Official Arizona English Teachers Association (AETA) Statement on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion 

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This position statement is a living document. It is subject to additions, revisions, and evolutions of thought. 

 

AETA’s Commitment: 

We at the Arizona English Teachers Association (AETA) are committed to honoring the plurality of human experiences. We seek to create opportunities that are more inclusive to historically underrepresented groups reflecting the range of human differences--race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic class, abilities and disabilities, and religion.

This is not an all-inclusive list, especially as the world changes and our thoughts about what diversity means change. This statement is intended to continue the conversation in a direction that centers the lived experiences of the aforementioned groups. 

 

AETA’s Objectives:

One of our most important aims is to ensure inclusion and participation of a diverse range of people in AETA’s membership and leadership. To achieve this goal, we believe that those who have been left out historically should not only be included but centered in our mission.

 

To achieve the above, we have established the following objectives:

 

1. To challenge historically limited notions of inclusivity to include equity. We define equity as being intentional in providing opportunities for historically marginalized groups to define norms and be centered in conversations and decision-making;

2. To commit to a diverse representation in all areas of AETA – board, committees, membership (including outreach);

3. To commit to learning about and addressing the needs of teachers and students from diverse backgrounds in our program offerings and organizational support;

4. To establish an equitable range of participation 

   1. on appointed commissions, boards, committees, task forces, and other official groups,

   2. among the leadership of the above groups, and 

   3. among the nominees presented to leadership positions;

5. To provide pathways for our members to work towards equity by challenging limited notions of inclusivity in classrooms and schools; 

6. To open space and be a space for transformative teaching and learning to better serve our students. 

 

Lastly, we challenge and encourage and support our members to challenge additive models that include literature by authors from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds as a supplement to the curriculum. Instead, we advocate for an holistic approach that considers all voices as part of the curriculum rather than supplementary to it.

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