Presenter Bio

Christine Saxman

Equity Transformation Consultant

Christine Saxman has been a student-centered educator in Township District 113 in Deerfield, Illinois, outside of Chicago, since 2003. In 2016, she received the a Illinois Golden Apple Finalist and Teacher of Distinction award. In her high school she has also been a racial equity leader for over ten years. As an equity leader, she focuses on professional development to to increase racial consciousness and to interrupt racial predictability throughout their system. In particular, she works to increase racial literacy skills for herself and other white people. As consultant for Pacific Educational Group, she co-facilitates Beyond Diversity II and Leading While White all over the country and at the National Summit for Courageous Conversations About Race. She also facilitates S.E.E.D. (Seeking Education Equity and Diversity) within her District and as part of S.E.E.D. National Staff. She has also led workshops at the White Privilege Conference and at NAME (National Association of Multicultural Education). Christine earned a B.A. in English from University of Pittsburgh, a M.A. in English from Northwestern University, and a M.S. in Education from Northwestern University.

What calls me to do this work?

As a white woman, I have a sense that my humanity is at stake if I am not actively working for racial justice and equity. For much of my life, I did not not see racism as something connected to me. I could simply disconnect and move on, or so I thought. Through the guidance and mentorship of people of color and racially conscious white people in my life, I learned about systemic racism and my role in it. I cannot unlearn it. I can no longer disconnect. This moral obligation, this sense of responsibility, infused with love, calls me to this life of racial equity. Loving accountability connects me and sustains me in this life.