism and abolitionism to reshape our worldview and ensure we are attuned to impacts of our work. We will hold ourselves and one another accountable. Where we see systemic inequity or racial injustice, we will continuously strive to get in good, necessary trouble.

Statement: In 2021, the MinnSPRA board pledged to engage in more equitable educational practices, by putting words to their actions. The Good Trouble PR statement serves to empower school PR professionals to join together and support racial equity in our organizations and our communities.

Good Trouble PR Statement

Using our role as communications professionals to support racial equity in our organizations and our communities

Good Trouble overview

Before civil rights leader and Georgia Congressman John Lewis passed away in 2020, he urged all of us to take up the mantle in the movement for justice by getting into “good, necessary trouble.” Good

Trouble PR is a call for communicators to become actively anti-racist and use our skills and influence on behalf of racial equity in our communities. Pervasive racial inequality shows us intentional anti-racist work is imperative.

We will push, nurture, and support each other in this work. To that end, we will share our successes

and our missteps. Sharing successes, times when we truly modeled racial equity in our words and

actions, will inspire others. Sharing mistakes will help us make progress toward racial equity and

dismantling white supremacy. If we see something, we will say something: by calling on our colleagues,

with love and support, to do better. We will positively challenge internal and external partners and

engage them to support this work.

Our role

We have a moral imperative to now do things differently. In our professional lives, we have been conditioned to center whiteness in our work — consciously and unconsciously — in the stories we tell, how we talk about race, how and what we communicate, and the people we hire.

We are often the voice of our organizations and we can use that voice to influence attitudes and behaviors. We counsel others within our organizations — those who work for us, with us, or above us. We have the power of the pen, the keyboard, and the lens. We shape stories, we interact with the media, we craft messages, we edit others’ words, and we publish what others read about our students, families, staff, schools, and districts. We have influence.

Our commitment

We commit to using our positions and influence to get into “good, necessary trouble” by applying a racial equity lens in all aspects of our work and proactively combatting things we know to be wrong, unfair, or unjust. We will use our influence to challenge the history that values white culture over other cultures, seek multiple racial perspectives, invite missing voices to the table to ensure counter-storytelling, and use our words and actions to advance the cause of racial equity and anti-racism.

We accept that we will experience discomfort; we vow that the discomfort will not stop us from pressing forward.

How will we support Good Trouble in our roles as school communicators?

• Name white privilege and decenter whiteness. By recognizing the inherent power and privilege of white people, we open the doors to disrupting white supremacy and institutionalized racism. We will continually ask and answer, “What does race have to do with this?” and “Who will benefit or be burdened?” in discussions and decision-making. Naming without blaming can engage others in constructive dialogue about racial equity. All of us — especially those who are white — will actively seek out, listen to, learn from, and elevate racially, ethnically, and linguistically diverse perspectives and voices.
• Speak truth to power. We will courageously do and say what is right, even when we stand alone in our beliefs. We will fill the space of silence with the voice of justice and equality. We commit to doing this even — especially — when it is hard.'
• Share the stories of diverse communities. As gatekeepers of various communication tools, we will listen to and learn from our students and communities of color and other diverse backgrounds (such as culture, language, and ability) to understand how they wish to be seen, heard, and empowered to tell their own stories. We will use our roles to decenter dominant stories and give voice to the oppressed and the silenced. We will also use our seat at the table.
• to question the premise of stories we and others tell: Would we share this about a [insert race here] student? Why are the questions being posed that way?
• Use our agenda-setting power to propel antiracism. As school communicators, we have a unique ability to influence how our schools and districts display their commitment to racial equity. We are able to help create a narrative or messaging that allows us to make choices about language used and next steps. Through our work we can help navigate both past practice or a more equitable way forward. We are frequently at the table for discussions about policies that will affect students, families, and staff of color. In these opportunities to strengthen our district’s commitment to racial equity work, we: vow to recognize the responsibility that comes with this task; fight the pull toward loud and privileged voices; include and advocate for those whose voices are not heard; and insist on racially equitable practices, policies, and procedures.
• Raise our individual and collective racial consciousness. We recognize that our individual and collective racial consciousness journeys are long and complex. We will engage in racial equity conversations and seek professional development that challenges and expands our racial consciousness. We commit to read, watch, listen, learn, and practice. We recognize that it is our individual responsibility to do so, and also that it is the responsibility of white school communicators to support and hold accountable other white colleagues for their growth.

Our accountability

Committing to Good Trouble PR, personally and/or professionally, is a first, and important, step. We will regularly share what we see, what we learn, and what we need with our school PR colleagues through professional conferences, meetings, and informal discussions. And we will continually strive to be anti-racist leaders in our roles as school communicators, because we believe that, in the words of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., “The time is always right to do what’s right.”

Download the full Good Trouble PR statement >