Oregon Education Association Decentering Whiteness Caucus
Founded in 2024, the OEA Decentering Whiteness Caucus works to disrupt white educational hierarchies and transform how white teachers engage with students of color in Oregon's education system.
Join the Caucus
Our Mission & Purpose
From Oregon's settler origins, there was an organized process to exclude everyone who identified other than white from this state and its benefits. Consequently, Oregon's education workforce remains over 80% white while teaching an increasingly diverse student population.
The Decentering Whiteness Caucus (DWC) believes in disrupting the institutional structures that perpetuate white dominance in education and creating a multicultural democratic society where all students are seen as their whole selves.
Why Our Work Matters
Oregon's Reality
Over 80% of Oregon's teaching force remains white while serving a student population that is 41% diverse. This disparity stems from Oregon's founding principles of exclusion.
Identity Exploration
As Gholdy Muhammad writes, teachers rarely have opportunities to "reflect and unpack myself, my racial and cultural identities, and my journey through the construction of my ideologies."
Educational Outcomes
Oregon's persistently low reading and math scores correlate with the state's reluctance to provide white teachers with self-reflective professional development on racial identity.
Our Action Plan
Teacher Preparation Reform
Advocate for all Oregon teacher preparation programs to include at least one quarter-equivalent course exploring identity and power dynamics in the classroom.
Pilot Training Program
Create a state-funded pilot project offering comprehensive equity training addressing whiteness and dominant culture thinking, with structured follow-up and appropriate compensation.
Climate Assessment
Develop a universal K-12 climate survey to identify toxic building cultures that drive away new teachers, particularly those from diverse backgrounds.
Governance & Membership
Membership Classifications
  • Members: Dues-paying OEA members
  • Associates: Anyone with an invested interest in our purpose
Executive Committee
Our leadership includes a Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Secretary, and Treasurer elected to two-year terms. We operate with standing committees for Bylaws, Nominations, and Elections.
Join us in creating an educational system that truly serves all students by decentering whiteness and embracing multicultural democratic values.