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I was drawn to this website for the main reason, that it takes viewers on their own journey. It is format to ask reflective questions in the beginning of the site. Then you are prompted to identify yourself in the context of your learning, personalizing your experience. For example, you can choose to learn as an educator, or parent, or personal committed to equity. Once you choose a lens to look through you are given so many tools and resources. This would allow staff in the building to move through their work in their time, in a way they can identify with. It gives those with different identities time and space to explore them. It is time consuming to go through but very worth it!!

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National Museum of African American History and Culture

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I want to know

Start your journey by exploring one of the Talking About Race topics.

An oppressive system is built around the ideology that some groups are superior to others. These systems take on many forms, but they all have essentially the same structure. Let's recognize our role within them.

Explore Topic

Self-care is what we deliberately do to care of our mental, emotional, and physical health. Our well-being is critical to sustaining our work in dismantling racism. Let's take care of ourselves - and each other.

Explore Topic

American society developed the notion of race early in its formation to justify its new economic system of capitalism, which depended on the institution of forced labor, especially the enslavement of African peoples. To more accurately understand how race and its counterpart, racism, are woven into the very fabric of American society, we must explore the history of how race, white privilege, and anti-blackness came to be.

Explore Topic

"White Nationalist"

From Southern Poverty Law Center. White nationalist groups espouse white supremacist or white separatist ideologies, often focusing on the alleged inferiority of nonwhites. Groups listed in a variety of other categories - Ku Klux Klan, neo-Confederate, neo-Nazi, racist skinhead, and Christian Identity - could also be fairly described as white nationalist.

go

What Is Race? Is Race for Real?

We all know that people look different. Anyone can tell a Czech from a Chinese. But are these differences racial? What does race mean? Find the answers to these and other questions by exploring different interactivities within this site.

go

An oppressive system is built around the ideology that some groups are superior to others. These systems take on many forms, but they all have essentially the same structure. Let's recognize our role within them.

Explore Topic

Self-care is what we deliberately do to care of our mental, emotional, and physical health. Our well-being is critical to sustaining our work in dismantling racism. Let's take care of ourselves - and each other.

Explore Topic

American society developed the notion of race early in its formation to justify its new economic system of capitalism, which depended on the institution of forced labor, especially the enslavement of African peoples. To more accurately understand how race and its counterpart, racism, are woven into the very fabric of American society, we must explore the history of how race, white privilege, and anti-blackness came to be.

Explore Topic

"White Nationalist"

From Southern Poverty Law Center. White nationalist groups espouse white supremacist or white separatist ideologies, often focusing on the alleged inferiority of nonwhites. Groups listed in a variety of other categories - Ku Klux Klan, neo-Confederate, neo-Nazi, racist skinhead, and Christian Identity - could also be fairly described as white nationalist.

go

What Is Race? Is Race for Real?

We all know that people look different. Anyone can tell a Czech from a Chinese. But are these differences racial? What does race mean? Find the answers to these and other questions by exploring different interactivities within this site.

go

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Start your journey by exploring one of the Talking About Race topics. An oppressive system is built around the ideology that some groups are superior to others. These systems take on many forms, but they all have essentially the same structure. Let's recognize our role within them.

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This could be valuable in discussions on WSC and working to move away from WS cultural norms.

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This website is a long-time dream finally bearing fruit, a needed remix of the widely circulated article ​​ WHITE SUPREMACY CULTURE originally written and published in 1999.

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Learning for Justice: Best Practices for Serving LGBTQ Students

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Learning for Justice: Best Practices for Serving LGBTQ Students

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This resources offer ways to create inclusive classrooms for LGBTQ students. At my school, we often talk about issues but don’t have actionable steps to make change but also all of our work has been focused on race. This resource is a good starting point in looking at our classroom practices and how they may impact our LGBTQ youth.

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Best Practices for Serving LGBTQ Students

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With this guide, we hope to help teachers and school leaders make curriculum and policy decisions that include LGBTQ students and prepare all students to thrive in a diverse democracy.

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NEA Ed-Justice- Black Lives Matter At School Resources

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NEA Ed-Justice- Black Lives Matter At School Resources

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This section of the NEA website has so many great resources for teachers and families. I have personally used some of their curriculum resources that included lesson plans and slides for Black History Month, Women's History Month and Anti-Racist Education. This website can be specific to your area in which you live so you can find opportunites to get involved in the community and also current "happenings" in schools around you. There are Facebook Live videos, photos, resources and more. It's a one stop shop for BLM resources and events.

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Talking About Race

Check out resources to help facilitate conversations about race, including classroom appropriate lesson plans, guides on how to have tough conversations with peers and students, and more.

Teaching for Black Lives, Edited By Dyan Watson, Jesse Hagopian, Wayne Au. Rethinking Schools.

Black Lives Matter at School, website of the national coalition organizing for racial justice in education.

2020 Curriculum Resource Guide, BlackLivesMatteratSchool.com

Creating the Space to Talk about Race in Your School (PDF), National Education Association

Lessons by grade-level and educator resources, Washington DC Black Lives Matter

Classroom Activities, Circle Scripts, and Promoting Positive School Climate, Rochester City School District

Share your BLM at School events, actions or resolutions here: neaedjustice@nea.org
Standing Together

See how cities like Milwaukee, Rochester, and Seattle have passed community and union resolutions - and then mobilized to support Black Lives Matter at School.

Art and Activism

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Black Lives Matter at School - Resources - NEA EdJustice

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Talking About Race Check out resources to help facilitate conversations about race, including classroom appropriate lesson plans, guides on how to have tough conversations with peers and students, and more. Teaching for Black Lives, Edited By Dyan Watson, Jesse Hagopian, Wayne Au. Rethinking Schools. Black Lives Matter at School, website of the national coalition organizing ...

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This website had many videos that discuss racial justice. This particular video shares with students why skin is different colors in basic terms that are easy to understand. It speaks to the curiosity of children and answers openly and honestly some of the questions students might have around why people look different.

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Racial Justice | Sesame Street in Communities

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Here are resources to build resilience, empathy, curiosity, and thoughtfulness in young children as they prepare for the task of building a better world by standing up, standing tall, and standing together.

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This website, Teaching While White, Where Whiteness Intersects with Antiracist Teaching and Learning, has a TON of fabulous resources for educators. In the "about" section on the website, it states that 80% of the US teaching force is white, and most "don't know that their whiteness matters". At the bottom of this page, there is a link to suggested resources/texts for educators to start their journey. A favorite spot of mine on the site is the blog, where extremely relevant posts inspire reflection. The current top post is "Brand New Pandemic, Same Old White Supremacy." This site is chock full of incredible resources for white educators to gain perspective and personal self development.

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Upcoming ONLINE Workshop Series

In many ways, the racial injustice being highlighted in this time in history is not new. What IS new is the way racial justice is now being covered by the mainstream media and discussed in every forum. Students are looking to their teachers to help navigate and make sense of what they are seeing.

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In many ways, the racial injustice being highlighted in this time in history is not new. What IS new is the way racial justice is now being covered by the mainstream media and discussed in every forum. Students are looking to their teachers to help navigate and make sense of what they are seeing.

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This is a website that originated in 2016. It focuses on racial justice in education. It encourages you and gives you ideas of how to take action during the first week of February. This website also provides a curriculum. The website exists from educators and organizers from all over the world contributing. They have resources for children of all ages.

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We lead with the heart and courageously work to address racial injustice in education, embodying Black joy, confronting anti-Blackness, and building authentic partnerships with all who support creating equitable school communities across the nation.

​In September 2016, DeShawn Jackson, along with Black Men Uniting to Change The Narrative, planned a day of encouragement. The previous school year, another local elementary school had more than 200 Black men show up to greet students as they arrived at school. The men wore their uniforms, regalia, and Sunday best in hopes of disrupting the inaccurate imagery students have of Black men. Black men make up only 3% of teachers in k-12 education.​

DeShawn had taught at the school for six years and even attended the elementary school as a child. He wanted students to see Black men in a positive light, not like they often are portrayed in media. A bomb threat was called into the school on the day of the event, so school leadership officially canceled it. Yet, after the threat was investigated, nothing was found, and the school remained open. So, DeShawn personally greeted students and about fifty others joined him.

When students arrived at John Muir Elementary School, they were greeted with cheers and high-fives while drums played in the background. Black men showed up because they wanted to counter the perception students have about education and race. Inside the school, staff wore shirts that said "Black Lives Matter We Stand Together."Julie Trout, the art teacher, designed the shirts. Teachers' lessons for the day were focused on racial justice.

​Social Equality Educators (SEE), a group within the Seattle teachers union, decided October 19th would be "Black Lives Matter At School Day." They'd wear Black Lives Matter shirts to school, created a second design with "#Say Her Name," and educators picked from several options. Parent Teacher Associations made buttons and stickers for teachers and students to wear. This attracted national news, which spread to Philadelphia, where the Racial Justice & Organizing Committee of the Caucus of Working Educators was inspired to plan a similar action.

We envision a nation in which we live in authentic and conscious relationship with ourselves, each other, and the lands we occupy with the least amount of harm and violence, in which we are unapologetically Black and collectively love and care for one another as extended intergenerational families. To achieve safety, equity, and liberation for all Black lives, we attend to systems and networks of care to make the domination, erasure, and dehumanization of Black life obsolete. ​

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National coalition organizing for racial justice in education.

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This website is geared towards talking to younger students about racism and provides a multitude of articles that focus on different topics that will prepare you for conversations regarding race. When working with elementary aged children from different grades levels, it is important to have discussions regarding race, but to remain mindful of their age while using appropriate messages and verbiage. These articles are a great guide! This website also includes a short video with kids and their parents conversing about race in an age appropriate way which can serve as a model on how we should talk to our students about race.

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Talking to Young Children About Race and Racism

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Here are tips, books, and resources to help you have meaningful conversations with young children about race, racism, and anti-racist behavior.

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This website provides 5 principles to support educators with approaching difficult conversations regarding race. One thing that stood out to me on this website is that we need to keep in mind when having these conversations is to approach the subject in developmentally appropriate ways to avoid inflicting trauma on students.

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Five principles to guide educators as they broach difficult topics in their classrooms - with students of all ages.

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Creating The Space To Talk about Race in Your Classroom

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Creating The Space To Talk about Race in Your Classroom

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This website is a great guide that provides steps to bringing courageous conversations about race into the classroom. This site encourages these conversations not just during a holiday, Black History Month, or when studying a particular historic event, but during everyday conversations. This site recognizes the disparity in the percentage of students of color in the public school system versus the lack of teachers of color to support them. Topics for further study include “Root Out Biases and Barriers,” Talk About Racism and Racial Equity,” and “Engage, Don’t Avoid.”

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Racial dynamics, disparities and divisions permeate our society, communities, schools and classrooms. Systemic racism is so deeply rooted in our history, culture and institutions that there's no escaping it. Visible or not, its impacts are ever-present.

Yet, discussions of racism are typically not part of our curriculum - unless we're teaching social sciences or literature, or highlighting a particular holiday or hero. And even then, the race content may often be lacking or lackluster.

Adding to this context is the fact that a majority of our public school students are students of color while only 18 percent of our teachers are teachers of color. This presents different challenges for white teachers and teachers of color when approaching issues of race.

Creating the space to talk about race can open the way for some of the most powerful learning and change that you and your students will ever experience.

Because racism is complex and contentious, many of us are afraid to even broach the subject. Fear of opening a can of worms and making a mistake can be paralyzing. It often feels easier and safer to avoid the topic altogether. Instead of calling attention to racism, we too often wish it would just go away. But whether we choose to talk about it or not, racism is already in the building. And, the more we avoid it, the more it grows.

Silence and inaction reinforce the status quo. Avoidance speaks volumes - it communicates to students of color that racism doesn't matter enough to warrant attention and, by omission, invalidates their experiences, perspectives, identities and lives. White students, on the other hand, often see racism being accepted and normalized, without acknowledgement or accountability. And the lofty ideal of educational excellence and equity for all students, if it even exists at your school, may seem like a hollow commitment.

To advance real solutions, we need to address real problems. As teachers, we have "teachable moments," or opportunities to constructively and productively address race. But these opportunities need to be thoughtfully created, seized, planned and managed. We have choices when addressing matters of race. In our own classroom, we are the power-holder, the gatekeeper, and the standard setter. One choice is to unconsciously and passively perpetuate racism, while the other is to consciously and actively pursue racial equity.

You probably don't have to revamp your entire curricula or classroom practice. But there are many ways we can make room for addressing racial dynamics. Discussions in your classroom can even be steppingstones to addressing race in your school, school district and community. Creating the space to talk about race can open the way for some of the most powerful learning and change that you and your students will ever experience.

The following tips can help you make race conversations normal, constructive and successful. These skills are best learned through collective dialogue with others committed to addressing racial equity, as well as through lots of practice. When discussions of race and racism become normalized, the promise of equity can be realized.
Next: Create a Welcoming Classroom and School >
In This Section:

1. Create a Welcoming Classroom and School

2. Root Out Biases and Barriers

3. Encourage Self-Expression

4. Be Open Yourself

5. Engage, Don't Avoid

6. Create Opportunities for Discussion

7. Talk About Racism and Racial Equity

8. Establish and Enforce Group Norms

9. Process is as Important as Content

10. Model Your Values and Vision

Download the Full Resource Guide:

This comprehensive NEA resource guide includes tools & resources for talking about race, conducting racial equity assessments, strategic planning, ideas for capacity building and action, FAQs, and a directory of web pages, documents and allied organizations focused on racial justice in education.
Download the PDF >

"Creating the Space to Talk About Race in Your School" content on this web site and in our "Racial Justice in Education" resource guide © 2017 National Education Association, in collaboration with Race Forward.

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Creating the Space to Talk About Race in Your School - NEA EdJustice

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Racial dynamics, disparities and divisions permeate our society, communities, schools and classrooms. Systemic racism is so deeply rooted in our history, culture and institutions that there's no escaping it. Visible or not, its impacts are ever-present. Yet, discussions of racism are typically not part of our curriculum - unless we're teaching social sciences or literature, ...

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This website is a great resource that has a list of anti-racism resources for parents, educators, and community members. The lists contains resources for discussing racism and violence with children, children’s books and social/emotional development among others. I clicked on various links looking for an article to read, many taking me to a website that in itself became a resource as well. I have bookmarked this website and will make it a goal to read at least one resource per week.

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As caregivers, community members, and early childhood educators, we have a responsibility to ensure each child, family, and caregiver is safe from racism and discrimination and has equitable opportunities to thrive.

In order to do this, we must begin with ourselves. Set aside time in your day to do a personal inventory. What thoughts, feelings, and behaviors have you contributed to upholding systems of racism? What assumptions are you making? What actions or inactions have you taken that contribute to systems of oppression?

Next, consider your family and your friends-what behaviors, statements, or jokes have gone unchecked? What actions or inactions have you taken within your interpersonal relationships that have contributed to an unsafe community for our black and brown children, neighbors, and colleagues? How might you begin to lead by example within your own family or community?

Anti-racism work is something that has to be attended to in an ongoing way. In order to support you in this work, we have compiled the following resources. Note that this list is not exhaustive.

Resources for Adults

Video: 'I Can't Breathe: From Agony to Activism', Pitt Diversity

Implicit Bias Test, Harvard

Anti-Racism Resources, Sarah Sophie Flicker and Alyssa Klein

Black History Month Library

African American History: From Emancipation to the Present, Yale

5 Ways White People Can Take Action in Response to White and State-Sanctioned Violence, Medium

The critical role white parents play in shaping racism - and eradicating it, PBS

How Not to be an Ally: Common missteps and advice for effective allyship, Psychology Today

An Anti-Racist Reading List, The New York Times

Mental Health Support and Education, Steel Smiling

Center for Race & Gender Equality, YWCA Greater Pittsburgh

Race Research Online Directory, University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work

How to raise anti-racist kids: 20 resources for parents, Motherly

Podcast: Notice the Rage, Notice the Silence, On Being with Krista Tippett

Talking About Race, National Museum of African American History & Culture

Want to support Black Lives Matter? Here's where to start in Pittsburgh., Kidsburgh

Why Raising Kids to 'Not See Color' Doesn't Help Fight Racism, HuffPost

Video: What I am learning from my white grandchildren - truths about race, TEDx Talks

Video: Juneteenth Round Table with Rep. Chris Rabb & Rep. Ed Gainey, For Our Future Pennsylvania

Race and Equity Resource List, Pennsylvania Department of Human Services

Antiracism Meditation

Confronting Prejudice: How to Protect Yourself and Help Others, Pepperdine University

In My Skin Podcast, University of Pittsburgh Office of Child Development

Mental Health Issues Facing the Black Community, Sunshine Behavioral Health

Our Family's Commitment to Being Anti-Racist, PBS Kids

Black Lives Matter, Substance Abuse, and Addiction Recovery in the United States, Addicted.org

Citizen Journalism and Political Protests, Syracuse University

Black Boys Matter: Cultivating Their Identity, Agency, and Voice, NAEYC

Things to Know If You Love a Multiracial Child, Embrace Race

COVID-in-Color: Race-conscious Resources For Children & Families, Embrace Race

Exploring & Understanding Structural Racism, Embrace Race

"Love is not enough": Supports for Transracial Adoptive Families, Embrace Race

Nurturing Resistance & Joy in Black Children, Embrace Race

Raising Muslim American Children Who Thrive, Embrace Race

Anti-Hate Safety Resources, Asian American Federation

Asian Americans Advancing Justice

Parenting in Racially and Culturally Diverse Adoptive Families, Child Welfare Information Gateway

Not Equal: Racial Disparities In Addiction/Substance Abuse Treatment, AddictionResource.net

Stop AAPI Hate

After Atlanta: Teaching About Asian American Identity and History, Learning for Justice

Black Men Matter - Examining Mental Health Issues Among Black Men - A Guide To Freedom, Drug Rehab USA

Race and Ethnicity: How it affects your risk of cancer, HealthMatch

Racism is a Public Health Crisis, Milken Institute School of Public Health

Resources to Help Empower Asian and Pacific Islander Communities, Online MSW Programs

Resources for Educators

'All we are asking for is change!' How schools are taking steps toward justice-centered learning, Kidsburgh

Black Students Are Not 'Marginalized,' They Are the Center of Our Work, Education Post

Asian Americans K-12 Education Curriculum, Asian Americans Advancing Justice

Black Lives Matter Resources, Writix

Early Childhood Education

Elementary Education

Talking to Kids About Racism and Justice: a list for parents, caregivers & educators, Oakland Library

Video: Identity, Challenge and Dismantle: A Few Sociocultural Strategies for Teaching About Racism, SPSSI

An Essential Reading Guide for Fighting Racism, BuzzFeed News

Positive Racial Identity Development in Early Education (P.R.I.D.E) - Understanding PRIDE in Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh School of Education

P.R.I.D.E. Speaker Series, University of Pittsburgh School of Education

In My Skin: A P.R.I.D.E Podcast, University of Pittsburgh School of Education

Teacher's Corner, University of Pittsburgh School of Education

What is Race?, Flocabulary

Advancing Equity in Early Childhood Education Position Statement, NAEYC

Advancing Equity Initiative, NAEYC

Becoming Upended: Teaching and Learning About Race and Racism with Young Children and Their Families, NAEYC

The Impact of Racism on Child and Adolescent Health, The American Academy of Pediatrics

YogaRoots On Location Certified Yoga Teacher Training

Talking About Race, National Museum of African American History and Culture

Understanding Anti-Bias Education: Bringing the Four Core Goals to Every Facet of Your Curriculum, NAEYC

A Call to Action for White Educators Who Seek to Be Anti-Racist, PBS

Teaching #BlackLivesMatter, Teaching for Change

A Guide to Equity and Antiracism for Educators, Edutopia

How to Root Out Anti-Black Racism From Your School, EdWeek

How Indigenous, Black and POC Educators Envision a Better School Experience, KQED

Race & Ethnicity Resources, Teaching Tolerance

Webinar Recording: Racial Justice, Equity and the role of Child Care, Child Care Aware

Racial inequities in education can start as early as preschool, AXIOS

NEA activists launch series of video "primers" for anti-racist white educators, NEA

Tools for Anti-Racist Teaching, PBS Teachers Lounge

My Racial Journey, University of Pittsburgh Office of Child Development

PA Equity Inclusion Toolkit, Pennsylvania Department of Education

Equity Services, Pennsylvania School Boards Association

The Cultural Proficiency Framework, The Robbins Group

Diversity Toolkit: A Guide to Discussing Identity, Power and Privilege, University of Southern California

What White Colleagues Need to Understand, Teaching Tolerance

Building Antiracist White Educators

How to create anti-racist virtual classrooms: Strategies for teachers and families, Kidsburgh

How do you teach antiracism to the youngest students?, The Hechinger Report

How to Better Support Your Black Colleagues, Edutopia

Building Anti-Racist Early Childhood Programs with Implicit Bias Trainings & Resources, HiMama

Inclusion of All Children in Early Childhood Education Programs in Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning

One School's Commitment to Equity Using Student-Centered Learning, Students at the Center Hub

A Simple Way to Self-Monitor for Bias, Edutopia

Mere Engagement: Reflections about the Connections Between Online Learning, Student Agency, and Student Engagement, Aurora Institute

Learning for Justice

Public Health Resources for Understanding Environmental Racism, Public Health Degrees

A Call to Action for White Educators Who Seek to Be Anti-Racist, PBS Teachers Lounge

How to Provide a Multicultural Education, Baylor University

135 Racial Equity Resources For Education, Professional & Community Development, Health, And Civil Rights, College Consensus

Resources for Discussing Racism and Violence with Children

Coming Together: Talking to Children About Race and Identity, Sesame Workshop

Talking to Kids About Anti-Asian Racism, Time for Kids

Racism and Violence: How to Help Kids Handle the News, Child Mind Institute

Video: A Clinical Perspective on Talking to Kids About Racism, Child Mind Institute

Talking to Children About Race, Policing and Violence, The New York Times

Addressing Race and Trauma in the Classroom: A Resource for Educators, The National Child Traumatic Stress Network

Resources for Talking about Race, Racism and Racialized Violence with Kids, Center for Racial Justice in Education

Anti-Racism for Kids: An Age-by-Age Guide to Fighting Hate, Parents.com

'Raising White Kids' Author On How White Parents Can Talk About Race, NPR

George Floyd. Ahmaud Arbery. Breonna Taylor. What do we tell our children?, USA Today

They're not too young to talk about race!, The Children's Community School

Talking to Children About Racial Bias, HealthyChildren

Video: "How do I make sure I'm not raising the next Amy Cooper?" with Jennifer Harvey, Embrace Race

Talking Race with Young Children, NPR

How to Talk to Kids about Race and Racism, Parent Toolkit

10 tips for teaching and talking to kids about race, Embrace Race

How to Talk with Kids About Racism and Racial Violence, Common Sense Media

Resources for Talking About Race, Racism and Racialized Violence with Kids, Center for Racial Justice in Education

How to Talk to Your Children About the Protests, The Wall Street Journal

Talking about Race with Kids and Teens, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

Talking with Children About Racism, Police Brutality and Protests, Aha! Parenting

How To Talk To Your Kids About Race, Racism And Police Violence, WBUR

How to talk to kids about racism, explained by a psychologist, Vox

21 Anti-Racism Videos to Share With Kids, We are Teachers

Experts answer your kids' tough questions about race and racism, The Hechinger Report

Talking to Children Authentically about Race and Racism, PBS Kids

How To Talk About Race And Protests With Your Kids, Explained By A Child Psychologist, WBUR

The Power of We: A Sesame Street Special, Sesame Workshop

Video - PBS KIDS Talk About: Race & Racism, PBS Kids

Talking to Young Children About Race and Racism: A Discussion Guide, PDB Kids

Raising Kids Who Embrace Race, National PTA

So You Want to Raise a Young White Ally?, Embrace Race

Supporting Children's Leadership & Activism, Embrace Race

Supporting Healthy Racial Learning in Early Childhood, Embrace Race

Talking to Kids About Racism and Violence, Child Mind Institute

Children's Books

I Too Am America, by Langston Hughes, ages 5+

Baby Blessings: A Prayer For The Day You Were Born, by Deloris Jordan, ages 0-6

Lullaby, A Poem, by Langston Hughes, ages 0-6

Welcome, Precious, by Nikki Grimes, ages 0-5

Malcolm Little: The Boy Who Grow Up to Become Malcolm X, by IIyasha Shabazz, ages 6+

CROWN: An Ode To A Fresh Cut, by Derrick Barnes, ages 3-10

Turning 15 On The Road To Freedom: My Story of 1965 Selma Voting Right March, by Lynda Blackmon, ages 12+

A Child's Introduction To AA History, by Jabari Asim, ages 5+

10 Children's Books About Racism And Activism To Help Parents Educate Their Kids, HuffPost

31 Children's books to support conversations on race, racism and resistance, Embrace Race

These Books Can Help You Explain Racism and Protest to Your Kids, The New York Times

Books About Racism and Social Justice, Common Sense Media

Books on race and racism, by age, recommended by Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Kidsburgh

Reading Race in Picture Books with Children, Embrace Race

Resources for Social/Emotional Development

Helping Children Cope With Frightening News, Child Mind Institute

How to Foster Resilience in Kids, Child Mind Institute

What to Do (and Not Do) When Children Are Anxious, Child Mind Institute

NASP: Managing Strong Emotional Reactions to Trauma, National Association of School Psychologists

Supporting Young Children after Crisis Events, NAEYC

Coping with Grief After Community Violence, SAMHSA

The Brown Mama Blueprint Podcast, Pittsburgh Brown Mamas

Resources to Support Children's Emotional Well-Being Amid Anti-Black Racism, Racial Violence, and Trauma, Child Trends

Asian Mental Health Collective

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We all have a responsibility to ensure each child and family is safe from racism and discrimination and has equitable opportunities to thrive.

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This website gives the public an opportunity to take Implicit Bias tests created by psychologists at Harvard University. The purpose of this test is to measure one’s level of unconscious bias. Once you agree to terms, you are given a variety of tests to choose from. Some options include: race, transgender, asian, sexuality and religion. Once you complete the test, your answers are interpreted by the creators to let you know where you stand on the chosen topic. This is a powerful test that may make people uncomfortable but it is a starting point for one to dig deep and self reflect on our feelings and stance regarding the chosen topic.

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Preliminary Information

On the next page you'll be asked to select an Implicit Association Test (IAT) from a list of possible topics . We will also ask you (optionally) to report your attitudes or beliefs about these topics and provide some information about yourself.

We ask these questions because the IAT can be more valuable if you also describe your own self-understanding of the attitude or stereotype that the IAT measures. We would also like to compare differences between people and groups.

On the IAT, you may find it easier to pair certain attributes with one group of people compared to another. Your IAT results may depart from your personal beliefs.

Note: This site is designed for adults, aged 18 or older.

Data Privacy: Data exchanged with this site are protected by SSL encryption. Project Implicit uses the same secure hypertext transfer protocol (HTTPS) that banks use to securely transfer credit card information. This provides strong security for data transfer to and from our website. IP addresses are routinely recorded, but are completely confidential. For research purposes, data without directly identifying information is made publicly available. You can find more information on our Data Privacy page.

Important disclaimer: In reporting to you results of any IAT test that you take, we will mention possible interpretations that have a basis in research done (at the University of Washington, University of Virginia, Harvard University, and Yale University) with these tests. However, these Universities, as well as the individual researchers who have contributed to this site, make no claim for the validity of these suggested interpretations. If you are unprepared to encounter interpretations that you might find objectionable, please do not proceed further. You may prefer to examine general information about the IAT before deciding whether or not to proceed.

If you have questions about the study, please contact Project Implicit at questions@projectimplicit.net. To obtain more information about the study, ask questions about the research procedures, express concerns about your participation, or report illness, injury or other problems, please contact:

Tonya R. Moon, Ph.D.
Chair, Institutional Review Board for the Social and Behavioral Sciences
One Morton Dr Suite 500
University of Virginia, P.O. Box 800392
Charlottesville, VA 22908-0392
Email: irbsbshelp@virginia.edu
Website: https://research.virginia.edu/irb-sbs
Website for Research Participants: https://research.virginia.edu/research-participants

I am aware of the possibility of encountering interpretations of my IAT test performance with which I may not agree. Knowing this, I wish to proceed I am aware of the possibility of encountering interpretations of my IAT test performance with which I may not agree. Knowing this, I wish to proceed using a touchscreen OR using a keyboard.

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On the next page you'll be asked to select an Implicit Association Test (IAT) from a list of possible topics . We will also ask you (optionally) to report your attitudes or beliefs about these topics and provide some information about yourself.

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This town hall type experience was live streamed and featured panelists from a variety of backgrounds and perspectives. It has thought provoking discussion that could open up a variety of different perspectives and learning experiences for everyone. This will move the work in my building because it forces listeners to acknowledge the impacts of a racist society and system. It shares personal, impactful stories that cannot be ignored.

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'I Can’t Breathe: From Agony to Activism'

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Two Parter: Hip Hop, Grit, and Academic Success: Bettina Love Ted Talk  AND clip - Dr. Love on Spirt Murdering from C-Span (whole book talk here)

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Two Parter: Hip Hop, Grit, and Academic Success: Bettina Love Ted Talk  AND clip - Dr. Love on Spirt Murdering from C-Span (whole book talk here)

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Both of these videos are from Dr. Love, one is a 15 minute Ted Talk of Dr. Love's experience as a classroom teacher and how our perspectives on what learning looks like ignores the genius that our students have, and elevating their passions and knowledge - Dr. Love specfically cites Hip Hop culutre- creates a more authentic learning environment and in turn when we ignore their genius how this leads into spirt murdering that child/children. This will work in our building it gives real life examples of how this works inside the classroom and how you can make these systematic polices and buzz words work for your students.

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Hip hop, grit, and academic success: Bettina Love at TEDxUGA

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Ted Talk: Jamila Lyiscott - Why English Class is Silencing Students of Color

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Ted Talk: Jamila Lyiscott - Why English Class is Silencing Students of Color

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This Ted Talk discusses the cultural appropriation of AAVE, but that inside our classrooms that language is not valued and even dismissed as not "proper language" in our institutional spaces which is rooted in our colonized narrative. That we need to honor and legitimize our students for who they are and the knowledge they hold when they walk into our classrooms with an idea called "Liberation Literacies" and calling a critical awareness of ourselves and our world and the need for socially just practices in our classrooms.

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Jamila Lyiscott: Why English Class is Silencing Students of Color

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What if someone told you that the way you use language every day had the power to disrupt or uphold social injustice? Language is saturated with history and culture and memory, yet the way that it is policed within our classrooms and our communities is deeply connected to racism and colonialism.

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What Children Learn from the Things They Aren’t Told

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What Children Learn from the Things They Aren’t Told

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Video.

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What children learn from the things they aren't told | Chris Tompkins | TEDxCSULB

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Most of us think children are too young for certain conversations. But what would happen if that changed? In this sincere and thought-provoking TEDx Talk, Chris Tompkins unravels a complex issue unlike we've ever heard.

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If a story moves you, act on it - TEDtalk by Sisonke Msimang

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If a story moves you, act on it - TEDtalk by Sisonke Msimang

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This TEDtalk revolves around action and how we often listen to stories, feeling empathy for those we like but that we don’t have action. I think this would be good to use in discussing moving from intellectually learning to actionable steps to create change. So often at my school, we talk about the same problems without creating actionable steps. This would be good to reference when we are discussing concerns and always keeping actionable steps in mind.

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Transcript of "If a story moves you, act on it"

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TED Talk Subtitles and Transcript: Stories are necessary, but they're not as magical as they seem, says writer Sisonke Msimang. In this funny and thoughtful talk, Msimang questions our emphasis on storytelling and spotlights the decline of facts.

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Ted Talks to Help You Understand Racism in America

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Ted Talks to Help You Understand Racism in America

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This playlist has so many educational and inspirational talks from men and women of color. They talk about systematic racism, voting, school to prison pipeline and more. One of my favorite is, "How we're priming some kids for college — and others for prison". Sociologist Alice Goffman worked in a troubled Philadelphia neighborhood and saw how teenagers of color are funneled down the path to prison. This specific video was thought provoking because of the SESES program in my school and how easy it is for this to happen. Another favorite from this series is “We Are Not A Melting Pot: How to Stop Talking About Implicit Bias and Start Talking About Race."

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Talks to help you understand racism in America | TED Talks

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From passionate pleas for reform to poetic turns of phrase, these talks take an honest look at everyday realities of Black Americans and illuminate the way forward.

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Black Parents Explain How to Deal with the Police

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Black Parents Explain How to Deal with the Police

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This video shows the conversations Black parents have with their children about staying safe when interacting with the police. As a white woman, this is something I will never have to do, but I know so many of my students have had these conversations with their families. This video is so essential to forwarding the work at my school because it forces schools and school districts to address why police officers are in schools in the first place and who has the most interactions with police in schools. As the video shows, parents have to prepare their children how to deal with police starting at a very young age, young children are then aware of how careful they need to be, which then leads to more trauma when they are sent to schools (which are supposed to be safe spaces) which have police in them.

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Black Parents Explain How to Deal with the Police | Cut

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Jacqueline Woodson Reads "The Day You Begin"

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Jacqueline Woodson Reads "The Day You Begin"

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From the Day You Begin is one of my all time favorite books to read at the beginning of the school year. It’s a beautiful book that shares the familiar moment where a child is considered different or an “outsider” because of the language they speak, their skin color, or even the lunch they bring from home. This story allows students to come to the realization that they can connect through their uniqueness and can really help start the conversation of how your classroom is a community.

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Jacqueline Woodson Reads "The Day You Begin" | Bookmarks | Netflix Jr

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I think the first time I saw this video was during a group that a colleague started last summer called “A Community of Colleagues” the group was all MCPS employees. This video put it in very simple terms how systemic racism plays a large part in why people of different races have different opportunities and how implicit bias plays a major role in this. Sharing this with staff shows them how we have to be more aware of our own implicit biases and how that may affect our students, families, and how we perceive what they might be capable of.

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This video discusses microaggressions and what these everyday unconscious actions and insults communicate to students. This video is powerful because it’s students who are sharing microaggressions that have been said to them and many of the statements are statements that many of us might have heard within our own buildings. I think discussing microaggressions with staff and how we have to be intentional when thinking about the messages we are sending to our students with our actions and words.

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"White Awake" - interview with Daniel Hill

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"White Awake" - interview with Daniel Hill

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I have played small clips of this for the staff at different times last year. It is by no means the most amazing resource ever, but I truly found some of the short sound bites within the interview to be very digestible in terms of understanding the history, and 'sickness' (as he calls it) of racism.

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White Awake: An honest look to what it means to be white

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If you haven't seen this video, you must. It brings to light how quickly people can turn on each other and treat each other differently based on a specific trait (eye color in the experiment), and how there's no actual reason behind that group being treated differently. It helps people who are new to exploring their racial identity and white privilege begin to see how the basis of racism, and the racist foundations our country was built on, have molded stereotypes from false narratives.

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Jane Elliott's "Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes" Anti-Racism Exercise | The Oprah Winfrey Show | OWN

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This Comedy Central satire does a beautiful job with using humor to illustrate the damaging dominant culture standard of a “real name”. There’s quite a bit of explicit language which can be avoided by cutting around the 1 minute mark. Regardless it could be a poignant lifting of the veil for those who find names outside of the Tom, Dick, and Jane to be personally challenging. I see it as a compelling conversation starter around the importance of respecting a person’s name and cultural associations. It would move the work in my building by driving home the message that if we are not able to honor a person’s name, we are sending them the message that they do not fit and are not respected.

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Dena Simmons breaks down the steps to supporting each other in providing antiracist education. This is a relatively short and digestible video which can be easily implemented (ex. reviewed weekly in team planning sessions, a checklist on your planbook). It is a grassroots, bottom-up approach to constant self-evaluation as educators. This will move the work in my building because it is a daily use routine which connects our instruction to culturally responsive practices.

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Educator Dena Simmons on engaging in antiracist work in the classroom.

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This is a short video created by a group of fourth graders. I watched this video in the Multicultural Education Class offered through PDO in MCPS; however, I watched this video multiple times after class! It shows the world how young students can have these conversations with grace and maturity. They speak their truth and have a great teacher to guide them.

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Media Resources - Sandy Spring Slave Museum

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Media Resources - Sandy Spring Slave Museum

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As part of the Ethnic Groups in American Society class on PDO, we went to the Sandy Spring Slave Museum in Ashton. I learned so much this day; I posted the two videos above to share about the history of slavery in Montgomery County as well as the integration of schools. The history of the desegregation of schools in this county is so important for us to understand and teach to our students. It connects to our students as they can understand where these first schools stood back then compared to what building it is now. It brings history closer to them and sparks connection.

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When They See Us (Netflix) Directed by Ava DuVernary

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When They See Us (Netflix) Directed by Ava DuVernary

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This is a true story of a crime that took place in 1989 in New York’s Central Park where a jogger was sexually assaulted. Five Black teens were charged with the crime with no evidence tied to them and spent years in prison fighting to prove their innocence. They were eventually exonerated in 2002 of all charges. This is an example of how race and racism was the deciding factor that determined these teens’ fate.

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Ted Talk: Why hugging out racism in education just won't cut it

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Ted Talk: Why hugging out racism in education just won't cut it

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In her Ted Talk, Laura urges schools to do more than just “hug out racism.” She explains that in the majority of the cases, when a racist incident occurs; the response from schools does not go beyond stating that racism is not allowed and they don’t stand by it. Resources should be made available, plans should be actively put into place, so that it’s not just said but demonstrated that racism is not allowed. This video made me reflect on how incidents are handled in my school, how I handle them in my class, and how we can improve.

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Why hugging out racism in education just won't cut it | Laura Mae Lindo | TEDxKitchenerED

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Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices - Netflix Series

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Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices - Netflix Series

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Each episode of this series one celebrity reads a children’s book written by Black authors. The books chosen each highlight a theme: equality, antiracism, and/or self-love. Though the assignment for this discussion board asked for resources geared towards adults; teachers can most definitely use this series in the classroom. Teachers can pick an episode to show during class meetings and follow it by an open discussion with students. Personally, I will be starting with “I am Enough,” written and read by Grace Byers.

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Becoming Upended: Teaching and Learning About Racism with young children and their families

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Becoming Upended: Teaching and Learning About Racism with young children and their families

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This article discusses the experiences of teachers, parents and students. This particular article focuses on primary school teachers and families. It highlights a few personal experiences surrounding racial identity, then dives into research based information about the importance of racial identity. The sections I think that are most useful are “responding to parents anxiety”, and “developing strategies for responding to teachable moments”. This article provides tools and supports for educators struggling with authentic conversations. This will allow staff to feel confident in their interactions with parents and community members who are opposed to conversations about race in schools. Many coworkers do not feel confident in their knowledge when they are required to defend their choices, this would give some support with that.

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At the beginning of the year in Ms. Verwayne's kindergarten class, the children are working on an All About Me project. They begin by drawing pictures of themselves based on observations of their reflections in a mirror. Next, the teacher provides them with sentence starters asking them to describe their hair color and texture, their skin color, and their eye color. In this racially and ethnically diverse class, the children learn a variety of vocabulary words they can use to describe these differences.

On the playground after school, some of the parents chat about the project. One White mom, Ellie, tells the other parents that the project made her feel a little uncomfortable. She explains, "Since this is the beginning of the year, shouldn't the kids be doing things that help them see what they have in common, rather than emphasizing their differences?"

Many parents and teachers of young children share Ellie's concern that children should be shielded from learning explicitly about race and racial differences. Adults often worry that introducing these topics too early could be harmful (Husband 2010). Early childhood educators who wish to make space for learning about race and racism in their classrooms may feel unprepared to approach these complex issues (Vittrup 2016). Shaped by their own experiences with issues of race and racism, parents and teachers may hold differing views regarding the appropriateness of teaching about this topic in the early childhood classroom.

Research demonstrates that children's awareness of racial differences and the impact of racism begins quite early (Tatum 2003; Winkler 2009). Multiple studies document the ways that young children take notice of racial differences and note that as early as preschool, children may begin excluding their peers of different races from play and other activities (Winkler 2009). Many argue that creating safe spaces for children to explore these topics is more important than ever, given the current political and cultural climate, where these issues are highly visible (Pitts 2016; Harvey 2017; Poon 2017). As such, parents and teachers have an obligation to teach and learn with children about these critical and complex issues (Delpit 2012; Derman-Sparks, LeeKeenan, & Nimmo 2015; Ramsey 2015). This article documents how one kindergarten teacher, Diandra Verwayne (the second author), worked with the parents in her classroom to grow together in their understandings of the role we all must play in talking with young children about race and racism. Additionally, this piece offers curricular and pedagogical resources for adults who are committed to engaging with young children in this crucial work.

Learning about race and unlearning racism

In her seminal research and writing on this topic, Beverly Daniel Tatum (a former psychology professor and president of Spelman College) has written extensively about the ways in which the unjust structure of racial hierarchy in American society is normalized and transmitted to children from birth (Tatum 2003). In discussing how messages about race-based privilege and oppression are internalized, Tatum provides a powerful metaphor. She explains that in the same way residents who live in highly polluted areas cannot avoid becoming "smog breathers," Americans who are immersed in the structures and practices of white supremacy unwittingly become "racism breathers" (6). Many of us may not realize the degree to which these toxic beliefs shape our perceptions and experiences of the world. Unless we have opportunities to unlearn racism, these messages become absorbed and have consequences.

Schools, in collaboration with families, have an important role to play in fostering young children's positive racial identities.

More recently scholars have documented the negative impact that being subjected to racism has on young children's academic success, as Lisa Delpit (2012) conveys in her aptly titled book chapter, "There Is No Achievement Gap at Birth." These consequences vary depending on our levels of privilege and oppression, which intersect across our diverse identities. Early childhood educators can support the unlearning of racism-and minimize later breathing in of racism-by intentionally teaching about race and related issues. Schools, in collaboration with families, have an important role to play in fostering young children's positive racial identities. Teachers who intentionally plan curricula that affirm children's racial identities have seen the benefits this produces in supporting children's growth and learning across many domains of development (Ladson-Billings 2009; Wright, Counsell, & Tate 2015).

There is often confusion about the difference between racially based bias and racism. Racism is a system of oppression that results from a combination of prejudice and power. This combination produces institutional structures and social practices that deny equity to people based on race. There is a common misconception that biases or prejudices that some people of color hold against White people constitutes "reverse racism." Anyone can hold a bias against people of another race, but only some races are subject to oppressive structures and practices as a result of that bias. To illustrate, consider a comparison to sexism. Some women are biased against men, but this is not "reverse sexism"; only men's biases against women have produced the conditions in which women are subjected to far more sexual harassment and sexual violence than men (Breiding et al. 2014). Similarly, racism has created structures and practices that deny equity and justice to people of color, including, for example, great disparities by race in family wealth. One of the most reliable ways to accumulate and pass on family wealth is through home ownership. Until recently, many Black Americans-including those with high incomes-were unable to buy houses because of redlining, a practice by which banks refused to offer mortgages in predominately Black neighborhoods. This is a key factor explaining why median wealth for White families in the US is about $134,000, while the median wealth for Black families is about $11,000 (Jones 2017). This disparity in family wealth accumulated over several generations and will likely take several more generations to address; meanwhile, it continues to have broad implications for access to opportunity, such as parents' ability to pay their children's college tuition.

For all children to understand that the effects of racism are not the fault of people of color, we need to address these issues early in children's lives. We begin by fostering the positive development of every child's racial identity. This work must be paired with opportunities for young children to learn where and how injustice and inequality operate in our society. When children are armed with this knowledge and these skills, they can begin to disrupt these systems and work toward building a more equitable society for all of us.

Lessons Learned

When planning to implement a curriculum that addresses issues of race and racism, consider the following:

Identify colleagues who are also committed to a racial justice curriculum and work together. Alternatively, seek out communities online to support your teaching practice. Remember, you're not alone!

Anticipate the kinds of concerns or misconceptions that children and families might have, and prepare in advance some strategies for responding.

Recall experiences that have expanded your own thinking about these issues, and consider sharing the story of how your perspective has grown and changed.

Make yourself available, either in person or over the phone, to communicate with families about their perspectives on the curriculum. Email communication can often amplify disagreements, so try to keep communication face to face, if possible.

Model a stance of respectful openness. Even if you disagree, strive to set a tone that maximizes the possibilities for considering different viewpoints.

Recognize that we-children, families, and colleagues- are all on a journey of growth with respect to these issues. Draw upon the ways that you scaffold children's learning in other areas and apply these skills when supporting others' growth.

One teacher's work

Ms. Verwayne teaches kindergarten at a racially and economically diverse public school. Born in Guyana, she moved to the United States at the age of 6 and recalls that when she entered school, she was made to feel like an outsider because of cultural differences. She reported, "When I was in elementary school, I felt like I had to hide my culture so that I could be accepted by the masses. I don't want that to happen within my classroom. I want my kids to be able to recognize who they are." Ms. Verwayne is committed to affirming children's racial and cultural identities throughout the year.

In her planned curriculum, Ms. Verwayne begins by offering learning experiences that allow children to observe and celebrate their unique identities. She also acknowledges the need for teachers to reflect on potential questions and concerns in order to prepare (as much as possible) for unplanned teachable moments. While she knows that some adults may resist addressing topics like identity, race, and racism with young children, she remains committed to the idea that these issues are an essential part of the early childhood curriculum. Musing about this tension, she shared the questions she asks herself as she designs curriculum:

If I do talk about race, will it offend anyone? How do you talk about it in a way that doesn't offend people? . . . I think a lot of teachers will just choose not to address it because if you don't address it, you're not offending anybody. . . . I think this is the problem that we have in our country. . . . We never have an honest, open discussion about race ever.

Considering the current climate in America, where racism and racially motivated violence are visible to adults and children, Ms. Verwayne feels the stakes are too high to ignore this topic in her classroom.

Responding to parents' anxiety

Because Ms. Verwayne is committed to openly and collaboratively addressing these topics, she believes it is important to discuss families' concerns. For this article, two parents whose children were enrolled in Ms. Verwayne's kindergarten classroom were interviewed by Kirsten Cole (the first author) about the curriculum. Fabiola is a Haitian American mother of two. Ellie is a White mother of two. Both mothers' first-born children were in Ms. Verwayne's class.

After moving to the United States at the beginning of kindergarten, Fabiola was frequently the target of racial epithets and other acts of racism. Fabiola described the painful consequences of having internalized these oppressive messages, in large part because as a child she did not have the opportunity to process these experiences with her parents or teachers. As a parent, Fabiola has prioritized giving her children many opportunities to celebrate their racial identity and making space for their questions about race and racism. Nonetheless, Fabiola recognizes the potential for some families, particularly White parents, to feel uncomfortable with such a curriculum. She explained,

I think the teachers have to be prepared to deal with the parents and manage the anxiety of the parents. Because I think instructionally and educationally teachers know that it's important. . . . I strongly believe that the kids can tolerate it. It's the parents that are the hardest to convince.

Given the tendency of some adults to avoid these topics, Fabiola was pleased to discover that Ms. Verwayne made learning about race an integral part of the curriculum.

Ellie, in contrast, expressed some initial resistance to having her daughter participate in open discussions of racial differences. Ellie grew up in the Midwest in mostly racially homogenous environments. As is the experience for many White children, Ellie recalled that race was never discussed. Echoing the "colorblind" view that many White families espouse, Ellie recounted, "I don't think I thought about it much. I always thought, 'Everybody's wonderful. Everybody's the same.'" When her daughter began to attend public school, Ellie and some of the other White parents discussed their concerns about Ms. Verwayne's curriculum. Ellie recalled,

In kindergarten they did a worksheet for social studies about identity. The worksheet asked them to note their physical traits: eye color, skin color, hair color, hair texture, things like that. That was the first time anything like this had come up. I was thinking, "What is this? This is ridiculous. There's no reason that 5-year-olds should be doing this sort of exercise. This is futile. Why should my kid be having to say that she's White?"

In recalling how she felt at the time of this incident, Ellie articulated a stance many White people are raised to adopt: claiming to not see color is the most equitable way to approach teaching and learning about race.

Especially in recent years, many scholars have questioned the presumed benefits of the colorblind approach (Pollock 2005; Husband 2012). As society is not equitable and racial bias does exist, the colorblind approach denies children the validity of their experiences of the world. Because the impact of racial bias is visible, not allowing children to process this injustice is confusing, and it denies them the opportunity to see themselves as agents of change to resist injustice. Colorblindness fails to acknowledge the impact of racism on all people and, further, does not push White people to do the important work of reckoning with the legacy of white supremacy in our lives (Derman-Sparks, Ramsey, & Edwards 2006; DiAngelo 2012).

Ms. Verwayne has a practice of encouraging families to meet with her during weekly parent engagement time. At one such meeting, she asked if anyone had any questions about the curriculum. Ellie responded, "Actually, there was a worksheet that came home, and I don't think this is a useful thing. I think it's really hurtful, because it makes them identify things they haven't even realized about each other." Ms. Verwayne recalled being surprised by Ellie's reaction to the assignment, but she was grateful to have the opportunity to open a dialogue about their different views. She explained, "I needed to understand where that parent was coming from, and that parent needed to understand where I was coming from." For her part, Ellie had the opportunity to hear both Ms. Verwayne's intentions and also other parents' perspectives on the curriculum. Ellie recalled,

Fabiola responded, "Well, as a Black woman, we take a lot of pride in who we are and we want to talk about it a lot." As soon as she said that I realized, "Oh, of course. You're proud of your race. And I am not."

Ellie's reflection on this experience revealed another tension the colorblind view often masks. In naming the root of her discomfort, Ellie illuminated one of many challenges teachers face when doing this work in schools. The false premise of colorblindness is often deployed to obscure the discomfort White people have with confronting ongoing and historical racial oppression and injustice (Harvey 2017). As Fabiola noted in a later interview, "I think it's really detrimental to tell children they don't see what they're seeing and they're not feeling what they just felt-that they can't trust their eyes and they can't trust their gut."

While Ellie had entered the conversation seeking to maintain the colorblind view, she suddenly realized that not speaking about race with children does not protect them. Having had the opportunity to see the issue from another perspective, Ellie reported being transformed. Reflecting on this incident in a later interview, she recalled,

It was just totally eye-opening. It upended me. Ever since then I just thought, there are so many parents of both Black and White kids and kids of every race that need to have those conversations about these differences, and that the differences are good. I realized that it has to be talked about.

This transformation-this "upending"-would not have been possible had Ms. Verwayne not opened this potentially challenging dialogue with families.

Particularly in early childhood, it is essential to build trusting and respectful relationships with families. Not all families will be receptive to a curriculum that addresses these issues, nor will all families be as open to being transformed in their thinking, as Ellie was. Ellie remarked, "What I really appreciate about Ms. Verwayne is her openness and respect for different viewpoints. Whenever I have had a concern, she has always been willing to talk and listen to my position with great interest and care." For early childhood teachers seeking to do the critical work of teaching about race and racism, it is important to be prepared to address parents' myriad responses, including being ready and willing to create space for conversations many of us have been taught to avoid. While some families may never be open to a new way of thinking, teachers who model this openness will set the tone for approaching disagreements respectfully. As Fabiola noted, the hesitation that many White parents have stems from adults' issues rather than any difficulty children may have in exploring the topic (DiAngelo 2012). She mused,

It's not a scary thing. It may be uncomfortable, but it's a good thing to be having this conversation at this stage. And it was fine. We pass on these anxieties to our kids. The more anxious we are in talking about it, the more anxious they feel. They think that there's something wrong with what they're saying.

It may be surprising that children are ready for us to facilitate these learning opportunities. As parents and teachers, it is critical that we make ourselves ready for planned and unplanned opportunities to learn about race and racism.

Following children's leads

As with the curriculum that sparked the previous discussions, teaching and learning about race should begin with children's observations. Children notice differences and need to feel safe and supported in asking questions about what they notice. Fabiola explained that her daughter's learning about race "has been very child directed. . . . If she asks a question, more times than not it's just an observation of something. So I acknowledge the fact that she's absolutely right. She's noticing differences." Ms. Verwayne concurred; she likes to follow children's leads and design projects, activities, and read-alouds that emerge from their questions and concerns. She emphasized that children's innate sense of justice and fairness creates opportunities for them to wrestle with these questions. She explained, "Their questions mean that they're seeking an answer about this topic. And they have a lot of curiosity and wondering, and they need a way to figure out that answer." As with other inquiry-based learning experiences, a curriculum that emerges from the children's process of making sense of the world often yields the most engaging opportunities for learning.

While some of children's observations and questions about racial differences may be straightforward, at times children echo harmful biases they have heard elsewhere. Ms. Verwayne recalled an afternoon when her class returned from lunch in a state of distress. One of her students, an African American girl, had told another child, "I don't like White people." At the time, the nightly news was full of reporting about police brutality against African Americans, so Ms. Verwayne suspected that the child was repeating something she had overheard an adult say. Though math was on the schedule for the afternoon, Ms. Verwayne asked the children to join her in a circle on the rug. Drawing upon strategies she had learned in Responsive Classroom workshops, she reminded the children of their classroom norms that create space for each child's voice. She reminded the children to use accountable talk grounded in their experiences and to listen to each other with care. As they shared their feelings about what had happened at lunch, Ms. Verwayne prompted them to reflect on the sense of community and friendship they had cultivated together in class. They concluded that, while some people of any race may "not always be nice," we cannot draw conclusions about a whole race based on the actions of individuals.

Planning for learning through children's literature

For parents and teachers wishing to open a dialogue about racial identity and racism, children's literature provides an excellent starting point. Well-written children's literature allows children to identify with and develop empathy for characters, particularly those that may be different from themselves. Stocking the classroom library with children's books that represent a diversity of experiences is essential. Providing books that allow children to see themselves in the pages offers the kind of high-interest materials that support children's early literacy (Klefstad & Martinez 2013). Especially when children are beginning to do the challenging work of learning to read, it is important for them to be able to select books that allow them to feel a connection to the content. If children do not see their lives and interests reflected in the books in your library, they may feel that reading is not for them.

Stocking Your Library with Equitable and Inclusive Children's Titles

For teachers seeking to foster an appreciation of difference and empathy, it is especially important to have a classroom library that represents a range of characters and experiences. Great children's books allow us to get inside the protagonists' experiences. Fortunately, excellent resources exist to guide teachers and families in creating such libraries (see "Stocking Your Library with Equitable and Inclusive Children's Titles" above). The classroom library can offer a child-friendly opening to learn about important histories and to celebrate the accomplishments of seminal figures in the fight for racial equality. However, be sure to provide a balance and to also include books that represent diverse characters engaged in ordinary, everyday experiences.

Once you develop a classroom library that addresses issues of race and racism from many perspectives, prepare yourself to respond to children's questions as they arise. Ms. Verwayne recalled that when reading about the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., her children wanted to know more. When the book addressed the topic of segregation, they asked, "But why would people do that?!?" Ms. Verwayne was glad that she had anticipated these questions and was able to provide context by talking about Jim Crow and how it institutionalized racial bias and made it the law of the land.

Developing strategies for responding to teachable moments

In addition to planning a curriculum that addresses issues of race and racism, Ms. Verwayne described how she often needed to think on her feet in responding to children's natural curiosity about race and difference. Many teachers may have a desire to address these topics but feel unprepared to respond when the issues arise in their classrooms. Teachers need resources and support to develop the tools to do this work skillfully and thoughtfully. Ms. Verwayne argued that this includes trusting teachers to think on their feet and to ground their responses in the deep knowledge they have of their classroom communities. She noted,

Some people definitely do not want to discuss issues of race and difference at all. They think it's best to sweep it under the rug and just act like it doesn't exist. That's the safest space to be in. But is it the right space to be in, knowing the times that we're in? I think we need to give teachers the leeway to be unconventional and try different ways to address this.

In an era when many educational reforms have argued for standardization and "teacher proofing" the curriculum, the work of responding to complex issues requires that we give teachers the training and time to reflect on and discuss them, and also trust teachers to write their own script when teachable moments arise.

As described earlier, Ms. Verwayne uses protocols and practices offered by the Responsive Classroom to facilitate a complex conversation about racial bias. By developing these routines, Ms. Verwayne asks the children to join her in taking ownership of creating the kind of classroom in which they all feel included. These pedagogical strategies are supported by the content of her social studies curriculum, which explores the meaning of community.

A number of organizations have created forums for the exchange of social justice curriculum ideas (see "Preparing for and Responding to Teachable Moments" below). Responding to teachable moments is never one size fits all; but resources that provide candid and thoughtful sharing of teacher knowledge can provide teachers with models of practices and strategies. Even pedagogical models that do not explicitly address race and racism, such as the practices offered by the Responsive Classroom, can be adapted to create a framework for talking about race in the classroom. Whatever the approach, we must acknowledge the need to offer these kinds of curricular and pedagogical strategies to teachers throughout their professional development experiences.

Preparing for and Responding to Teachable Moments

Committing to teaching for equity and justice

This article, along with the suggested resources, provides a starting point for teachers and families seeking to do the important work of supporting young children's learning and understanding about race and racism. As Ms. Verwayne's experiences illustrate, this work is both challenging and essential. Concluding her reflections on her own experiences with Ms. Verwayne's kindergarten, Ellie emphasized, "In a school where you don't have the kind of diversity we have, it might be even more important." As we prepare young children to be members of the human family, we must offer them opportunities to celebrate all aspects of their identities and to resist bias and oppression. In the field of early childhood education, we spend much of our time and energy nurturing children's capacity for kindness and respect. Helping children see the role they have to play in fostering equality and inclusion through racial justice is a critical piece of this project.

References

Breiding, M.J., S.G. Smith, K.C. Basile, M.L. Walters, J. Chen, & M.T. Merrick. 2014. "Prevalence and Characteristics of Sexual Violence, Stalking, and Intimate Partner Violence Victimization-National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, United States, 2011." Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report: Surveillance Summaries 63 (8): 1-18. www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss6308a1.htm.

Delpit, L. 2012. "Multiplication Is for White People": Raising Expectations for Other People's Children. New York: The New Press.

Derman-Sparks, L., D. LeeKeenan, & J. Nimmo. 2015. Leading Anti-Bias Early Childhood Programs: A Guide for Change. New York: Teachers College Press; Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

Derman-Sparks, L., P.G. Ramsey, & J.O. Edwards. 2006. What If All the Kids Are White? Anti-Bias Multicultural Education with Young Children and Families. New York: Teachers College Press.

DiAngelo, R. 2012. "What Makes Racism So Hard for Whites to See?" Chap. 10 in What Does It Mean to Be White? Developing White Racial Literacy, 167-89. New York: Peter Lang.

Harvey, J. 2017. "Are We Raising Racists?" Opinion, New York Times, March 14. www.nytimes.com/2017/03/14/opinion/are-we-raising-racists.html.

Husband, T. 2010. "He's Too Young to Learn About That Stuff: Anti-Racist Pedagogy and Early Childhood Social Studies." Social Studies Research and Practice 5(2): 61-75.

Husband, T. 2012. "'I Don't See Color': Challenging Assumptions about Discussing Race with Young Children." Early Childhood Education Journal 39 (6): 365-71.

Jones, J. "The Racial Wealth Gap: How African-Americans Have Been Shortchanged Out of the Materials to Build Wealth." Working Economics Blog, Economic Policy Institute, February 13, 2017. www.epi.org/blog/the-racial-wealth-gap-how-african-americans-have-been-s....

Klefstad, J.M., & K.C. Martinez. 2013. "Promoting Young Children's Cultural Awareness and Appreciation Through Multicultural Books." Young Children 68 (5): 74-81.

Ladson-Billings, G. 2009. The Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African American Children. 2nd ed. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Pitts, J. 2016. "Don't Say Nothing." Teaching Tolerance,no. 54. www.tolerance.org/magazine/tt54-fall-2016/feature/dont-say-nothing.

Pollock, M. 2005. Colormute: Race Talk Dilemmas in an American School. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Poon, O. 2017. "Our Schools Need to Teach a Fourth 'R': Racial Literacy." Rewire. https://rewire.news/article/2017/03/01/schools-need-teach-fourth-r-racial-literacy/.

Ramsey, P.G. 2015. Teaching and Learning in a Diverse World: Multicultural Education for Young Children. 4th ed. New York: Teachers College Press.

Tatum, B.D. 2003. "Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?: And Other Conversations About Race. Rev. ed. New York: Basic Books.

Vittrup, B. 2016. "Early Childhood Teachers' Approaches to Multicultural Education and Perceived Barriers to Disseminating Anti-Bias Messages." Multicultural Education 23 (3-4): 37-41.

Winkler, E.N. 2009. "Children Are Not Colorblind: How Young Children Learn Race." PACE: Practical Approaches for Continuing Education 3 (3): 1-8.

Wright, B.L., S.L. Counsell, & S.L. Tate. 2015. "'We're Many Members, but One Body': Fostering a Healthy Self-Identity and Agency in African American Boys." Young Children 70(3): 24-31.

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Becoming Upended: Teaching and Learning about Race and Racism with Young Children and Their Families

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This article, along with the suggested resources, provides a starting point for teachers and families seeking to do the important work of supporting young children's learning and understanding about race and racism.

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This article addresses how our school structures are policies disproportionately negatively impact our Black, Indigenous, and Latinx youth because these disiplinary practices we use all come down to compliance and being "nice" which is all rooted in White Supremacy. This will work in my building becuase it is a a thought provoking article on what behavior mangemnet really is and the power hoarding that can happen as a teacher rather than allowing students to come as their authentic selves to learn.

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Last September, in Louisiana, 9-year-old Ka'Mauri Harrison was taking a test in his bedroom-a reality for many students engaged in online learning during the coronavirus pandemic. His brother walked in, tripping over a BB gun in the background. Ka'Mauri picked it up and carried it toward the computer. His teacher kicked him off the video conference.

For briefly brandishing a BB gun in his own bedroom, Ka'Mauri faced nearly two weeks of suspension and a social worker was sent to his home.

"It is our policy that teachers and administrators may employ reasonable disciplinary and corrective measures," a spokesperson for Jefferson Parish Schools said at the time, "to maintain order."

Ka'Mauri is Black. So is Isaiah Elliott, a Colorado seventh grader who was suspended for holding a toy gun during art class. So is the 15-year-old girl who, in a now infamous case, was incarcerated in Michigan for not doing her homework and thus violating her parole.

The en masse switch to distance learning was unprecedented. But these outsized discipline measures against Black students, sadly, were not. Zoom suspensions followed similar patterns to in-person classroom management tactics that feed Black students into the school-to-prison pipeline.

"It's a pathway that is sadly well-worn and very visible," says Miriam Rollin, the director of the Education Civil Rights Alliance assembled by the National Center for Youth Law.

According to analysis of public data by ProPublica, Black students, nationally, are 3.9 times more likely to face suspension than white students. In some states, like Wisconsin (7.5 times), Minnesota (6.2 times) and Connecticut (6 times), it's even more stark. And according to a 2018 analysis by the U.S. Government Accountability Office, Black students were overrepresented in every punishment measure evaluated, regardless of poverty level or school type.

The numbers' severity and longevity underscore a systemic and seismic pushout of Black students, whose disproportionate contact with law enforcement leads to disproportionate rates of dropouts, disengagement and incarceration. Disrupting that cycle of punishment will be necessary to end the school-to-prison pipeline and protect the students most disproportionately harmed by such policies-namely Black, Indigenous and Latinx youth.

But experts in school discipline say there is something more insidious and emblematic behind distance learning discipline measures. It hasn't just been suspensions. In a moment when students needed grace and leniency amidst brand-new challenges, a reliance on compliance emerged again and again. Students had to keep cameras on in their homes. Students got in trouble for missing school days or assignments as they were forced to work or care for siblings. Schools enforced dress codes and codes of conduct most Zoom-bound adults could not follow. All designed, as the Louisiana spokesperson put it, to maintain order.

Experts say these stories underscore the limitations of fixing disproportionate discipline outcomes strictly in terms of removing school police or eliminating the school-to-prison pipeline. The U.S. school system is dependent on control and compliance-and historically this dependence reaffirms and is inextricably bound up with tenets of white supremacy. Whether advocates call for reform measures or for a more systemic abolition of all school practices that resemble the carceral state, it's clear that they agree on one thing: Equity requires understanding and excavating those white supremacist roots.

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Last September, in Louisiana, 9-year-old Ka'Mauri Harrison was taking a test in his bedroom-a reality for many students engaged in online learning during the coronavirus pandemic. His brother walked in, tripping over a BB gun in the background. Ka'Mauri picked it up and carried it toward the computer.

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This article discusses the need for anti-racist education in white privileged schools. This article highlights the need to re-evaluate our curriculums to teach multiple perspectives and that our history and curriculums are founded in colonizer narratives, interrogate our practices, and that our white and privileged students need to understand their power and privilege to move past the white guilt and saviorism but how to stand together to work towards justice.

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As more and more teachers, administrators, schools and organizations are questioning their practices and looking at the racist history of their institutions, many are finally asking, "How we can listen to and support Black students, teachers and communities who have been systemically silenced for too long?"

This question is essential, and examining anti-Blackness in our practice is something we all must be looking at. Looking at anti-Blackness or inequities brought about by systems rooted in white supremacy and racism is something all students should be doing. While more institutions, including primarily or historically white ones, are committing to this work, white teachers with primarily white students can feel hesitant to discuss these issues since they may not feel it affects them. This idea is a fundamental misunderstanding of what anti-racist work actually is.

Anti-racist work means acknowledging that racist beliefs and structures are pervasive in all aspects of our lives-from education to housing to climate change-and then actively doing work to tear down those beliefs and structures. Those beliefs and structures don't just exist in primarily white/and or privileged institutions-they thrive there.

Schools that house mostly students and teachers who have benefited from white privilege can lack the perspective to push back on institutional malpractice or racist mindsets that may be present. In addition, it is difficult to convince those with power and privilege to give those privileges up without clear education and work to understand why doing so is a necessity for true justice in our society.

Doing the work in spaces of privilege may look different, but educators cannot pretend that anti-racist work doesn't exist simply because their student body isn't directly harmed by racism. There are clear aims that primarily white and otherwise privileged institutions must work toward in the fight against racism.

Teachers must re-evaluate their curriculum.

When teaching standards and core curricula have been developed for your students, it's easy to simply follow along. However, it's important to remember that our education system has been founded on historically racist practices, including silencing those from disenfranchised communities.

It's not just BIPOC who need to see themselves in the literature or history they study. White students need to hear those perspectives as well, just as straight and cisgender students need to read LGBTQ+ stories. This is because students need not just mirrors but also windows into other cultures, as Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop notes in her essay " Mirrors, Windows and Sliding Glass Doors. "

Students from communities with white privilege need to hear voices from other perspectives in order to grow their own thinking. Those perspectives need to be diverse and empowering as well-only showing Black suffering or slavery does not begin to break down problematic beliefs about Black people. Instead, students coming from positions of power need to see and understand the power and agency of those who have been historically disenfranchised, particularly since society frequently tells them otherwise. This will allow white students and teachers to have a more accurate and nuanced understanding of our history, while also ensuring they can center BIPOC voices and be allies and accomplices instead of "saviors."

Students need to understand privilege and rethink power.

Students from privileged communities can struggle to understand privilege since they may feel that they have had to work hard or struggle at times in their lives. Teachers must help students understand how privilege works at a systemic level that may have given students an edge that, while it may be one they didn't ask for, is still very real.

The work does not stop there, though. It can be easy in teaching privilege to fall into the trap of "white guilt" or "privilege guilt" (or even "survivor guilt" for BIPOC who have moved up socioeconomically and have internalized the belief that their communities were something to be "survived"). While guilt can be an important emotion to notice and process, educators should help students move through it to a place of action. Beyond "feeling bad" about generations of oppression, how can they use this knowledge to advocate for change and begin breaking down their own racist beliefs? How can they also reframe their understandings of privilege so that they stop prioritizing hegemonic ideas of success and worth?

Some of that will mean teaching students to analyze and reframe how they see values and stories from other cultures. Most of us were taught to praise white-dominant cultural ideas: financial success, rugged individualism, paternalism. Because of this, cultures with different priorities may not be seen as "successful" or "valuable" in our eyes and in the eyes of our students. We need to teach students with privilege not to be "saviors" for historically disenfranchised communities, but rather to listen to, value and stand in kinship with them so we can work together toward justice.

Schools must interrogate their practices and how they gained institutional privilege to begin with.

Anti-racist work cannot be done on an individual or classroom level. Administrators, faculty and staff at primarily white or otherwise privileged institutions must question how this has affected their school, students and community. If you don't have any Black students, why is that? If your school primarily serves folks with high socioeconomic status, what policies and events led to that? Schools need to consider how they can help create more integration in their community by having open and honest discussions with their parents and caregivers about the benefits of diverse schools ( including for white students) or questioning policies (such as requirements regarding tardiness and truancy and dress codes) that have made it historically difficult for more diverse populations to join their school community.

This also means making students from historically disenfranchised communities feel included when they do attend school. It's not enough to simply have representation-students must feel that their identities are validated and that their school is a place that accepts them completely. In addition, schools must hold educators and students accountable when they say and do things that make school unsafe for those they claim they want to support. Only when students feel they will be supported by their schools will they be able to fully become a part of that school community.

As Dr. Ibram X. Kendi notes in his work How to Be an Antiracist, "There is no neutrality in the racism struggle. ... The claim of 'not racist' neutrality is a mask for racism. ... An antiracist is someone who is supporting an antiracist policy by their actions or expressing an antiracist idea."

This means we educators have important questions to ask ourselves: Will I work to be anti-racist? Or will I continue thoughtlessly breathing in what Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum calls the "smog of racism" and allowing that to affect my classroom, school and conduct in our larger world? We must actively take a stand against racism with all our students if we want to truly fight its systemic grasp on society.

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As more and more teachers, administrators, schools and organizations are questioning their practices and looking at the racist history of their institutions, many are finally asking, "How we can listen to and support Black students, teachers and communities who have been systemically silenced for too long?"

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White Dominate Culture & Something Different

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White Dominate Culture & Something Different

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This article goes into the tenants of WSC and offers an alternative thinking.

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Education is a field that is the majority women and of that, a majority white women. I think this article would move the work in my building in utilizing this reading in an affinity group. I’ve seen too often these defensive mechanisms at work in our schools. If we aren’t able to address these and move beyond them in our interactions with our colleagues, we can’t move the work for our students.

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10 Things I Wish My White Colleagues Knew

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10 Things I Wish My White Colleagues Knew

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https://citizen.education/2021/08/10/10-things-i-wish-my-white-colleagues-knew/

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1 - White guilt is not the point. I hope that calling yourself an ally means that you will shoulder some of my anxiety and my pain. Your guilt/white guilt means nothing without action.

2 - When Black children are shot by police, I am traumatized. Not only because it could have been one of our students, but also because it could have been my dad, cousin, nephew, sister, or my own child. It also could have easily been me.

I beg you to use your privilege to call out every single person, policy, and position that unfairly disadvantages Black and brown students.

3 - I need you to be the one who "always makes it about race." White supremacy has given you a voice in society and even if it's unearned, I beg you to use your privilege to call out every single person, policy, and position that unfairly disadvantages Black and brown students.

4 - Sometimes that person is you and you need to learn to accept that criticism with grace. "White supremacy is, in many ways, the water that the Western world swims in." -Rev. Canon Broderick Greer. White supremacy is everywhere and you are not an exception. There is no such thing as a perfect ally.

5 - Your feelings of discomfort around race and racism are for you and your white folks. Find some white folks who can help you do better.

6 - It doesn't matter your content: Black folks have contributed greatly to this nation and this world. Put in the extra work to find the truth about what we've given to the world and teach the truth to your students.

Incorporate stories of Black love and Black joy.

7 - Incorporate stories of Black love and Black joy. Oppression is not our only story. It is not even our most important story.

8 - I am not the friend you talk with about race unless I've specifically told you otherwise. Living in my skin means I know. I already know and I cannot process with you how to go about being a better, more aware version of yourself. There are whole professionals who specialize in this so if it's important and you're able, invest your money in learning.

9 - Loving Black students is not the same as teaching Black students. Read it again.

10 - I'm a whole human and your Black students are whole humans. Act accordingly.

Photo courtesy of the author.

Chanea Bond is a North Texas teacher, scholar, and activist. Her areas of interest and advocacy include diversifying literacy curriculum to better represent the lived experience of her students and their communities.

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10 Things I Wish My White Colleagues Knew

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1 - White guilt is not the point. I hope that calling yourself an ally means that you will shoulder some of my anxiety and my pain. Your guilt/white guilt means nothing without action. 2 - When Black children are shot by police, I am traumatized.

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Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?

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Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?

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This resource explores why students 'self segregate' in places like cafeterias in schools. Tatum explains that students tend to gravitate towards people that have had similar experiences as them, which allows them to understand and protect each other. This will help to move the work in my building because Tatum also provides tools to help decrease this 'self segregation'. For example, she uses something called the ABCs, Affirming Identity, Building Community, and Cultivating Leadership. My school can work to implement these things not only at lunchtime, but in the hallways, classrooms. after school activities, and anywhere else we interact with students to foster a safe and positive school environment where students do not necessarily feel the need to protect each other.

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Beverly Daniel Tatum wrote "Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?" more than two decades ago.

The title came from her years of research experience, traveling from school to school all over the country.

Often people would ask her that question, Tatum told MPR News host Tom Weber: "Why are all the black kids sitting together?"

And it was "often in a tone that would suggest and what can we do to prevent it," Tatum said. "Like it's a problem."

"What I like to say about that, is that our concern should be less about what kids are doing in their free time at lunch and more about what's happening in the classroom."

Tatum's groundbreaking book took on this question of self-segregation and explored the realities of race in the public education system. It looked at how issues of race play out on a daily basis - like in something as simple as where you sit to eat your lunch. The book asks how people can talk more openly about racial issues, even if they're uncomfortable.

Now, the publisher has re-released "Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together" with new, additional content. And the book is more relevant than ever, Tatum said.

"Our population is much more diverse today than it was even 20 years ago," she said. At the same time, there is "even more school segregation than we had 20 years ago."

When working on the revised edition, Tatum thought through the milestones of people born the year the book the first came out - 1997.

Young people born in 1997 were four years old on Sept. 11. They were 11 when the economy crashed and when Barack Obama was elected. They were 15 when Trayvon Martin was killed and 17 when Michael Brown's death sparked protests in Ferguson. They were 19 when Donald Trump was elected, and 20 when Charlottesville happened.

All these events have shaped the world they grew up in, and by extension, have shaped them. Their education experience has also been shaped by Supreme Court decisions made long before they were born.

The self-segregation Tatum saw across the country is something that emerges as students grow older.

"As children approach adolescence, they start to think in a more adult way about what their own identities are, and what it means to be a young person of color."

One reason students from similar racial backgrounds may gather together, Tatum said, is that "connecting with peers who are having a similar experience as your own serves as a buffer, as a protective force. ... [It] is also a way of affirming your identity."

There are students Tatum met in her research, she said, whose cafeterias didn't self-segregate like so many she'd seen before.

Those students, she said, are often "in a school where there have been some very intentional practices around what I call the ABCs: affirming identity, building community and cultivating leadership."

"We have to be intentional in helping young people connect across lines of difference."
For the full discussion with Beverly Daniel Tatum on "Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?: And Other Converastions about Race," use the audio player above.

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The uncomfortable conversations around race and ed

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Beverly Daniel Tatum's groundbreaking book on the racial realities of the education system has been re-released at a time when the U.S. population is more diverse than ever, but many schools remain segregated.

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White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack by Peggy McIntosh

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White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack by Peggy McIntosh

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This article does an excellent job of pointing out the unspoken benefits that people of the white, dominant culture enjoy, and how white people are able to ignore the realities of racism if they really wanted to. It's a wonderful beginning reading within a journey towards anti-racism, and also one to return to over and over again.

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Why are Black Disabled Activists Being Ignored or Forgotten?

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Why are Black Disabled Activists Being Ignored or Forgotten?

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This is an article that was reposted by a blogger I follow. The blogger is an mother/advocate with Autism who talks about her personal story of being a mom with autism. This article is written by Anita Cameron, a Black disability rights activist. She writes about her difficulty being a disability activist that also brings up the intersectionality of race and disability. She states, “Is the autistic community more or less racist than other communities? When it comes down to it, we’re just as bad.” This article and her work is important for special educators to read. We as special educators get stuck as as advocates for kids with disabilities and often neglect the issues affecting students of color with disabilities.

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By Anita Cameron

I've been involved in disability activism for decades, starting out in ADAPT ( American Disabled for Attendant Programs Today). I love the ideals that we stood for. And it was the first place in social justice where I found a home, where I wasn't an oddball, and where, ultimately, I was listened to, because I did, after some years, find myself in a position of leadership. But over the decades I've seen that in the disability rights movement, the contributions of myself and other Black disabled activists have been ignored or forgotten.

Anita in Capitol Rotunda with Medicaid banner

For instance we did an action in 2002 in Colorado where there were going to be cuts across the board in Medicaid reimbursement rates to home health agencies, meaning a lot of them were going to have to close and the people they served would end up back in institutions. Our chapter of ADAPT figured something drastic had to be done.

Anita Cameron (center) at an ADAPT action in Atlanta in 1989

I pushed them to do a vigil - day in, day out, in front of the Human Services building where Karen Reinertson, Director of Health Care Policy and Finance (HCPF), who had the power to rescind the cuts, had her office. After 14 days and nights, we got a huge victory - the cuts were rescinded! That victory had far reaching effects that lasted throughout the years. The vigil was so successful that I was asked to write a tutorial on how to do a vigil. It also led to the Free Our People March in September of 2003, where we wheeled 144 miles from Philadelphia to Washington, DC to bring awareness of disability rights legislation - it took us two weeks!

I say all that to say that when ADAPT history is told, that contribution is left out. As is the contribution of Blacks in particular.

I mean, so many Black folks participated in getting the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) passed and were there with me on the Capitol Crawl or were involved in the 504 sit-ins. So that kind of thing - we can't leave out the voices of those Black folks who were out there in those streets. We had Black ADAPTers die on actions. Reverend Willie Smith from Chicago died during the Vegas action of 1994, and Mark Jacobs and Leonard Roscoe died during another action a few years later. And so as more and more folks are joining the ancestors I think it's imperative that the story is out there, that the young folks know the about people like Revered Willie Smith, Leonard Roscoe, Reverend Calvin Peterson, Bernard Baker, Shayla Jackson, Jerry Eubanks, Ernest Taylor (ET), Shahada Muhammad, Lee Jackson, Gary Isaacs, Latonya Reeves, Bobby Coward, Sheila Dean, Kate Gainer, Marva Ways, Art Humphries, Gwen Jackson, and so many others.

How many people know the story of Major Owens? He was a Black congressman from New York, who was critical in getting the ADA passed in Congress. It was his proudest achievement, yet, he didn't even get the honors in Congress that he deserved. So if he, a member of Congress didn't get his due, what of us Black activists who blocked those buses, who shut down Greyhound stations, who shut down the Department of Transportation, who chained ourselves to buses, who pushed for the ADA, who did that Capitol Crawl, who was arrested in the rotunda? What of their stories? Who will tell them? Who will speak their names?

" If a member of Congress didn't even get his due, what about Black activists? "

Often, in organizations like ADAPT, Blacks were and are still tokenized. Once or twice, over decades, my ideas were heard and acted on, but as far as whose voices get heard and the future of ADAPT - where we're going and whatnot - certainly in the early days, Blacks were loved, but not heard. I think ADAPT, like most disability organizations, has to face its own structural, institutional and systemic racism. Until ADAPT really comes to grips with that, injustice will still happen and when the history is told, the Black folks will still be left out.

(R-L) Paulette Patterson, Stephanie Thomas, Rick James, Jerry Eubanks and Gwen Jackson at a 1989 action

When I first started at ADAPT, there wasn't even anyone there who was autistic that I knew of. And our voices - the voices of Black folks - were not included in decisions to be made about the future of ADAPT or even sometimes the organization of it. Usually, if you were someone of color and you got listened to, when it all came down to it, it was forgotten who pushed forward the idea. We've had recently more ADAPTers who are neurodivergent come into leadership but specifically autistic folks, pretty few - and myself, but I'm not really seen as an autistic leader in ADAPT. That's just something they keep really forgetting.

I think I just wasn't seen as autistic. I've only really come about it a few years ago. And it was never because I never wanted to be a part of the autistic community - I just couldn't find an autistic community to settle down in. I think now certainly other Black autistic folks include me in that number. And so these days I am acknowledged.

But if you go back and you ask folks about my accomplishments in ADAPT, no one would know. The vigil - called the Battle of HCPF - what happened, how it get to that point, who organized that, my name won't be mentioned. It's forgotten. I want it to be known that that successful vigil would not have happened but for the actions of a Black autistic woman, who was a chapter leader in that chapter.

Anita Cameron receiving an award from Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN)

I think sometimes people might even wonder where I come from - I'm not famous! I'm not like Ari Ne'eman or even like Lydia Brown or some of these other folks who have been out there in the trenches working specifically for the civil and human rights of autistic people. I certainly will not be seen as one of the pioneers in the Black autistic space. In disability spaces, I'm just that voice crying out in the wilderness saying hey we Black folks are here too. So for me I see it from the space as somebody who's autistic, who's trying.

" It's hard to be Black in the disability world - to be authentically Black, and to talk about the issues that affect us."

It's hard to be Black in the disability world - to be authentically Black, and to talk about the issues that affect us, especially in the disability rights movement. When I would bring up racial things, I'd get slapped down, shut down. I actually got the nickname "angry black woman". But in 2014, when Michael Brown was murdered, I just said no. No more. I stopped being a disability rights activist and began being a Black disability rights activist.

If I go out my house, and I don't have mobility equipment like my rollator or my wheelchair and you don't notice me trying to look very closely at objects, or don't see me stimming (which I try hard not to do publicly, because as a Black person, that can get you killed - think Elijah McClain) you're not going to know I'm disabled. You might notice after a while but it's not the first thing you see.

Because of my voice and its tenor and to an extent my locs, I get misgendered quite often. So people approach me as if I'm a man, a stereotypical man, so it's pretty dangerous. It's pretty rough to be a Black guy out there. And that's what people see, and it's about what's in their imagination when you see a Black guy.

Same with being a lesbian - no one's gonna know. They're not gonna sometimes even know I'm a woman.

But they know I'm Black. And treat me accordingly.

I could no longer separate that. So I stopped trying to. And it was about that time that I got that moniker "angry black woman".

In 2018 I started to voice that I saw that we really need to address the structural racism in ADAPT and by extension in the disability community and disability movement

We really needed to address it, we needed to be a beacon. We needed to lead that.

So, I pushed for an Intersectional Justice workgroup to not only address issues of structural racism but to bring ADAPT into the 21st century. We're so insular, we only cared about disability issues and that's it. We have ADAPTers who are immigrants, who are undocumented, who are indigenous, many and plenty ADAPTers who are not only LGBTQ but specifically trans, and we obviously have Black ADAPTers who have faced the police. So I wanted to make ADAPT more aware of those issues. Our first issue and statement was against homophobia and transphobia because we had one of our leadership experience that in their chapter.

Then we started tackling the issue about race and it got ugly. It got real ugly. Horrible things were said, unspeakable things were said, and I saw the true colors. It became clear that ADAPT was not ready to face it.

And we talk about one person's actions or behavior, but it's more than that. There needs to be a reckoning with the structural racism going on. There are some things, performative things getting done, but there needs to be a plan, a written plan, to be followed, and I don't see that. I hope that that happens.

Most of the white led disability organizations - a lot of them have made statements on this or that, on George Floyd or whatever - but statements are performative. Showing up at Black Lives Matter marches is performative. When your organization is continuing to mistreat or betray your staff of color, or your Black staff, all that performance stuff means absolutely nothing!

But I think all of those organizations who are writing these statements need to have a straight up plan on how they will address structural racism in their organization - how are they going to recruit qualified Black folks? What's the makeup of their Board of Directors? Are they including folks who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) - do you have us on your boards? And if you do, what assignments do you have them do? Are we there just for window dressing or are we being allowed to fully participate? There are organizations that may have Black folks working for them or on their boards but they get the menial stuff - they get the low level, entry stuff, or if they're on the board they're not really serving on committees or if they are they're doing all the work and not getting any of the credit.

There are some organizations that are starting to make progress. The National Council on Independent Living (NCIL) has been having serious discussions on this, Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund (DREDF) is working on a plan, Not Dead Yet, where I work, has an intersectionality committee. The Alliance for Citizen Directed Supports, on whose Board I serve, at my suggestion, created an Intersectionality and Inclusion Committee. The organizations that are part of the National Disability Leadership Alliance, each of those organizations have or are in the process of writing a diversity and inclusion statement. That's fine and well but I think that there has to be outright planning, and I think some of these organizations are certainly doing that.

As far as disability organizations who support police training, I have two words for them. Paul. Childs. Paul Childs was an autistic young man in Denver who was murdered by the police. The police who murdered him not only knew him, but they had training - he was known to them. They were called because Paul was going through a crisis and the police were called, and it did not end well, he died- but these were cops who were trained to deal with autistic people.

Cops who were trained still kill. Especially if you're Black. Especially if you're a Black guy, or someone who presents as male. And I don't understand why there are some autistic groups who are all for that. Because it just doesn't work. Too many cops who are trained to kill.

" Mainstream autistic spaces are not safe spaces for Black and Indigenous people. "

Is the autistic community more or less racist than other communities? When it comes down to it, we're just as bad. It doesn't matter that oddly enough, the percentage of autistic trans folks is above the national average, the percentage of autistic queer folks is above the national average, and so it's the fact that being marginalized is not a guarantee that you are going to understand other marginalized communities. The disability community, the autism community, any breakdown of the disability community, they're just a microcosm of our country. Each group is almost representative of the stuff that can be not so good about our country. We have folks in the community who don't understand or who are willfully ignorant, racist, homophobic, so it doesn't surprise me. Being autistic doesn't give us a pass. It doesn't make some of us any more empathetic than we were already going to be. It doesn't mean that we're going to be any more woke than we already are.

Mainstream autistic spaces are not safe spaces for Black and Indigenous people. There are microaggressions, sometimes out and out racism, they say and or do racist things, hold racist thoughts, there are all lives matter people, support the cops folks, and that's not to say that I won't work with white autistic folks - not to say that at all. I just don't want to be in those spaces.

Am I hopeful? Yes. I have hope. Whether the disability community is dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century or it comes of its own volition, it's going to come. At some point, we're going to - I have to hold hope. If I don't have hope, there's no need, there's no reason for me to be going hard in these streets, in these Zoom calls or whatever.

" I've got to have hope. I can't afford to not have hope. I think we're going to have some rough times but we're going to come out the other side better. "

I've got to have hope. I can't afford to not have hope. I see changes, people being more open, vocal, apt to listen - so with that, I have to be. I see a lot of folks falling into despair, Alice Wong did a book called Hope and Resistance and I wrote a piece for that book. When Trump was elected I fell into a despair for maybe a couple of days, and then decided that I had to get up, I couldn't afford to lose hope. And that's kind of how I feel about it now. We're going to go through some rough times racially here. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt, we're going to have a situation worse than George Floyd happen to someone Black, unless it's already happened and we just don't know about it, as we in Rochester, New York, recently learned about Daniel Prude. I think we're going to have some rough times but we're going to come out the other side better.

Anita Cameron with Ayanna Pressley holding an ADAPT flag

As we go through the rough times racially and in this country, in the autism and disability community it will radicalize them, and they will see and they will have no choice but to change, I think.

I think about Ella's Song by Sweet Honey in the Rock: We who believe in freedom cannot rest.

That line says it - there is no choice. If you believe in freedom you CANNOT rest. It's not you WILL not rest.

You have no choice but to keep on.

Keep helping people to get woke.

" I think about Ella's Song: 'We who believe in freedom cannot rest.' We have no choice but to keep on. "

Sometimes I hear about people who like to go hard and they say, 'oh if you're not getting out in these streets you're not an activist.' But you know I lift up all forms of activist. If you can't get out of your house for whatever reason, bed borne, disability - if the only way you can do activism is online and through change.org petitions, these call to actions where you contact your representatives, even hacktivism, and you do that, if that's the only way you can do it - I lift you up. If you are able to get out here in these streets - I certainly was - there's a form of privilege to be able to do that. If you want to support from behind, make a donation, volunteer your time - there's all different kinds of activism and I lift them all up. If you can't or won't get out there it's not on me to judge, you're doing activism whatever way you can. And I lift that up. Hey, you're doing something! You're not just sitting up on your butt and saying oh well! I lift you up.

I lift you all up.

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Why are Black Disabled Activists Being Ignored or Forgotten? | Zoom Issue 18

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By Anita Cameron I've been involved in disability activism for decades, starting out in ADAPT ( American Disabled for Attendant Programs Today). I love the ideals that we stood for. And it was the first place in social justice where I found a home, where I wasn't an oddball, and where, ultimately, I was listened to, because I did, after some years, find myself in a position of leadership.

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What Anti-racist Teachers Do Differently

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What Anti-racist Teachers Do Differently

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This article from The Atlantic’s On Teaching series highlights the difference between what some might categorize as “good teaching” and what an anti-racist teacher does or can do to know, see and understand black students. It challenges us to measure our teaching success based upon the success of our black students. This article provides a great opportunity for self-reflection and discussion paired with concrete examples and suggestions. It is rooted in the idea that we as educators must continue to learn and improve our practice to meet the needs of our students. The series has many many articles that could be added to this list.

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They view the success of black students as central to the success of their own teaching.

Editor's Note: In 1988, a teacher most commonly had 15 years of experience. In recent years, that number is closer to just three years leading a classroom. The "On Teaching" series focuses on the wisdom of veteran teachers.
Ask black students who their favorite teacher is, and they will joyfully tell you. Ask them what it is about their favorite teacher, and most will say some version of this: They know how to work with me. So much is in that statement. It means that these students want to work, that they see their teachers as partners in the learning process, and that they know the teacher-student relationship is one in which they both have power. In other words, black students know that they bring intellect to the classroom, and they know when they are seen-and not seen.

As the principal of San Francisco's Mission High School and an anti-racist educator for more than 30 years, I have witnessed countless black students thrive in classrooms where teachers see them accurately and show that they are happy to have them there. In these classes, students choose to sit in the front of the class, take careful notes, shoot their hands up in discussions, and ask unexpected questions that cause the teacher and other classmates to stop and think. Given the chance, they email, text, and call the teachers who believe in them. In short, these students are everything their families and community members have raised and supported them to be.

I have seen some of these very same students walk into another teacher's classroom, go to the last row of desks, and put their head down. I have seen them sit frozen in their seat, staring at an assignment-when earlier I had heard them make jokes, talk excitedly about the content of their history class, celebrate solving a vexing algebra equation, or shake a test tube with authority, waiting for a result. Their report cards often reveal this disparity in classroom experiences: A's and B's in classes where they feel valued and C's, D's, or even F's in classes where they don't.

When black students' academic strengths are overlooked, black students are marginalized. They are kept out of advanced courses, given bad grades, and sent to the dean's office. Over the years, the power that they initially bring to school is siphoned off by educators at every level of the educational system who do not respect, and in some cases do not wish to respect, the intellectual contributions of black students.

Anti-racist teachers take black students seriously. They create a curriculum with black students in mind, and they carefully read students' work to understand what they are expressing. This might sound fairly standard, but making black students feel valued goes beyond general "good teaching." It requires educators to view the success of black students as central to the success of their own teaching. This is a paradigm shift: Instead of only asking black students who are not doing well in class to start identifying with school, we also ask teachers whose black students are not doing well in their classes to start identifying with those students.

I spent the majority of my career in the classroom, and I loved it because-to do it well-it required that I call on all aspects of my humanity. Standing in front of my black students, I knew that it was my responsibility to invite them into the classroom and then to see, push, and protect them once they were there. Over the years, collaborating with other anti-racist educators, I co-developed an approach that was successful-and it showed in the students' attendance, grades, and quality of work.

We read articles and books, and we attend workshops centered around black pedagogy. That helps us examine cultural differences in discourse styles, so we can better understand black students' analytical approaches in essays. We learn how to integrate oral language into our curriculum, such as adding a debate unit or a poetry-recitation assignment, and to provide ample opportunities for students to work together. And we learn that nothing goes without saying and that praise and direction should be plentiful. In essence, we do what works for black students, which also works for all students.

Educators who are committed to black students use evidence in their own classrooms to find ways to improve. They analyze the assignments handed in, identifying ways in which their teaching reached-and didn't reach-all of their students. They recognize the brilliance of a black student's contribution to a class discussion and seize on it. They disaggregate data such as grades and attendance by ethnicity, look for patterns, and problematize their own practice-rather than assume that their students weren't motivated or sufficiently prepared to engage with challenging material. They ask themselves: Why did Taylor get a C on the final when he earned an A or a B on all of his other assignments, many of them equally demanding? Why is Vince silent in his group? What inspired Hile to write multiple drafts of her essay, each time asking for more detailed feedback? They seek support from colleagues who are effective teachers for all of their students, including black students, because they know that the changes they make to their teaching practice will have an impact on their students' achievement. All of this makes them better educators.

Teachers who do not value black students will shift the discussion away from their own practice when they see that black students are not succeeding in their classes. They will create bonds that eventually turn into factions with fellow educators who are also unwilling to change their approach.

To fight against systemic racism means to buck norms. Educators at every level must be willing to be uncomfortable in their struggle for black students, recognizing students' power and feeding it by honoring their many contributions to our schools. Teachers need to insist on using their own power to consistently reveal and examine their practice, and seek input from black stakeholders; they must invite black parents to the table, listen to their concerns and ideas, and act on them. Principals must clearly and consistently communicate the anti-racist vision for their school, create professional-development opportunities for staff, recognize teachers who successfully teach all of their students, and intervene when they see problems. District-level administrators must more firmly root their anti-racist messaging in black students' school experiences, making expectations for educators clear. And school-board members need to listen to educators who have shown efficacy in educating black students. They must enact policies that hold us all accountable to our black families. We must make demands of ourselves and work together in our communities.

The only measure of our anti-racist teaching will be the academic success of all of our students, including our black students.
This article is part of our project "On Teaching," which is supported by grants from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Spencer Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Panta Rhea Foundation.

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What Anti-racist Teachers Do Differently

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They view the success of black students as central to the success of their own teaching. Editor's Note: In 1988, a teacher most commonly had 15 years of experience. In recent years, that number is closer to just three years leading a classroom. The "On Teaching" series focuses on the wisdom of veteran teachers.

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Nicole Cooke is a librarian who created Anti-racism Resources for All Ages. She said, “This project emerged out of the pain and frustration associated with the back-to-back deaths of #GeorgeFloyd #BreonnaTaylor and #AhmaudArbery in 2020. We must do better as a global society! #BlackLivesMatter.” In the article she suggests that we approach the hard work of becoming anti-racisit as a journey with three stages: critical self-reflection then critical consciousness leading to action and advocacy. She emphasizes the importance of using “your voices and power to amplify the voices of those who would not ordinarily have the opportunity to share their perspectives.” The resource she created links to an incredible variety of resources for use on the journey.

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No, Elementary Students Are Not Too Young to Talk About Race

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No, Elementary Students Are Not Too Young to Talk About Race

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This is an article that highlights the importance of giving students an opportunity to express their feeling and thoughts on racism, rather that shielding them from the topic. For children of color these conversations are more than just something on tv, it is their life. They are personally affected and they deserve a right to have a space to talk about it. The deserve to see the people around them fight for/with them.

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Abstract

A Central Conversation Point for Families of Color

What Can We Do?

Abstract

A Central Conversation Point for Families of Color

What Can We Do?

When our son was in 3rd grade, a poster his school displayed at the entrance to recognize and celebrate Black excellence during History Month became fuel for controversy. The poster featured a poem written by Mississippi teacher Jovan Bradshaw to teach her students about Black history: "Dear students. They didn't steal slaves. They stole scientists, doctors, architects, teachers, entrepreneurs, astronomers, fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, etc. and made them slaves. Sincerely, Your Ancestors."

The principal saw that students were, in her words, "fighting" over it and removed the poster under the superintendent's guidance. Later, the superintendent went on a blog and wrote that the poster "was not bringing the community together in a spirit of inclusivity and celebration." Many members of the school community were outraged that a poster humanizing people who were stolen into slavery could be divisive. Despite requests from families, the school refused to hang the poster back on the wall, and the superintendent, in other interviews and at school board meetings, dug in further that he made the right decision.

As the buzz surrounding the poster grew amongst students, some teachers decided to address the situation in their classrooms. Our son's teacher was one of them. When she opened the discussion, our son raised his hand to discuss what he knew about the horrors of slavery. One of his peers made a cruel joke about slavery, and while the teacher said it was inappropriate, the lack of response from his teacher and peers continued to bother our son.

What also troubles us is that students in other classes did not have a chance to discuss the message behind the poster and why it was taken down simply because teachers weren't comfortable leading a discussion on the topic because they could not predict responses and were unsure of how to handle potential conflicts. It's also possible they felt the situation was too controversial and complex for young students when, in fact, the opposite is true.

A Central Conversation Point for Families of Color

In today's highly politicized environment, many people are quick to pacify any situation where others might take offense by refusing to take a stance on controversial issues within and beyond the classroom. It's as if we, as educators, are concerned that students, families, or administrators may interpret our opinions as politicized or that we have ulterior motives to brainwash our students into beleiving what we believe. However, teachers make a strong political statement when they choose not to discuss the daily atrocities Black people and people of color in the United States endure.

The narrative that children are too young to talk about race and racism is false. As parents of three Black boys under the age of 9, talking about race and racism is a weekly, if not daily, occurrence. Research shows that children can critically engage in these conversations with thoughtful reflection, ideas, and questions (Rogers &amp; Mosley, 2006). Infants notice the difference in the melanin in people's skin (Sangrigoli &amp; De Schonen, 2004). From there, children's understanding of how others see them and how they see themselves is shaped by others' perceptions of them. Just like adults, young children can internalize stereotypes and form negative opinions about who they are if we do not give them the words to unpack their feelings and experiences while building their own capacities to develop counter-narratives to refute these damaging beliefs (Derman-Sparks &amp; Edwards, 2010).

Children also begin developing prejudiced ideas about race as early as age 2 (Hirschfield, 2008).

For many children of color, not talking about race is not an option, as their safety, health, and many other aspects of life will be affected in a racist world.

As teachers, we have a moral obligation not to underestimate our students' capacity for humanity, feeling, and understanding. So, when conversations come up in the classroom, whether they're about the atrocities of the Middle Passage or a poster's removal, we must feel comfortable setting up and moderating them. When Black children share their perspective in these discussions, as our son did, we must amplify, not silence, their voices. Not only do they bring lived experience to these conversations that white peers do not have, these interactions also develop and solidify children's understanding of power and privilege, how we tell stories, and who we omit or devalue (Ryan &amp; Grieshaber, 2004). This becomes even more important when state curriculum often only shows stereotypical narratives of Black people as slaves, freedom fighters, athletes, or entertainers, as if they did not make valuable contributions in other fields.

In the words of Angela Davis, "It is not enough to be non-racist. We must be anti-racist." Inaction is complicity. When we don't reckon with our histories, we don't make room to begin the healing process.

What Can We Do?

Engage in identity self-reflection. Many teachers ascribe to culturally relevant pedagogy to help them move to a more inclusive classroom. However, what precedes teacher practice is an interrogation and critical reflection of one's one identity, background, and histories and interactions with folks from racial/ethnic and cultural backgrounds that are different from their own. The majority of elementary teachers are white women from predominantly middle-class backgrounds, and what they choose to include in curriculum and instructional practices is heavily influenced by their own lives and realities (Coopersmith &amp; Gruber, 2009). Teachers must move beyond projects that promote colorblindness, such as "All About Me" posters. Elementary school hallways often show colorful self-portraits of children with similar facial features except for the color of their skin. Instead of these superficial ways of recognizing diversity, teachers must take steps to acknowledge diversity in intentional and authentic ways.

Increase representation with multiple perspectives. People of color are not a monolith. Teachers must move away from the single story of Black American history told from a slavery and deficit mindset. We must center and highlight the excellence in Black and Brown communities globally, nationally, and locally and read books written by authors of color with stories of characters of color as the protagonist. Often, the truths and experiences of marginalized communities are often told from a deficit perspective or ultimately left out in the curriculum. Being a culturally responsive teacher is about including multiple perspectives in your classroom, pulling from the funds of knowledge of all your students' families, and engaging students to be critical consciousness (Ladson-Billings, 1995). When students of color and their families challenge conventional narratives, we must listen and find ways to support them. It is okay to feel uncomfortable and vulnerable but not okay to forgo learning partnerships.

Notice name and talk about race outside the classroom. Beyond formal classroom settings, children use the idea of race during pretend play and insinuate messages about power and privilege (Ryan &amp; Grieshaber, 2004). As educators and parents, when we witness these kinds of conversations, we must intervene and facilitate conversations to help children understand the magnitude and context of their words and actions.

Talk about race at home with white children. When your child notices differences in skin color or the texture of peers' hair, do not "color silence" them by ending the conversation or making your child feel bad for discussing it. Instead, use the opportunity to answer their questions honestly, counter colorblindness, and address stereotypes that may be beginning to form (Tatum, 2017).

References

Coopersmith, J. &amp; Gruber, K. (2009). Characteristics of public, private, and bureau of Indian education elementary and secondary school teachers in the United States: Results from the 2007-08 Schools and Staffing Survey: First look, Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics, US Department of Education.

Derman-Sparks, L., &amp; Edwards, J. O. (2010). Anti-bias Education. Antibias education for young children and ourselves, 1-10.

Ladson Billings, G. (1995). But that's just good teaching! The case for culturally relevant pedagogy. Theory into practice, 34(3), 159-165.

Ryan, S., &amp; Grieshaber, S. (2004). It's more than child development: Critical theories, research, and teaching young children. YC Young Children, 59(6), 44.

Rogers, R., &amp; Mosley, M. (2006). Racial literacy in a second grade classroom: Critical race theory, whiteness studies, and literacy research. Reading Research Quarterly, 41(4), 462-495.

Sangrigoli, S., &amp; De Schonen, S. (2004). Recognition of own race and other race faces by three month old infants. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 45(7), 1219-1227.

Tatum, B. D. (2017). Why are all the Black kids sitting together in the cafeteria?: And other conversations about race. New York, NY: Basic Books.

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No, Elementary Students Are Not Too Young to Talk About Race - ASCD

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When our son was in 3rd grade, a poster his school displayed at the entrance to recognize and celebrate Black excellence during History Month became fuel for controversy. The poster featured a poem written by Mississippi teacher Jovan Bradshaw to teach her students about Black history: "Dear student

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How to Provide a Multicultural Education

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How to Provide a Multicultural Education

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This article highlights the importance of incorporating multicultural education in the classroom. The author explains that incorporating multicultural education should not be “extra work,” it is simply looking at the lesson plan/ curriculum through a different lens. The article also includes 14 tips to help teachers utilize these strategies in classrooms. One of the quotes that resonated with me was: “All of us have blind spots. All of us say things, but it’s never about intent. It’s always about impact. What do I know? What do I need to learn? And what do I need to unlearn?” It reminds us that we may make a mistake, we are human. But we should also take a step further and learn how to be part of the change while unlearning the negative behaviors.

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Multicultural education involves more than reading a book about a historical character of color or celebrating a holiday surrounding a diverse hero. It includes policies, practices, and pedagogical approaches that affirm students' differences and intersectionality.

"It's about appreciating the uniqueness of every single student in your classroom, what they can bring to your classroom, and how they can make that classroom more of a robust, vibrant community," said Dr. Leanne Howell, a faculty member with the EdD online in Learning and Organizational Change program from Baylor University's School of Education. "Every single student is essential to the community of that classroom."

Educators can work to take steps that make their curricula and classrooms safe spaces and incorporate teaching styles to support all students, regardless of their backgrounds.

What Is Multicultural Education?

Multicultural education helps all students see themselves in the curriculum and the classroom. It is a field of study that embraces techniques to advance and advocate educational equity for all students of every age, Howell explained. It focuses on, but is not limited to, ethnic, racial, language, and gender issues that potentially marginalize groups or subgroups of people.

"It helps all students acquire the knowledge, skills, attributes, and attitudes needed to function in a democratic society while feeling valued and heard," Howell said.

Critical multicultural education also involves challenging forms of oppression, said Dr. Ann Lopez, president of the National Association for Multicultural Education.

"You cannot have multicultural education that speaks about celebrating diversity but doesn't address, for example, anti-Black racism or doesn't address issues of homophobia," Lopez said. "It's so important that critical multicultural education disrupt power, forms of oppression, and really work with educators to begin to think about, how do they engage in this world? What does that look like and what is the impact?"

Although imparting multicultural education is often seen as a responsibility that resides with certain teachers, the task of approaching education through a multicultural lens belongs to every educator.

"Even if you do not have diverse students in front of you and you're teaching where all of the students are homogenic, that knowledge is also for them," Lopez said.

How to Incorporate Multicultural Education in the Classroom

Incorporating multicultural education strategies begins with self-reflection. Teachers should question their expectations for students of different identities and reflect on how those expectations affect how they engage in the pedagogy.

"Ask, 'Am I meeting the needs of all of the learners in my space?' It starts by asking questions around, 'What biases do I have? What stereotypes might I be bringing to the table?'" Lopez said. "Teachers have to see themselves as learners."

Howell suggested teachers set aside time before, during, and after the school year to journal or think critically about their biases.

"Take a really hard look inside your soul," Howell said. "It doesn't have to be a written reflection. It can be while you're on a three-hour drive; it can be on a night with your head on the pillow and you can't fall asleep. But really engaging in that reflective thinking of, 'What are my biases?' and really examining those, and being honest with yourself to say, 'We all have biases. What are mine?'"

Lopez believes teachers should view the process of learning and unlearning as a journey.

"None of us were born with this knowledge," she said. "It is knowledge that has to be gained, so we have to create that space where teachers - whether they're in K-12 or higher ed - can find space to learn."

Overcoming Challenges for Educators

Multicultural education requires time, resources, and professional development. Sometimes educators may feel like engaging in multicultural education is extra work.

"Many teachers feel as if they simply don't have enough hours in the school day to personalize lessons from the ones that are already in existence," Howell said.

Educators can rally teaching teams by grade level or content to rethink lesson plans together in a way that ensures equitable learning experiences for all students.

"It's not onerous," Lopez said. "It simply requires a different way of thinking about teaching and learning, a different way of thinking about how we ensure that all students can be successful."

For districts that have limited resources, Howell suggests relying on collaboration with teachers who have proven strong multicultural education skills.

Exploring culturally sensitive topics can also be a challenge for teachers. Howell suggested using existing literature and media as gateways to explore sensitive topics. Children's books, novels, films, and other media can all be useful references. And while she says there are many fabulous resources out there for teachers to use, she provided a few websites that teachers can bookmark to begin their journey:

However, no matter how much thought is put into the curriculum, there is always a possibility that an educator might offend a student while addressing culturally sensitive subjects.

"All of us have blind spots," Lopez said. "All of us say things, but it's never about intent. It's always about impact."

When a teacher offends a student, Lopez suggests coming back to the point of self-reflection.

"What do I know? What do I need to learn? And what do I need to unlearn?" she said. "Sometimes we don't realize how our unconscious biases come out in what we say and things that we do."

It is important to establish a classroom atmosphere where students feel safe, have space for dialogue, and know their concerns will be heard, rather than getting defensive, Lopez said. If students feel uncomfortable, they should be able to explain their discomfort.

"It's about saying, 'Help me understand how that created a discomfort for you so I can know not to do that again,'" Lopez said. "It's about creating the environment for students to feel safe and feel that they're able to speak up when they're feeling uncomfortable or there is discomfort in whatever way."

Educators at all levels should serve as models of empathy and respect for their students, Howell said.

"In the classroom modeling your care and respect for every student is so important," Howell said. "It's really just modeling what you want your students to in turn emulate for their students."
Citation for this content: Baylor's EdD online in Learning and Organizational Change.

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How to Provide a Multicultural Education

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Multicultural education involves appreciating the uniqueness of every single student and what they can bring to the classroom.

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This podcast covers a bit of everything, race, gender, and LGBTQ issues. Although I have not listened to all episodes, one of my favorites so far is "Interrupting Our Own Unconscious Biases". They are joined by Michelle Silverton, author of ”Mom, Why Don’t You Have Any Black Friends,” and TEDx Talk, “We Are Not A Melting Pot: How to Stop Talking About Implicit Bias and Start Talking About Race", which I linked above. She discusses her work as a diversity educator and trainer and why she tells her white clients that in order to constructively talk about race in America, they must start by discussing and examining their own whiteness.

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This podcast is hosted by a variety of journalists of color and each episode offers a perspective, history, or explination of different aspects of the world (food, world events, politics, etc.) and how race impacts it. The podcast makes a point of explainining how race is inextricably linked to every aspect of life. This podcast will help move the work at my school because it allows teachers to better understand the world according to our students and gives teachers the opportunity to expand their knowledge of different histories of different racial and ethnic groups to better teach diverse populations.

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What's CODE SWITCH? It's the fearless conversations about race that you've been waiting for. Hosted by journalists of color, our podcast tackles the subject of race with empathy and humor. We explore how race affects every part of society - from politics and pop culture to history, food and everything in between.

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This podcast looks at certain events, situations and people and discusses whether those actions can be perceived as racist. These discussions are a prime example of racial discourse, I think using certain episodes with staff would allow discussions around how our actions as educators might be perceived as racist. One particular episode is called “ I’m Rested and I Don’t Give a Damn!” In this episode they discuss a teacher’s bulletin board around Black artist was taken down and then the teacher was reprimanded for putting something up oustide of Black History Month, they give the caller ideas for how to combat this and be advocate for recognizing all races.

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with Andrew Ti and Tawny Newsome

Yo, Is This Racist?, hosted by Andrew Ti, creator of the popular blog of the same name, is now a weekly podcast! Every Wednesday, Ti, co-host Tawny Newsome, and their guests answer questions from fan-submitted voicemails and emails about whether or not something is, in fact, racist.
Looking for the archives? All episodes older than 6 months can be found exclusively on Stitcher Premium, ad-free. Go to stitcher.com/premium and use promo code EARWOLF for 1 month free (and $5 off the annual plan!)

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with Andrew Ti and Tawny Newsome Yo, Is This Racist?, hosted by Andrew Ti, creator of the popular blog of the same name, is now a weekly podcast! Every Wednesday, Ti, co-host Tawny Newsome, and their guests answer questions from fan-submitted voicemails and emails about whether or not something is, in fact, racist.

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It sort of feels like cheating to include this as a separate bullet, but I felt the podcast needed to be highlighted individually. This podcast is an extremely powerful tool because of it's ability to be accessed at all times. Teachers can listen to this podcast in their rooms while prepping for the day, over lunch (many are 30 min) or while cleaning up the room at the end of the day. It can also be listened to while exercising, or cooking dinner... the ease of being able to click the play button and listen while also doing something else means an increase in the amount of learning someone can do. The latest one I listened to is "Racial Identity for White People".

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GirlTreks’s Black History Bootcamp - Podcast

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GirlTreks’s Black History Bootcamp - Podcast

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I love listening to these two ladies. They started the podcast as a way for women to get out and walk, and to listen to stories about less well known black ladies in history. I have been able to learn and celebrate black stories. I love how they tell the story and bring in actual clips of the people standing up for the right.

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Introducing the Anti-Racism Daily Podcast

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Introducing the Anti-Racism Daily Podcast

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While not directed specifically for educators, this podcast is invaluable. It provides a world view of racism and discusses steps toward dismantling white supremacy. Making a podcast such as this a part of an educator’s daily routine creates cultural competency that will transfer to the classroom.

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Introducing the Anti-Racism Daily Podcast

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Listen to this episode from The Anti-Racism Daily Podcast on Spotify. Welcome! Host Nicole Cardoza introduces the Anti-Racism Daily Podcast, a series that takes our viral daily newsletters a step further by unpacking critical current events preventing all of us from being well.

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Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man - Podcast with Emmanuel Acho.

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Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man - Podcast with Emmanuel Acho.

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This podcast is a great starting point for educators who are beginning to delve into racism, white privilege, and what it means to be an anti-racist educator. It allows educators to begin to have those uncomfortable conversations in a safe space, so that educators can then go and move beyond the podcast to continue the uncomfortable conversations in their schools. In the podcasts, Emmanuel Acho discusses concepts like white privilege, cancel culture, systemic racism, and more.

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All My Relations is a podcast led by two Native women. This podcast dives into many different topics from Native Appropriation to Indigenous Women. What I like about this podcast is that it’s about CURRENT issues or topics affecting Native peoples. I feel that whenever I come across resources about Native people, it’s always about the past. This podcast creates a “we are still here” feeling as well balances perspectives from young Native scholars. It definitely uplifts the Native community rather than play on stereotypes.

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This speech was originally done on August 11, 1946 by Orson Welles, but was recently sampled on a rap album “No Pressure” by Gaithursburg’s own, Logic. The speech focuses on race hate and how it has no place in today's society. Listening to this message from 1946 and seeing where we are currently, it’s sad and depressing at times. As it states in the speech, an educated man owes to the ignorant all that he can do for them and I believe that’s my mission when it comes to having conversations regarding race and racism. I live it everyday!

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Logic - Obediently Yours (Official Audio)

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The Widen the Screen series intends to help widen our view and expand the content and images we see in advertising and media. The platform provides a window into scenarios where our bias leads us to draw conclusions that are not true or accurate. They provide an opportunity for self-reflection. Another focus of the work is around representation in all aspects of advertising and media. There are conversation guides available on the P&G site to support facilitating discussions.

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A TALE OF TWO EXTREMES

Black stories are too often portrayed as one extreme--either struggle or triumph. While those stories exist, they do not represent the full Black experience. What about the inside jokes and hard conversations, the honest gestures, and creative acts of rebellion? To understand the Black experience, we must showcase the whole truth.

THE PROBLEM IS CLEAR

Less than 6%

of writers, directors, and producers of U.S.-produced films are Black*

8

From 2007-2019, only 8 of 1,447 directors identified as Black women**

15.7%

In 2019, Black characters accounted for 15.7% of all film roles**

33%

of the top 100 films in 2019 had no Black girls/women in any speaking or named roles**

In 2018, P&G, Queen Latifah, Flavor Unit Entertainment, and Tribeca Studios launched Queen Collective, a mentoring and talent development program designed to give women filmmakers of color a platform to share important stories from their unique perspective. Now in its third year, the Queen Collective is enabling more female directors and other creatives to produce their original documentaries and share their perspective through film.

Learn more

THESE HANDS

This film is a collaboration between P&G and UNINTERRUPTED, an athlete empowerment brand on a mission to empower greatness in every individual. These Hands and the associated community impact programs are a commitment to Black boys--a promise to create broader opportunities and remove the systemic barriers along the path.

Learn more

SUMMER 2021

In recognition of the many lives lost, we want to reclaim the time stolen from Black communities to share life-affirming stories of joy, love, and resilience. P&G teamed up with SATURDAY MORNING, Tribeca Studios, and multiple Black storytellers to create scripted stories told in 8 minutes and 46 seconds.

Learn more

OUR BRANDS STEP UP

Many P&G brands are bringing the Widen The Screen mission to life across our business. For example, P&G's My Black is Beautiful leveraged Black creative talent to direct films and tell stories for #HowWe, a series of films dedicated to ending systemic racism.

Learn more

SOME OF OUR BLACK-OWNED PARTNERS

TAKE ACTION

Our work in facing systemic racism is never done. We encourage you to learn more about our other efforts as we stand up for equality and create a better world for us all.

JOIN US

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We are committed to giving Black creativity a platform to share its truth--both behind the camera and on the screen. Only then can we all broaden the spectrum of the images we see, the voices we hear, and the stories we tell.

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In this episode Brene and Tarana share how they came to work on this project together and Jason Reynolds joins them to share his story from the book. When I first listened to this podcast I was struck by something Tarana said. She said, “We need to live in an anti-racisit society and people need to learn to be anti-racist and practice anti-racism, but I do not believe your anti-racist work if you have not engaged with black humanity...I don’t believe your anti-racist work is complete or valid or useful if you haven’t engaged with black humanity” It caused me to stop & reflect on how I can do this. They connect white supremacy to lovelessness and suggest that we can counter that with love and compassion, but in order to do that we have to engage with people and their experiences.

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Brené with Tarana Burke and Jason Reynolds on "You Are Your Best Thing"

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Listen to this episode from Unlocking Us with Brené Brown on Spotify. This week's episode features two audio essays from "You Are Your Best Thing," an anthology on the Black lived experience of vulnerability and shame resilience, led by my friend Tarana Burke, an organizer, writer, activist, and the founder of the 'me too.'

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Hidden Brain Podcast - NPR: The Mind of the Village: Understanding Our Implicit Biases

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Hidden Brain Podcast - NPR: The Mind of the Village: Understanding Our Implicit Biases

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This episode examines “research about the mind of a village.” The Implicit Association Test is a tool for measuring unconscious or implicit bias. Banji, one of the creators, is interviewed in the podcast about the implications of what they have learned from all the data collected about race, bias and how culture impacts our behavior. Psychology professor Eric Hehman is also interviewed about his study of justifiable homicides in the US. He looked at where they were most likely to occur and then cross-referenced that data with the IAT data. His findings indicate that implicit biases of individuals shape the attitudes of a community and those associations can influence behavior. Banji suggests that creating opportunities to slow down or take a few extra moments to think before making decisions creates opportunities to make a decision that is not based on implicit bias. This reminded me of System 1 and System 2 thinking. There are many connections to our work in education.

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Where do our minds live? A simple, scientific response would be to say our minds live in our brains. But Harvard psychologist Mahzarin Banaji says we should not think of our minds as being solitary.

"The individual mind sits in society. And the connection between mind and society is an extremely important one that should not be forgotten."

Banaji is one of the creators of the Implicit Association Test, a widely-used tool for measuring a person's implicit biases. She says it's important to acknowledge that problems rooted in prejudice cannot be solved by finger pointing.

"One of the difficulties we've had in the past is that we have looked at individual people and blamed individual people. We've said if we can remove these 10 bad police officers from this force, we'll be fine. And we know as social scientists - and I believe firmly - that that is no way to change anything."

This week on the Hidden Brain radio show, we examine research about the mind of the village. We'll begin with a focus on police shootings of unarmed black men. Later in the show, we look at how biases affect judges in the U.S.
Additional Resources:
This episode includes references to research by Mahzarin Banaji, Eric Hehman, Seth Stephens-Davidowitz, Joshua Correll, and Maya Sen. You'll also hear from Philip Tetlock.

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The Mind Of The Village: Understanding Our Implicit Biases

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Where do our minds live? A simple, scientific response would be to say our minds live in our brains. But Harvard psychologist Mahzarin Banaji says we should not think of our minds as being solitary. "The individual mind sits in society. And the connection between mind and society is an extremely important one that should not be forgotten."

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“So You Want to Talk About Race” by Ijeoma Oluo

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“So You Want to Talk About Race” by Ijeoma Oluo

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This book could be used as a whole staff book study or individual chapters for study. Chapters such as “What is racism?”, “What is cultural appropriation?”, “What is intersectionality and why do I need it?”, and “What are microaggression?”, provide working definitions and examples so that staff would have common knowledge guiding future work and discussions. As everyone has a different understanding of terminology, this book and/or chapters could provide common definitions to reference.

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"White Fragility: Why is it so hard for white people to talk about racism"

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"White Fragility: Why is it so hard for white people to talk about racism"

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As educators, we need to summon up the courage to act deliberately and honestly to develop the skills we need to engage in conversations about bias, race, and racism—especially our own, this book does exactly that. It evokes emotions such as fear and anger and that is the point. White people need to stop being so fragile and have the uncomfortble conversations and be disruptersin order to stop the cycle of opression. My first reaction when called out about my privilege is to get defensive and this book helps you to think about why that happens.

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White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism

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White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism [DiAngelo, Dr. Robin, Dyson, Michael Eric] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism

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Not Light, But Fire: How to Lead Meaningful Race Conversations by Matthew R. Kay

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Not Light, But Fire: How to Lead Meaningful Race Conversations by Matthew R. Kay

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This resource provides ways for administration to lead conversations about race in their schools. My school, Montgomery Village Middle School, already does an excellent job of bringing race and equitable teaching into almost all conversations and meetings we have as a school. However, our work is never done, and this book would help forward the work at our school by providing anyone (leadership or not) a roadmap for how to have conversations about race and how to provide classroom teachers to have these conversations in our classrooms as well

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Do you know how to initiate and facilitate productive dialogues about race in your classroom? Are you prepared to handle complex topics while keeping your students engaged?Inspired by Frederick Douglass's abolitionist call to action, "it is not light that is needed, but fire", author Matthew Kay demonstrates how to mov

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Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools by Monique W. Morris

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Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools by Monique W. Morris

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Pushout uses the stories of Black girls to show how systemic racism in schools leads to the criminalization of Black girls by instead of working to understand behavior, punishing them for not acting 'the way they should'. This can move the work in my school by giving teachers and administration tools to move away from punishment and towards restorative justice when working with Black girls. Instead of punishing the behavior, this book teaches us that it is essential to discover what is causing the behavior in the first place.

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On the day fifteen-year-old Diamond from the Bay Area stopped going to school, she was expelled for lashing out at peers who constantly harassed and teased her for something everyone on the staff had missed: she was being trafficked for sex. After months on the run, she was arrested and sent to a detention center for violating a court order to attend school.

In a work that Lisa Delpit calls "imperative reading," Monique W. Morris chronicles the experiences of Black girls across the country whose complex lives are misunderstood, highly judged-by teachers, administrators, and the justice system-and degraded by the very institutions charged with helping them flourish. Painting "a chilling picture of the plight of black girls and women today" ( The Atlantic), Morris exposes a world of confined potential and supports the rising movement to challenge the policies, practices, and cultural illiteracy that push countless students out of school and into unhealthy, unstable, and often unsafe futures.

At a moment when Black girls are the fastest growing population in the juvenile justice system, Pushout is truly a book "for everyone who cares about children" ( Washington Post).

Book cover photograph by Brittsense/brittsense.com.

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On the day fifteen-year-old Diamond from the Bay Area stopped going to school, she was expelled for lashing out at peers who constantly harassed and teased her for something everyone on the staff had missed: she was being trafficked for sex.

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Your Name is a Song by Thompkins-Bigelow, Jamilah

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Your Name is a Song by Thompkins-Bigelow, Jamilah

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This is a great book to share with students of all ages. This is a resource to teach children to use their voice and to know that their name is important. Everyone should know how to say it the correct way. I love how the little girl turns everyone’s name into a song. IT is important to teach students that their name is who they are.

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Stamped. Racism, Anti Racism, and you. - Jason Reynolds and Ibram X Kendi

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Stamped. Racism, Anti Racism, and you. - Jason Reynolds and Ibram X Kendi

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This book opened my eyes to another side of history I did not know about. This book teaches about race and the racist ideas in society. It also teaches us the many ways that racism is seen in our daily lives and ways we can work against it. It is a book written for young adults, but I also found it very educational for myself.

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This book is about a little girl who wonders why she does not look like the rest of her family. The little girl wants to be just like her classmates and family members. This book inspires children to see how everyone is unique. This book can introduce students to bias and racism. In the end she appreciates who she is.

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This book is a month’s worth of anti-racism education and journaling self-reflection prompts. It gives readers the opportunity to challenge their implicit bias and identify ways they have been complicit in supporting racist ideals. We can’t do this work until we have a clear view of ourselves. This will move the work in my building among adults by holding up a mirror and encouraging daily reflection.

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This resource can be used as a teaching tool in the classroom or for teachers to think about teaching about race and racism. It gives plain language to present information to our youngest students. One of the barriers to teaching about race and racism is finding the language to begin. This will help teachers break that barrier for themselves and open the dialogue with their classes. && This book is written for children as young as about 6 years old. It was written to help introduce children to the concept of systemic racism, and the ways that systemic racism is so intertwined into institutions. This would be an appropriate resource because the idea of system racism is one that is complicated and hard to understand, define, and identify, when you are not experiencing the effects of that systemic racism. This book would help to clarify for students what systemic racism is and how they can identify examples of it around them in their daily lives.

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A Kids Book About Racism by Jelani Memory

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Something Happened in our Town by Marianne Celano

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Something Happened in our Town by Marianne Celano

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This book was written to share the story of a police shooting of a Black man in a community from the perspective of two different families (a white family and a Black family). In addition to the story, the book includes a guide for teachers or parents to utilize when having discussions with students about racism and racial injustice. The resource includes sample dialogue as well as child-friendly definitions. This would be an excellent resource to use in my building as using children’s literature is an outstanding way to present content to students in elementary schools and to support challenging discussions.

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This Book is Anti-Racist: 20 Lessons on How to Wake Up, Take Action, and Do the Work by Tiffany Jewell

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This Book is Anti-Racist: 20 Lessons on How to Wake Up, Take Action, and Do the Work by Tiffany Jewell

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This book would be an excellent to choice to use with teachers who are beginning their journey to learn more about racism, or with teachers who are somewhere along their own path in this journey. Starting with one’s self is the important first step, and this book will support teachers as they explore the origins of racism and oppression. It also includes resources that teachers can use on an everyday basis, such as language that can be utilized in order to be an interruptor.

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Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Boy by Emmanuel Acho

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Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Boy by Emmanuel Acho

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This book continues to build off of Emmanuel Acho’s previously mentioned podcast in a format designed for upper elementary and middle school children, ages 9-12. It reaches students to help them as they grapple with the difficult questions around racism, systemic racism, and oppression. It also helps to serve as a window into the experiences and stories of a Black boy, which may be an experience some students do not know.

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This short documentary interviews black men sharing the struggles they have faced growing up in America. This resource could be shown in the classroom to students, or could be used for educators that may not fully understand the struggles that black men specifically face. It can be eye opening to hear some of their stories and reflect on what you can do as an educator to make sure these types of situations do not occir in your classroom or your school in general.

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transcript

CNVS 02_NYT Final Script_150429 Transcript Start time: 00:00:00 Rakesh: Racism means basically like... Miles: A large, a large part of uh...a race feels that they're superior to another race and so and so not only do they believe that but they act on it. Malik: Examples would be in class sometimes I'd be the only black kids and we'd read a book like, I don't know, Huck Finn and then there's that uncomfortable moment...the "magic" word would come up and people look at you like "What's his reaction?" Things like that. Miles: I was walking home from school with this one white girl and we had just gotten off the bus and we were about to, we were almost home and there were these groups of black kids that had just gotten out of school. She was like "Oh, let's cross the street, there's a group of black kids. I don't want to run into them." And so she told me...which, I don't even know why she would do that. Marvin: I used to wear a sweatband like just to reinforce my wrist and I had a teacher come up to me and say, "You should take it off because it looks gang affiliated." Shaq: I've been in situations you know where I've had to cross the street because I didn't want to scare the white lady that was walking. Marvin: I would actually, it would get to the point where I would start to count how many times a woman would clutch her bag. Bisa: When I was 16, I was leaving my mom's house in my pajamas, which had snowmen on them um, with my brother and we were actually stopped by the police rather aggressively. Jumoke: I've been stopped by the cops on my way between classes, because we have two separate buildings, walking from one building to the other building. As my white students in the same class walk by me. Malik: It's kind of upsetting because we live in a world where my mom has to be afraid when I walk outside from the people that are like meant to protect me and I just, I don't like when my mother feels like that you know, I love my mother. She should always, I want her to always be happy... Bisa: You know I walk tall, I keep my head up, very you know, try to be very articulate and and polite...um and so of course I was like "Okay I'm going to be fine because I act a certain way." And of course that has absolutely nothing to do with it. Um, people, the way people perceive you you know, is not up to you. 00:02:06 Jumoke: My parents taught me oh you know, "Cops are your friends, you're supposed to, you know they're here to protect you." But all I'm seeing is the opposite. So how can I not be afraid when I feel like I'm being hunted? When I feel like I'm there to fill a quota? Shaq: We are in a so-called free society and as a black man we literally don't feel free. We don't know "freedom" is. Jumoke: Every time we're killed, the first thing you see on the news is: criminal record. Or something like that. So from the second the bullet hits us, already we're starting to be dehumanized. Malik: Black people like myself, we don't get as many chances as they do so you have to be aware and you have to watch out and you can't mess up. Bisa: This was an extremely emotionally taxing process for me in terms of coming to terms with maybe...the nature of of racism in my own life and in this country and in this world and if you wait until somebody is 12, 13, 14 to put that on them...it's...it's really, it can be really difficult. Malik: My dad, he's just like the honest one he's like "Listen son, like, there are things in this world that you have to, you kind of have to watch out..." He doesn't want me to live in fear, but he wants me to be aware. Maddox: I want people to know that I'm perfectly fine and I'm not going to hurt anybody or do anything bad. Rakesh: I should be judged about like who I, who I am and like and what kind of person I am. Marvin: My parents would tell me, especially my mom, she would tell me, you have to endure. You have to muscle through it. And like, this is no different, it's a part of being a person of color in America. Bisa: And there's a certain comfortability associated with that because if I know that something is inevitable then I know how to deal with it. Fortunately, I've had parents who have said "this is what you do." 00:04:00 Marvin: Mom and dad, I'll be fine because you did a good job raising me. You gave me all the resources and the time and the blood, sweat and tears to make a good man, an honorable man and the foundation to survive in this country. Myles: I want you to know that I will act in an appropriate manner and do everything that you told me to do because I do love you and I know that everything you say is for a reason and not just to talk the talk. And I love you. Credits DIRECTED & PRODUCED BY: Joe Brewster / Perri Peltz DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Rudy Valdez SOUND: Chase Horton EDITORS: Geeta Gandbhir / Clare Vance CONSULTING PRODUCERS: Blair Foster / Geeta Gandbhir / Michele Stephenson ASSOCIATE PRODUCER: Clare Vance THANK YOU: Rakesh / Miles / Malik / Marvin / Shaq / Bisa / Jumoke / Maddox / Myles NYTIMES CREDITS End time: 00:04:57 Music: "Rolling Emotions," Composed by Adam Dennis (PRS) and Bob Bradley (PRS), Library: Bruton TV Series (BTV). Track ID: BRU_BTV_0146_01301

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Video: Opinion | A Conversation About Growing Up Black

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transcript CNVS 02_NYT Final Script_150429 Transcript Start time: 00:00:00 Rakesh: Racism means basically like... Miles: A large, a large part of uh...a race feels that they're superior to another race and so and so not only do they believe that but they act on it.

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This documentary explores the criminalization of African Americans and the resulting prison populations being largely people (mostly men) of color. It doesn't relate directly to education, but as I watched it I found so many connections to what occurs in schools, and how students of color are traditionally disciplined more firmly, often leading to missed instruction and helping to reinforce the 'pipeline to prison'. It is an extremely powerful documentary.

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The bonus resource was created when I was an active member of the Community of Colleagues that a fellow educator/classmate created. A few other Montgomery County educators and myself worked together to bring other voices in stories into the benchmark curriculum. We researched and made a list for teachers to refer to and add in read alouds to their weekly instruction.

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Center for Racial Justice in Education about Thanksgiving

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Center for Racial Justice in Education about Thanksgiving

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A list of resources compiled by the Center for Racial Justice in Education on how to teach . This list was compiled in 2019 and I am sure there are more resources; however, it includes basic overview and Native perspective. It also includes online lesson plans. This is a great resource as we begin to rethink the way we have taught Thanksgiving in the past. As someone who has gone through MCPS, it would be lovely to incorporate more relearning about the holiday.

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A Racial Justice Guide to Thanksgiving  for Educators and Families

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Webinar: Supporting Kids of Color in the Wake of Racialized Violence: Part 1

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Webinar: Supporting Kids of Color in the Wake of Racialized Violence: Part 1

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This webinar discusses the important task of supporting kids of color without overpromising safety, or without making them overly fearful. That is a fine line that many colleagues I know (myself included) struggle with, especially in primary schools. It features a child psychologist who specializes in trauma and minority mental health. This article would move the work in my building by reminding staff why we do this work- it centers our thinking by reminding us how children are impacted daily inside and outside of the building.

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Experts in conversation with parents and educators.
Still relevant, unfortunately, this very first EmbraceRace live conversation happened in July of 2016 in the immediate aftermath of the murders of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile and 5 Dallas police officers. We convened by phone and over 700 people joined the call. For this conversation, EmbraceRace co-founders Andrew Grant-Thomas and Melissa Giraud frame and moderate a discussion between child psychologist Dr. Allison Briscoe-Smith, educator Dr. Sandra "Chap" Chapman, and a group of parents, teachers, and other caregivers concerned about black and brown children. Listen to the full conversation or read an edited transcript below. Find Part 2 of this two-episode special here.
EmbraceRace: Here's the backdrop for our conversation. Alton Sterling was shot and killed in Baton Rouge nine days ago after being pinned to the ground by two police officers. Philando Castile was shot and killed by police a day later in Minnesota as he reached for his I.D. And yet another young black man apparently retaliated by killing five police officers and wounding others at what had been a peaceful Black Lives Matter rally in Dallas.

So when we talk about racial violence we've unfortunately seen far too much of it and so have our kids. And it's clear that Sterling and Castile are only the tip of that iceberg - we have lots and lots of examples.

And African-Americans are not the only ones who are being crushed. Think about immigrant families who are living in fear of detention and deportation. Think about kids in those families being terrified about being ripped apart from their immigrant parents. Think about the fact that Native Americans are the racial and ethnic group who are most likely to be killed by police; it's not African-Americans.

Think about Donald Trump ascending politically not in spite of but largely on the strength of his bigotry, his xenophobia, his rhetoric directed especially against immigrants and Muslim Americans. And that's not partisan in any way. The links between support for Trump and white racial resentment and some white people's sense that they're "losing their country" is very well established. And it's pretty sobering.

So the question before us is this: how can a caring adults best support kids of color? How can we help kids of color feel safer without over promising, without making them feel fearful? How do we teach them to approach the world with a really healthy and expansive sense of their own possibilities when people of color are in fact so often targeted for harm?

First I want to introduce Dr. Allison Briscoe-Smith who is a child psychologist specializing in trauma and ethnic minority mental health. Allison identifies as black and she and her partner have two multi-racial children who are black, white and Latino. Allison, thanks for being here.

Allison: Thanks for having me.

EmbraceRace: And Dr. Sandra "Chap" Chapman is the Director of Diversity and Community at the at the Little Red Schoolhouse and Elizabeth Irwin High School in New York City. She identifies as Latina and the proud mother of two Little Red Schoolhouse students. Chap, great to have you.

Chap: Thank you, Andrew and Melissa.

EmbraceRace: Allison, what are you seeing from the kids you work with, maybe even from your own kids?

Dr. Allison Briscoe-Smith is a child psychologist and professor specializing in trauma and ethnic minority mental health at the Wright Institute in San Francisco.

Allison: What I'm seeing includes things like increased anxiety, a little bit more worried if not a lot more worried about the safety of each other, the safety of our friends and family. We also see and saw toward the end of the school year evidence for increased bullying and teasing towards black and brown kids. There's a report by the Southern Poverty Law Center that found both more specific levels of teasing but related to, as you mentioned, this anti-immigrant rhetoric. But also other things are coming in in terms of threats and bullying. And we're also finding increased rates of anxiety for kids of color and I think the events of the past few weeks have reached increased levels of anxiety and distress for our children.

EmbraceRace: Chap, what are you seeing in the school context?

Chap: We're [hearing from] both parents of color and white parents - but it's [mostly] our parents of color. We have a pretty tight knit Parents of Children of Color Affinity Committee, and those families have been communicating with the school to let us know that this is on their child's mind, this is on their mind, and they're hopeful that the school is already thinking about how to take action come September. Because in September their children are ready to come together with their peers and talk about these conversations. We're a school that's four year old through 12th grade. And while the younger students are not necessarily going to come to school prepared on September 1st to really have this conversation, the teachers are really thinking about how to frame the conversations.

"The general anxiety of what's happening in our country becomes a personal anxiety, like wow, is it possible that this could happen to me?"

Dr. Sandra "Chap" Chapman

EmbraceRace: I wonder if you could each say a bit more about your approach to the anxiety that you're seeing or anticipate seeing. What's your approach in broad strokes? Chap, let's start with you.

Chap: So one of the things that becomes really real for students of color, particularly our black boys, but generally for students of color is, will this happen to me? Will this happen to somebody I know? Will this be closer to home? Couple that with conversations that parents are having with their children around how to protect themselves, how to be safe in the city, how to navigate interactions with the police, how to interact, engage in just daily life situations. The general anxiety of what's happening in our country becomes a personal anxiety, like wow, is it possible that this could happen to me?

And then there's that relationship with the family. Kids are really worried about their parents and I think that that's something to tease out as well. How am I going to feel safe if you're really worried about my safety? Who is going to be there to protect me if I have to put my hand around your shoulder because you're really upset? Of course, that level of sadness should be communicated. But there are times when we want to really think about what it is that my child needs from me right now, what kind of affection can I share? What kind of protection do I need to provide for my child? And then how do I provide answers and correct misinformation for my child in a calm way?

Dr. Sandra "Chap" Chapman is the Director of Diversity and Community at the at the Little Red Schoolhouse and Elizabeth Irwin High School in New York City

EmbraceRace: When you're in school talking to teachers, how do you help them satisfy sufficiently the range of perspectives they have to deal with?

Allison: [There] is quite the tension between what teachers feel they want to do, and what they should do, and what they can do. They might be teaching in a context that actually is not supportive of holding particular conversations, or rather holds an expectation that conversations about racial equity and justice happen but then they don't feel equipped to do it.

What I encourage all people to do, all grown folks responsible for taking care of kids, is to first begin with the assumption that we do have to talk about what's going on. That not talking isn't an option. In part because kids are smarter than we give them credit for. They're seeing and noticing the world around them even if they're not watching the news and they're seeing and they're understanding our distress or they're going to make sense of it. So I start first with the premise of you have to talk about it.

Second is I really encourage folks to get aligned with their mission and their vision. I work with families to create statements on racial equity and justice but I got that basically from working in nonprofits and schools that actually do have things like statements on diversity and equity. So I encourage teachers to actually figure out whether or not their school has a statement or a stand. And if so, what does that mean and what does it look like?

And then the other piece is to have people think about and do their own work on themselves. How comfortable are you talking about these issues? How scared are you talking about these issues? How are you feeling and doing and taking care of yourself?

Lastly, I really encourage folks to think about validating kids experiences. Telling kids to not be scared isn't true. It's a scary anxious time. So validate kids experiences and emotions. Connect with them. Relationships are central in kids feeling better and healing. And then strategize. Talk about what it is that we can do.

So whether it's simple things like answering their questions or being curious with them or coming up with actual strategies for self-care, reducing anxiety, or doing things to help them feel like they can affect change in the world. Anything from writing a letter, having a playdate, to spending time with you - it could be any of those things. But that's the kind of process I would take teachers, caregivers, anybody, through.

"Schools need to take responsibility to educate parents about how children learn difference. How young it starts, the messages they hear around gender and race and skin tone and ability are pretty clear in society."

Dr. Sandra "Chap" Chapman

EmbraceRace: Chap, I want to pick up on the very basic point, assertion, that Allison started her last answer with about the need to talk about it, the need not to avoid it.

Can you say something about how kids at different ages express their anxiety around these things? And then some general guidelines around how we respond to that anxiety depending on the age of the child

Chap: So I think the way I want to first start the conversation is to say that there's sufficient research to support that children aren't colorblind. And there's enough research to support that children between ages two and four are absorbing so much of social constructs. They're taking it all in. A fabulous woman who I rely on a lot for early childhood understanding of anti-bias work is Louis Derman-Sparks and she talks about these really young children - two, three, four, five year olds - being in a pre-prejudicial stage. They're just taking in all the society has to offer and they haven't quite formulated their ideas yet. By age five and six, your kindergarten student has already begun to categorize people based on these social norms and to move into, slowly move into, acting on those, and that's where pre-prejudice becomes prejudice. So the role of parents and educators to counter that work in the early childhood stages is crucial.

In the behavior of children who aren't even quite verbal yet we notice avoidance. A white child might respond to a child of color that way. So they will avoid dark skin, brown skin. They will avoid the teacher of color. They will avoid the child of color, not want to hold the child's hand and that's sort of how. And there is nothing verbal even communicated.

Or it might be the child of color that is trying to wash away their brown skin. You know washing and washing, "my hands are dirty, my hands are dirty." So we've heard these stories from young children as they're processing skin tone, race, racism, and those are huge concepts that they haven't quite made sense of. But they're emulating some of those beginning ideas.

So that's where the home and school partnership is key. And schools I think need to take responsibility to educate parents about how children learn difference. How young it starts, the messages they hear around gender and race and skin tone and ability are pretty clear in society. The counter messages that we want to be able to deliver have to be done consistently, and through affirmative language, affirmative imagery, and then taking action when a child is confronted with some form of a bias or pressure.

EmbraceRace: How do we talk about what's important for a child to understand without giving the child too much information that he or she may not be equipped to handle?

Chap: So you want to be able to know where your child is. What information do they have? What questions are they asking? What misinformation can you clarify right away? And then how do you provide a sense of safety in some of those answers.

Start with the child and asking simple, open-ended questions. You want to get a context for understanding how much was shared by this other child, were there other adults around? And what does a child know, what does the child think they know? Starting with their questions is really important because you want to be able to correct any inaccuracies, you want to be able to answer questions that they have that are based on fear of could this happen here, could this happen at home, could this have happened in our town? And then talk a little bit about the safety measures that are in place. These are the actions that adults have taken and will continue to take to create a safe community for you. These are the teachers who are there to protect you. This is how we get to school and how we watch where we're crossing the street so that we're safe.

I also think it's really important that parents and educators don't feel like the conversation has to be addressed and fixed in one sitting. This is decades of conversations and work. The immediacy is around what the child is bringing home.

"We do race every day. We do gender everyday. We do all of these pieces. And it shows up again in terms of who we speak to. How we interact with others. Our circle of friends. And it comes up for a kid in terms of how they're seeing [and] making sense of the world around them."

Dr. Allison Briscoe-Smith

EmbraceRace: When Melissa and I talk to people about and what we're trying to do [with EmbraceRace], one reaction we get is, "Well that's great. I as a parent, I as a teacher, am very interested in knowing more about how to talk about race with the children I work with or with my children."

To which I say, yes, and that's clearly very important and we'll be very interested in that question of literally what you say to your child. But if the question is, what are all the inputs that go into shaping the way your child thinks about race, feels about race, the kind of analysis your child has around race, well, then it's much more than simply what is literally said to the child. Could you say a little bit, either or both of you, about what some of those other inputs are that we need to be attentive to?

Allison: Sure, and I think it dovetails nicely with the conversation that we're having about when and how to both talk with kids, but also this other idea about when to DO race with kids.

We do race every day. We, people of color, white folks, do race every day. And we do it in terms of how we connect with each other, who our circle of friends are, who we spend time with, and also our implicit biases. While we may have conscientious thinking about how we would like to be non-biased or anti-racist in our behavior, we have lots and lots of behavior that is outside of our consciousness. And the evidence that we have about implicit bias is that we have biases towards people of color that manifest in our interactions. Evidence shows that people who've got negative implicit bias toward African-Americans are more likely to make speaking errors [in conversation with them], have more levels of eye blinking, and sit further away from black folks. Totally outside of their awareness. So if the question is how are, or what are the things that are going on, I'd like for folks to just think about .. we do race everyday. We do gender everyday. We do all of these pieces. And it comes up for a kid in terms of how they're seeing and making sense of the world around them. As Chap mentioned and as research substantiates, kids are noticing and doing race very, very early.

And in fact if there's a developmental question about how to talk to little kids about race or how to talk about these recent difficult and horrific incidents, there are developmentally appropriate things that we can talk to them about. Like turning to my 5-year-old daughter and saying, "You know, it seems as if a lot of people aren't treating each other nicely. What do you think about that?" That's not turning to her and saying, "Hey, do you want to watch this video of someone dying?" It's not the same thing, but it's still a space to talk about and frame and engage in this conversation with little kids. It's possible and I actually think it's necessary to help kids especially kids of color navigate this toxic smog and these negative messages that are being sent to them all the time.

Chap: Agreed!

EmbraceRace: I'm very thankful for the community that's on this call tonight. Many of you sent in questions ahead of time, so let's start with those. You sort of answered this but there's a tone to this that would be good to address. This parent says: " Our twins are 19 months old and too young to understand why mama and daddy were so weak. When do we start talking to them about being black in America. How do we give them the truth without damaging them. "

So that's the worry a lot of us have is, are we teaching our kids to expect less of themselves because others do?

"I think it's really important that we always connect our children to our stories of hope and resilience. Because that's the reality. You know I'm here as a black woman because people before me have survived and have thrived."

Dr. Allison Briscoe-Smith

​Allison: I really appreciate the framing of this question, the question being asked, and really don't want to minimize [the] concern ... I've definitely worked with parents who say, you know I don't want to take away innocence from my children, I don't want to set negative expectations, I don't want to teach them how to internalize these negative beliefs. So I really hear that.

And I really want us as parents to think about, what is the thing we are afraid of, what it is that we were afraid of saying to our kids? And that a lot of parents would tell me, I'm afraid of damaging them or breaking them. And my response to that is I think what is damaging is to have this conversation not with me. To have this conversation framed by somebody else. To have this conversation at the end of a pistol when they're 19, not before that when I have the opportunity in my relationship to do it with them. So I know I'm speaking really from the personal here but I really want to encourage folks to think through what is the worst case scenario that you are worried about? We always have the opportunity to frame and I think it's through our experiences as parents of color to talk about what's going on and I would say, even with a 19-month-old or a 2-year-old, "Mama has big feelings right now. I have big feelings because I'm worried about stuff that's going on. But it's ok, I'll be alright, and I'll be able to give you a hug." So I frame both where I am emotionally but also remain in contact and relationship as well because that's what they need. We can start with those little pieces.

The way I think about it "making a way out of no way." I think it's really important that we always connect our children to our stories of hope and resilience. Because that's the reality. You know I'm here as a black woman because people before me have survived and have thrived. We have a black president, you know not to say that we're in a post-racial moment that's all good. But a moment to kind of say we can be OK and we can survive this and we can get through. So I think it's really important even with little ones to say and connect them to very concrete and very close examples of the ways that we have survived and thrived. So narrate that. Your 19-month-olds will know when you've got big feelings or know when you're tired and upset. So why not have the opportunity to narrate it and also connect them to the fact that we will be OK?

You want to strike a balance between positive affirming language [and] people in their lives, and a sense of hopefulness with, "Yes, stuff like this happens."

Dr. Allison Briscoe-Smith

Chap: Ditto! For families of color raising children of color, or white families raising children of color, the affirmation of racial identity begins in the home. The affirmation in images, stories, people that you know, the communities that you hang out in, the people you consider your ancestors, the role models - current, past - the people coming up the pike. The cousin next door. There are people in those 19-month-olds' lives that are affirming positive strong role models. And that's a really powerful place to start. Positive affirmation can always be used to counter some of the stuff that they're going to take in from society around what's not so positive.

And I also think about different ways to think about racial socialization. There's the active racial socialization. So when my daughter was really young and interested in dolls we actively looked for black dolls, brown dolls and actively told our friends that those were the dolls that she needed to play with so that she could see herself embedded within the toys that she played with, whether it was puzzles or dolls or action figures.

Then there's the reactive socialization we would go to the toy store and notice that the white dolls were at the front and the black dolls were either nonexistent or in the back. And I would say to her - she was 2 and 3 and 5 - where are the black dolls that look like you? Let's find them, let's see if the store owner knows where they are. Let's move some of them in the front so that the next little child who comes to look for the adult can find the brown dolls when they're looking for them.

I'm reacting to racism in her little world and showing her that there's something we can do about it. We can tell other people what we feel is really important for us and that we want this store to have the representation of her when we come to this neighborhood store of ours.
​
When you instill racial pride but don't help children understand systems of oppression, or systemic issues around race and racism, that's not fair for the child. They don't feel equipped to deal with racism when they find it on the microlevel, micro-aggressions, the subtle ways. But if you do too much racial socialization around preparing them for racism they feel hopeless. So you want to strike a balance between positive affirming language [and] people in their lives, and a sense of hopefulness with, "Yes, stuff like this happens."

EmbraceRace: We're getting a question here about what parents and guardians of kids of color can do to encourage and support teachers and school administrators to create inclusive, affirming community for kids of color, too. How to move the conversation and even change the school community?

Allison: I think there are a number of different options, one of which is to begin to have difficult and challenging conversations with the people that we have relationships with, like our children's teachers or like the principal of the school, like administrators. Sometimes unfortunately, we have to do a lot of work actually to convince folks that centering experiences or conversations about race are actually necessary for the school environment. But thankfully there's robust and consistent evidence that shows that when equity is brought into the classroom all children do better. So if the case need's to be made it's there.

The other piece I really encourage folks to do is to form parent affinity groups and use those groups to become part of PTAs or whatever the government is within the school, to leverage those voices. There are all kinds of opportunities to basically use community organizing to say, this is what's important for not only my child's learning but for our community as well.

EmbraceRace: We've got a live question from the community. Masharika, go ahead, you can ask your question.

Masharika: Thank you. So I identify as black and my partner identifies as white. We're raising two biracial boys. And I've noticed that my 5-year-old recently has begun to make comments in which it appears that he's self-selecting to identify with his whiteness almost to the fault of dismissing his blackness. And I'm just wondering how I as a parent can celebrate his blackness and reaffirm his blackness in those moment without in any way making it appear that he should not also be celebrating his whiteness as well and all of the wonderful cultures that make him who he is.

Allison: I am not surprised that kids who have mixed race experiences growing up the United States have moments or times of choosing one side, choosing another side, and then ultimately choosing kind of both - there's lots of different kind of research it's beginning to pay attention to this process.

We also have to think about how, in the current climate, that actually affiliating with white may be a defense mechanism, it may be a means of trying to figure out how to be safe. And I don't want to ever take that away from kids. The things that they do to try to keep themselves safe. And I really do think it's a yes/and. So yes, you are white like daddy, and, yes, you are black like mama. And the best thing that we can do are have the opportunities for both your partner and yourself, or me as the black partner in my relationship - my partner is white and Mexican - to have us both express a confidence within our own racial identities to be able to speak about it, to be able to narrate it, to show it, to connect up with our stories.

It also is really helpful to actually create a space to think about mixed race or mixed heritage identities and we at EmbraceRace have on a number of resources that point to that. Books, movies, you know other opportunities to see both of your boys represented can be really quite helpful.

I also really encourage parents to know that these things come and go. That the ways that they identify now are most likely not going to be the way that they identify 20 years from now, or even five years from now. But to be able to talk to your children about the developing and the changing ways that they're going to view themselves. A lot of this is going to vary with how they are "read" by others but also a lot of this is about how you want to support them and feeling about themselves and what kind of a narrative you have within your family about, what does racial identity mean for you and your family?

So I appreciate that as a parent you are noticing and you've already articulated that you want them to be connected with their white heritage but also your heritage as well. You've already set a frame to do that for your kids and noticing out loud or wondering out loud or even bringing in opportunities for them to see representations of others might be another way to continue that conversation.

"The same process is true that we probably are sophisticated in doing already with things like gender. We're probably saying things to our kids like 'well girls can do that, too' which is actually our means of separating out and not over generalizing and countering biases."

Dr. Allison Briscoe-Smith

EmbraceRace: I have a last community question here that I'm going to read because it was written in. This community member says she fears that her child is becoming afraid of white people and wonders how to address that?

Chap: Part of what I would want to know is, does this person have relationships with white people? Similar to when white children have fears of people of color, I often talk to children and to parents and to educators about building authentic relationships across those racial differences. To do some, what we call, individuation. Let's talk about this white person that we know. What's the relationship we have with them? What are the things that we like to do with them? Rather than having them lumping one person's experience, the white police officer, with all white police officers or with all white people. We don't want the one black person who did a shooting to be lumped with all black people. So we want to individualize. [Use] talking about the relationship that's happening with individual white people that you know as one stepping stone.

EmbraceRace: Allison, anything to add?

Allison: Well I really agree and you know, part of this is the age, that little kids will tend to generalize. That's what they do, not just in the case of race but in the cases of just how they're making sense of categories. So we can ask them questions about ... do you know any white people that are nice? OK, yeah, I know that white person that's nice. OK, do you know any white people that are mean? Yeah I do. So they kind of go back and forth. And the idea is that as we can actually do that with them to help them not overgeneralize.

The same process is true that we probably are sophisticated in doing already with things like gender. We're probably saying things to our kids like "well girls can do that too" which is actually our means of separating out and not over generalizing and countering biases. So think about the ways in which we're already practiced at having that kind of conversation and bring it in here. Wondering with their children, asking them questions, and pointing out relationships that they might be having with others that actually will disabuse them of that kind of notion. While at the same time, understanding and appreciating that fear makes sense in many ways.

The anxiety and fear that our kids in our families and even our selves are going through is not irrational. And we have the opportunity to connect across differences to enable us to move forward.

EmbraceRace: Thank you, Dr. Allison Briscoe-Smith and Dr. Sandra "Chap" Chapman and to this community for your insights and time and for being willing to be on this hastily arranged, last-minute call.

Find part two of this conversation here.

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Supporting Kids Of Color in The Wake of Racialized Violence: Part One

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Still relevant, unfortunately, this very first EmbraceRace live conversation happened in July of 2016 in the immediate aftermath of the murders of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile and 5 Dallas police officers. We convened by phone and over 700 people joined the call.

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Stamped by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kend

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Stamped by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kend

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This book is about history of racist ideas in America.  This book was very eye opening for me.  They say this book is not a history book but I felt that it was.  This book enlightened me on history that was not taught or shared.

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Collection of episodes on uncomfortable conversation with a black man. In these episodes, Emmanuel Acho has conversations with different people on racism and social injustice.

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Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Boy is an accessible book for children to learn about systemic racism and racist behavior. For the awkward questions white and non-black parents don't know how to answer, this book is an essential guide to help support communication on how to dismantle racism amongst our youngest generation.

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George Floyd & The Dominos of Racial Injustice

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George Floyd & The Dominos of Racial Injustice

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Trevor Noah is sharing his thoughts about George Floyd, Amy Cooper, Ahmaud Arbery and Minneapolis Protest. Trevor is very insightful and honest in his thoughts.

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George Floyd, Minneapolis Protests, Ahmaud Arbery & Amy Cooper | The Daily Social Distancing Show

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This is a very informative video about the rise of anti-Asian violence during the Pandemic and the rise of racism in the US.

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The Racism Virus: Anti-Asian attacks surge

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NBC News investigative and consumer correspondent Vicky Nguyen moderates this important special report focused on the concerning rise in anti-Asian violence during the pandemic and solutions to racism and xenophobia. Special guests include Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., basketball star Jeremy Lin, actors Olivia Munn and Brian Tee, 'Survivor' winner Yul Kwon, the Nobel Prize nominee and activist Amanda Nguyen, comedian Margaret Cho and more.

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Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

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Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

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In this book, Coates writes a letter to his son about our nation’s history and our current situation. I have not started reading this book. But it is on my list to read.

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Hood feminism is about the feminist movement today and how the movement leaves out women of certain races and classes. This text explores a lot of elements that impact students of color specifically women. Due to the idea of intersectionality, this book explores topics such as poverty, food insecurity, access to health care raising children as minorities, and education. This book is more resourceful for staff and not necessarily for students. It is an interesting read and it shouldn't just be for women.

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Even though this article was written in 2016, It supports the idea that there are problems with Race in America. I think that this resource could be used with staff or students to discuss what has changed, what is getting better, and where a focus should be. This article could be used for conversation to discuss implicit and explicit biases.

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The War Over Teaching America's Racist History in Schools

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The War Over Teaching America's Racist History in Schools

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This video describes the erasure of whitewashed version of Histories. It challenges and includes vital information on certain aspects that are completely ignored in History classes. It is important to understand what happened in the past. This is important to include to have an antiracist curriculum.

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The War Over Teaching America’s Racist History in Schools | The Daily Show

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Resources for Teaching Race and Racism in the New York Times

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Resources for Teaching Race and Racism in the New York Times

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This is a helpful resource that includes over 75 lesson plans, prompts, discussion cues, and resources for teaching about Race and Racism. It includes points that could be discussed. These can be used to support staff or students in the building.  There are categories of information that include identity, prejudice, inequality and racism, history and legacy, connections to current events, and taking action.

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Resources for Teaching About Race and Racism With The New York Times (Published 2021)

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A curated collection of over 75 lesson plans, writing prompts, short films and graphs relating to racism and racial justice.

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A 5 minute documentary about young Black men describing their experiences of being black. They discuss the implicit biases and experiences they have had in their day-to-day lives. Topics include police brutality, education, working with Non- POC, and racism.

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transcript

CNVS 02_NYT Final Script_150429 Transcript Start time: 00:00:00 Rakesh: Racism means basically like... Miles: A large, a large part of uh...a race feels that they're superior to another race and so and so not only do they believe that but they act on it. Malik: Examples would be in class sometimes I'd be the only black kids and we'd read a book like, I don't know, Huck Finn and then there's that uncomfortable moment...the "magic" word would come up and people look at you like "What's his reaction?" Things like that. Miles: I was walking home from school with this one white girl and we had just gotten off the bus and we were about to, we were almost home and there were these groups of black kids that had just gotten out of school. She was like "Oh, let's cross the street, there's a group of black kids. I don't want to run into them." And so she told me...which, I don't even know why she would do that. Marvin: I used to wear a sweatband like just to reinforce my wrist and I had a teacher come up to me and say, "You should take it off because it looks gang affiliated." Shaq: I've been in situations you know where I've had to cross the street because I didn't want to scare the white lady that was walking. Marvin: I would actually, it would get to the point where I would start to count how many times a woman would clutch her bag. Bisa: When I was 16, I was leaving my mom's house in my pajamas, which had snowmen on them um, with my brother and we were actually stopped by the police rather aggressively. Jumoke: I've been stopped by the cops on my way between classes, because we have two separate buildings, walking from one building to the other building. As my white students in the same class walk by me. Malik: It's kind of upsetting because we live in a world where my mom has to be afraid when I walk outside from the people that are like meant to protect me and I just, I don't like when my mother feels like that you know, I love my mother. She should always, I want her to always be happy... Bisa: You know I walk tall, I keep my head up, very you know, try to be very articulate and and polite...um and so of course I was like "Okay I'm going to be fine because I act a certain way." And of course that has absolutely nothing to do with it. Um, people, the way people perceive you you know, is not up to you. 00:02:06 Jumoke: My parents taught me oh you know, "Cops are your friends, you're supposed to, you know they're here to protect you." But all I'm seeing is the opposite. So how can I not be afraid when I feel like I'm being hunted? When I feel like I'm there to fill a quota? Shaq: We are in a so-called free society and as a black man we literally don't feel free. We don't know "freedom" is. Jumoke: Every time we're killed, the first thing you see on the news is: criminal record. Or something like that. So from the second the bullet hits us, already we're starting to be dehumanized. Malik: Black people like myself, we don't get as many chances as they do so you have to be aware and you have to watch out and you can't mess up. Bisa: This was an extremely emotionally taxing process for me in terms of coming to terms with maybe...the nature of of racism in my own life and in this country and in this world and if you wait until somebody is 12, 13, 14 to put that on them...it's...it's really, it can be really difficult. Malik: My dad, he's just like the honest one he's like "Listen son, like, there are things in this world that you have to, you kind of have to watch out..." He doesn't want me to live in fear, but he wants me to be aware. Maddox: I want people to know that I'm perfectly fine and I'm not going to hurt anybody or do anything bad. Rakesh: I should be judged about like who I, who I am and like and what kind of person I am. Marvin: My parents would tell me, especially my mom, she would tell me, you have to endure. You have to muscle through it. And like, this is no different, it's a part of being a person of color in America. Bisa: And there's a certain comfortability associated with that because if I know that something is inevitable then I know how to deal with it. Fortunately, I've had parents who have said "this is what you do." 00:04:00 Marvin: Mom and dad, I'll be fine because you did a good job raising me. You gave me all the resources and the time and the blood, sweat and tears to make a good man, an honorable man and the foundation to survive in this country. Myles: I want you to know that I will act in an appropriate manner and do everything that you told me to do because I do love you and I know that everything you say is for a reason and not just to talk the talk. And I love you. Credits DIRECTED & PRODUCED BY: Joe Brewster / Perri Peltz DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Rudy Valdez SOUND: Chase Horton EDITORS: Geeta Gandbhir / Clare Vance CONSULTING PRODUCERS: Blair Foster / Geeta Gandbhir / Michele Stephenson ASSOCIATE PRODUCER: Clare Vance THANK YOU: Rakesh / Miles / Malik / Marvin / Shaq / Bisa / Jumoke / Maddox / Myles NYTIMES CREDITS End time: 00:04:57 Music: "Rolling Emotions," Composed by Adam Dennis (PRS) and Bob Bradley (PRS), Library: Bruton TV Series (BTV). Track ID: BRU_BTV_0146_01301

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Video: Opinion | A Conversation About Growing Up Black

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transcript CNVS 02_NYT Final Script_150429 Transcript Start time: 00:00:00 Rakesh: Racism means basically like... Miles: A large, a large part of uh...a race feels that they're superior to another race and so and so not only do they believe that but they act on it.

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ASCD Article - “How to be An Antiracist Educator by Dena Simmons

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ASCD Article - “How to be An Antiracist Educator by Dena Simmons

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This article by Dena Simmons gives educators salient points regarding building their capacity to be antiracist educators.  Her suggestions to engage vigilantly in self-awareness, acknowledge racism and the ideology of white supremacy, study and teach representative history, talk about race with students and ‘do something’ when you witness racism can improve the climate of my school in a manner that is more conducive to learning.  She offers practical suggestions that educators can implement immediately.

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As a social and emotional learning (SEL) practitioner-scholar, I am fortunate to get invitations to support schools and districts all over the United States. When schools and districts learn that I address SEL within the larger sociopolitical context, integrating culturally responsive and SEL practi

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Episode 105: Voice of Witness:  Bring the Power of Oral History to Your Classroom - cultofpedagogy.com

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Episode 105: Voice of Witness:  Bring the Power of Oral History to Your Classroom - cultofpedagogy.com

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In the podcast (transcript), Jennifer Gonzalez explores a series of books and classroom materials that amplify the stories of people impacted by injustice all over the world.  For many years, educational publishers produced texts that only represented a narrow viewpoint.  The core product of Voice and Witness is a series of books, currently seventeen titles strong, that curate oral histories. Migrant workers, refugees, factory workers in developing countries and undocumented Americans tell their stories, in their voices.

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This is Jennifer Gonzalez welcoming you to Episode 105 of the Cult of Pedagogy Podcast. In this episode, we're going to explore an incredible series of books and classroom materials that amplifies the stories of people impacted by injustice all over the world. The series is called Voice of Witness.

Teaching history and English has gotten complicated. For many, many years, educational publishers produced texts that only represented a narrow viewpoint- whether fiction or nonfiction, the stories produced for and adopted by schools centered an overwhelmingly white, European experience. But in recent decades, there's been a push to change that, to widen the lens, to hear the voices of those who are so often under- or misrepresented.

Many teachers have done an admirable job of addressing this need by expanding the menu of texts they offer students. These include primary source documents, literature from more diverse perspectives, and other forms of media that tell stories with words, music, and images. But these resources aren't always easy to find, and so the more we can share the great things we find, the more complex and accurate our curriculum will be. Today I want to share with you another incredible resource that can widen our lens even further, a series produced by an organization called Voice of Witness.

The core product of Voice of Witness is a series of books, currently seventeen titles strong, that curate oral histories, stories told by people whose voices are rarely heard, people who are impacted by injustice all over the world: Migrant workers. Refugees. Factory workers in developing countries. Prisoners. Undocumented Americans. These books tell their stories, in their voices. Voice of Witness has also created free lesson plans to accompany each book, plus other materials to help teachers and students learn the skills of capturing oral histories of their own.

In this episode, I'm going to be talking with Cliff Mayotte, the education program director for Voice of Witness, about the range of materials they offer and how they can not only expose our students to stories they won't hear anywhere else, but also help them see themselves as participants in history, people who can tell their own stories and help the people in their own communities get their voices heard.

Although this series has been around since 2004, I can't think of a time in history when stories like these need to be told more than they do right now. This goes beyond curriculum: We need our students to read these stories because it will make them better humans.

It is my hope that teachers of English, history, and those who teach new English learners will explore this series and consider adding some of these materials to your course or at least your classroom library.

Before we get started, I'd like to thank today's sponsor, Peergrade. Peergrade is a platform that makes it easy to facilitate peer review in your classroom. Students review each other's work, while Peergrade takes care of anonymously assigning reviewers and delivering all the relevant insights to teachers. With Peergrade, students learn to think critically and take ownership of their learning. They also learn to write kind and useful feedback for their peers. Peergrade is free to use for teachers and students. To learn more visit cultofpedagogy.com/peergrade.

Support for this episode also comes from 3Doodler. The 3Doodler is a really neat tool-it works just like a 3D printer, except the "printing" comes out of a pen. With the 3Doodler, students can create, design, and build, transforming abstract concepts into physical models, making those concepts easier to understand. 3Doodler EDU learning packs were designed with teachers, so they truly encompass the needs of classrooms at any grade level. With 3D pens, accessories, lesson plans and more all packed into one kit, you're ready to start learning as soon as you open the box. As a Cult of Pedagogy listener, you can try your first 3Doodler Learning Pack with a special 10% discount by visiting cultofpedagogy.com/3doodler.

The Cult of Pedagogy Podcast is part of the Education Podcast Network. The EPN family now includes 25 different podcasts, and each one is focused on education. One show you should definitely check out is called Pushing the Edge. On this podcast, host Greg Curran tackles the intersection of education and social justice. Greg and his guests dig deep on issues that are critical to making school a place where all students thrive. And as a bonus, Greg also happens to be from Australia, so you get to listen to that wonderful accent in every episode. Check out Pushing the Edge and all of the EPN podcasts at edupodcastnetwork.com.

Now here's my conversation with Cliff Mayotte about the Voice of Witness series.

GONZALEZ: I would like to welcome Cliff Mayotte to the program. Welcome, Cliff.

MAYOTTE: Hi, thank you. It's good to be here.

GONZALEZ: We are here to talk about the Voice of Witness series, and you guys contacted me and I was pretty much blown away by it, and I just don't think it could be anymore timely or necessary than it is right now, although you guys have been working on this for a long time. Let's just start with a general overview of what the series is, how it came into being, what the purpose is, and let me know how many books you have in print, just to give us a rough idea of what the series is.

MAYOTTE: Oh yeah, definitely. Voice of Witness is an oral history book series. There are 17 books total, and I'll talk a little bit more about that in a moment. But basically we create books of oral history that focus on contemporary social justice issues and human rights crises. Our book series really focuses on amplifying voices of people who are impacted by injustice. And what we do is we seek out narrators - we call them narrators, the folks that we interview for our book series, instead of interviewees or interview subjects, because we want to make sure that people get to know our narrators and people narrating their own experience as opposed to an interviewee, which is kind of clinical, and that kind of runs counter to what we're trying to do with the book series; it was just to put a human face on contemporary social justice issues. For example, everybody is talking about immigration, but nobody's talking to immigrants, or everybody's talking about inequality in education but nobody's talking to teachers. I think our book series really seeks to address contemporary social justice issues and human rights issues that are underrepresented and underreported. Our mission is to amplify voices of people impacted by injustice. The goal or the mission of Voice of Witness through oral history, through first-person narrative, we aim to propel the conversation around human rights issues and ensure the voices of those impacted become an integral part of mainstream discourse and meaningful reform. The book series was founded in 2005 by the author Dave Eggers, writer and educator Mimi Lok, and human rights physician Lola Vollen. The first book in the series was "Surviving Justice," which was focused on oral histories of men and women who had been wrongfully convicted and only through DNA testing exonerated after sometimes spending 15, 20, 25 years in prison. And here we are in 2018 and we are now 17 books into the series, including our latest book "Six by Ten," which are oral histories and stories from solitary confinement.

GONZALEZ: The range of topics is really incredible, because I think when I first was introduced to it, the first set that I saw had to do more with the immigrants and undocumented Americans. But then when I started to look at all of the titles, I realized how really broad your coverage is of people in different situations. To give listeners a sense of the range of stories that you cover, can you maybe give us an example of three collections?

MAYOTTE: Yeah, definitely. The book series, over time, has touched on a broad range of issues, and over the years we've kind of organically developed a couple of core areas of expertise or themes and issues that we constantly return to, and those are in the areas of criminal justice, immigration, migration, and displacement. And three books in the series that I think speak to that, the one that you had referenced earlier is called "Underground America," which is looking at, is a collection of oral histories that are focusing on undocumented Americans, and really giving people a real sort of grounds-eye view of what people who are undocumented in this country, what they go through on a daily basis, and I think it really complicates our thinking about immigration. And I did want to mention in that particular collection, a lot of the conversation around immigration and people who are undocumented and DACA really focuses on, tends to focus a lot on Mexico and Central America, but in this particular collection there are individuals who are not only from Mexico and Central America, but Africa and China and other countries, so it has a real sort of global approach. Another title in this series is called "Patriot Acts," and that's looking at sort of post-9/11, here we are just a day or two past the anniversary of 9/11, really looking at post-9/11 backlash for Muslims and the American Arab community and American Muslims. One of the themes of the book, it really explicitly links some of that backlash and some of the, whether it's referencing current issues like the travel ban and the Muslim ban and things like that, but also connecting it to Japanese American incarceration in World War II and kind of looking at, wow, these themes, these things tend to happen over and over and over again, and we like to call them "recurrent events." So that's another title in the series that we've used, certainly used a lot in the education program and teaching and learning. And another one that I wanted to highlight is our book that's focusing on public housing in Chicago called "High Rise Stories." And it's really an oral history collection about displacement, because a number of years ago, the City of Chicago and the Chicago Housing Authority wanted to tear down these "infamous" Chicago high rises, and the book, through oral history, really explores well, where are all of those people going to go? And really looking at issues of displacement within the city of Chicago. And people tend to really focus on displacement, thinking international displacement or refugees, and sometimes we often forget that there are, there's displacement happening in our own communities and our own neighborhoods, and I think "High Rise Stories" is a perfect example of that.

GONZALEZ: Yeah. How is that you're able to get, find people and - because I've looked through the website quite a bit in terms of you have this huge volunteer group of people who are taking these stories now from people and recording them and editing them. So I can see where your staffing is coming from, but how are you actually reaching out within these communities? Because you've got some people who, I would imagine, don't even want to be found. What's the process?

MAYOTTE: Yeah, well thankfully we, the individuals that we end up interviewing for our book series are people that really, really, really want to share their stories. And so thankfully that's been the case with us. But the process really begins with a particular project editor that they make a proposal and we have a system that we've put in place called the Story Lab, and we put out proposals for new books in the series, and in looking at the proposals, we're looking at project leads and project editors that have a background or history or are somehow connected or a part of the communities that they're proposing to create a book around. And so really what we're able to do is kind of establish what we call a chain of trust, and so we're working with individuals who are already connected to those communities who are working with advocacy organizations and nonprofits and schools that are supporting those communities, and we call them our narrator communities. These are the stories where our books are coming from, the communities where our books are coming from. And so it always is, the relationships develop over time. And so there's a chain of trust, and so people feel naturally, they may not necessarily know Voice of Witness off the bat, but they know several of the people that are involved with a nonprofit they work for or an advocacy organization that they've been, that they're aware of or have worked with or know of. So we always feel like we're working with people who are already connected to these communities because our oral history process is anything but extractive. We don't want to parachute in and just take some stories and publish them and say, "See you later." Our work is really based on a lot of these ethical considerations around representation and examining power dynamics and looking at insider/outsider dynamics. So all of that goes into the choices around which books go forward and which projects go forward, and then usually the project editors are the project leads, because they're the one developing the relationships, do the majority of the interviewing themselves, and they do occasionally have other people that step in and help them kind of spread out a little bit to get some more interviews, but all the interviews are based on building relationships and building trust with the narrators and the narrator communities.

GONZALEZ: Okay. And that is going to tie into some of your other materials on actually teaching people how to not do oral story telling, but, well we'll get into, because the idea with kids and with schools is that we're actually now taking this process of gathering and recording oral histories and teaching kids how to do that. So let's transition into the materials that you offer for educators that can help them make the most of these stories. I mean first off, the fact that the books exist at all, I know that most, not most, many people who teach social studies and history are working out of textbooks and are pretty hungry for other texts, basically, that tell other stories. This is such a wealth of stories, I'm so excited for anybody who is teaching on any kind of social studies or history. I feel like these would be such a great addition. But also to anybody who's got a classroom library, because the stories are just fascinating, and they just don't get told anywhere. Talk about the supplementary materials that you have that go on top of the books.

MAYOTTE: Yeah, well thank you for mentioning that there are so many teachers around the country that are yearning for what I would consider more contemporary, culturally relevant classroom materials instead of looking at the same old themes that are emerging in textbooks and don't really allow space for students to kind of construct their own version of history and their own version of events and issues and their relationship to it. And I think oral history and the books in the Voice of Witness series are an incredible resource for teachers and students, because it's really an opportunity to take history personally, and to create your own relationship to history and to look at history through somebody's narrative, through somebody's oral history, and look at a particular issue through an individual's story and get to unpack the social, cultural, and historical forces that shape that story. And I think for a lot of students, they really respond to personal narrative. It feels like somebody telling them a story, and it allows them to enter into these issues in a very personal way, and it doesn't feel like somebody's lecturing to them or somebody's giving them a story that has only one side or one perspective. Each individual narrative contains people's identities and multiple perspectives.

GONZALEZ: Right.

MAYOTTE: So I think it really allows teachers and students to grapple with the issues that are contained in the book series and to have their thinking complicated in ways that I think are very, very useful.

GONZALEZ: Yes.

MAYOTTE: And I think with that, I mean we have a broad range of things that we're making available to teachers and students. One of them is that we provide free Common Core-aligned lesson plans for every single book in this series. And also with the Common Core, I mean our resources have always been very directly aligned with Common Core without us having to do a lot of extra work around it.

GONZALEZ: Yeah.

MAYOTTE: But one of the things around Common Core that's been particularly interesting is that there's been a new emphasis on primary sourced material and primary sourced documents, and a lot of teachers are incorporating oral history more and more or are wanting to and are looking for the tools and resources in order to do that. And so they're finding the books in our series, our lesson plans, and being able to use some of the books in our series to sort of pair them with other books, like a teacher might assign "Enrique's Journey," that novel, and also have students read stories from "Underground America."

GONZALEZ: Right.

MAYOTTE: So there's been some really interesting book pairings. So we have free Common Core-aligned curriculum for every single book in the series, and the curriculum is created primarily for older middle school students through high school and college undergraduates, and it's very accessible, very adaptable, and what we feel is very culturally relevant in addition to a lot of strategies and resources for English language learners, because as you know, ELL students are the largest, the most rapidly growing demographic in public schools around the country, especially here on the West Coast. So we really want to make sure we're creating resources that are supporting that kind of teaching and learning. And so yeah, with our narrator communities, we're looking at our resources, our lesson plans, for ELL students, migrant students, refugees, newcomers, and more. And so in addition to our lesson plans that go along with the content of the book series, we also have, as I mentioned a few minutes ago, an oral history resource guide for English language learners. We also have a book that we publish that's now free and downloadable from our website called "The Power of the Story," which is the Voice of Witness teacher's guide to oral history. And so that book not only contains some lesson plans that go with the book series, but also contains a field guide for classrooms and communities to conduct their own oral history projects and for communities and classrooms to amplify their own unheard voices. Because ultimately what we want to do is we want to share our methodology, share our best practices, share our work so that oral history can become an integral part of any classroom, and maybe not even just a humanities classroom, but incorporating it not just in terms of content, but as a way to teach, to really make space for, to force space for more stories to be listened to and to be shared.

GONZALEZ: Yeah, that piece I think is my favorite of all the things you have, I think it is this idea of teaching schools how to actually do oral history. It feels like the potential for that, in terms of like a force multiplier, is just tremendous, you know, not just these students sort of reading these other stories, but realizing that they can be capturing things from their own communities and their own families and how powerful it is to have those stories then get out there.

MAYOTTE: Definitely. And I think it creates, for students, a participatory vision of history, because so often students and all of us feel like bystanders in history. And I think through oral history, as you say, students are able to interview family members, people in their community, and to participate in sort of an ongoing historical narrative that they can be a part of, that they can insert themselves into, as well as being able to use their lives, their direct experience, their identity as a central part of the curriculum. And particularly for students who have been marginalized for various reasons, whether it's language or other things, oral history gives them an opportunity to have their lives and their experiences validated and represented in a curriculum because so often so many students, for a variety of reasons, don't see themselves reflected in the curriculum or the things that they read or do or the assignments that they do at school. And so I think oral history is a wonderful way to address that.

GONZALEZ: I agree. So then you've also got on top of these guides that teachers and students can sort of use on their own, you've got the webinars and consultancies and trainings. Talk a little bit about that.

MAYOTTE: Yeah. Also in addition to all of our resources that are free and available and downloadable from our website, there are webinars that we've done that have accompanying resource guides. The tailored consultancies we do really have to do with us, in a way they're sort of, you could describe them as very, very specific and tailored residencies where we will work with a school, a school district, a nonprofit organization, a journalistic organization, an advocacy organization, and to really think about how our methodology and how the power of this kind of storytelling can impact their work and further their missions and further their goals. And we've worked with a really, an incredibly broad range of organizations, artists, journalists, the legal profession, medical doctors, who really see this kind of ethics-driven and empathic methodology in terms of oral history and storytelling as something that's very, very valuable in furthering their work. So we're constantly doing consultancies and oral history trainings and workshops with schools, classrooms, nonprofits, just a variety of organizations that have a real commitment to social justice and really putting storytelling, really placing a high value on that, in that advocacy process. We also have a wonderful initiative called the sharing history initiative, and it's a funded book program that enables us to place free class sets of Voice of Witness books in public schools and nonprofits around the country. And in this past year we're kind of just ramping up for this year's initiative, and we're able to place 1,300 copies of "Underground America" in close to 50 schools and nonprofits around the country. And of these schools, about 98 percent of them are serving English language learners, and close to 70 percent are primarily serving students of color. And really thinking about this particular topic and this particular point in time, we've found it very, very crucial for people to be really exploring these issues and stories in a very different way, other than the dominant narrative that's getting pushed around right now.

GONZALEZ: Yeah.

MAYOTTE: And then also, and I think too, I also wanted to mention that we, as part of our process for creating curriculum for the book series, for oral history trainings and workshops, is that our process is highly collaborative, and we're constantly collaborating with advocacy organizations and educators from within our narrator communities themselves. So we want to make sure that what we're creating is relevant and supportive and inclusive of our narrator communities and the educational needs of our narrator communities. A perfect example of that is our latest book, "Six by Ten," which is just about to come out in a couple of weeks, and it's really focusing on solitary confinement and issues around cruel and unusual punishment within the criminal justice system. And as we were creating the curriculum for the book, we were partnering with the Prison University Project at San Quentin State Prison here in California, and we're able to teach oral history courses as part of their college program. And as a result of those classes, really that had a major impact on the curriculum and how it was created and several lesson plans would not have come into fruition or been created had we not had those opportunities to work with students in that program, and looking at some of the issues that they've faced, being incarcerated but also some of the educational opportunities. For example, it's like how do you conduct oral histories with students who don't have access to recording devices or who have very, very limited access to media?

GONZALEZ: Yeah.

MAYOTTE: And so we were able to create some lesson plans for "Six by Ten" that kind of make space for that and sort of incorporate the needs of some of those students, in the hopes that they will, other students who are in a similar situation can still access the curriculum and the stories in the book.

GONZALEZ: That's fantastic. It just sounds like you all have thought through a lot of this, and the thing that you said earlier about not being extractive, I mean everything you're saying is really, it's just showing a really careful, thoughtful way of approaching this. Before we wrap up, can you tell me what kind of feedback you've gotten from the schools that have been using your materials?

MAYOTTE: Yeah, yeah. Definitely. As I mentioned before, a lot of teachers and a lot of students have really reported back to us that as a breath of fresh air in engaging oral history and in practicing the skills of oral history in the classroom, that there tends to be an immediacy and a cultural relevance to what they're doing, because the subject matter for students tends to be very, very close to them and very accessible and very much relatable to them. That's a lot of the feedback that we've gotten that has to do with cultural responsiveness and cultural relevance. And even the stories in the book series, feeling like, "Wow. This is very relatable to me. I might not know somebody that's gone through exactly what this narrator has gone through in this particular book, but perhaps I know somebody who has or there's something about it that feels very relatable and personal."

GONZALEZ: Yeah.

MAYOTTE: A lot of times, a lot of teachers are reluctant to incorporate somebody's feelings or emotion into the learning process, and I think through oral history, there's been opportunities for social and emotional learning that teachers have been very grateful for. So we've gotten a lot of feedback around that. We've gotten a ton of feedback around students improving their communications skills, really being able to develop their listening skills, their active listening skills, their nurturing empathy in a classroom. So the communication skills is something that we've gotten a lot of feedback about. And I think a lot of feedback we get too is related to really opening up the world and making the world a little bit bigger for students through the process of creating a larger circle of stories. We've gotten a lot of positive feedback about that. We also get a lot of feedback around critical thinking. As I was saying earlier, that students are reading and grappling with the stories in our book series and engaging in their own oral histories, and they become self-critical as well as critical of the world, and have an opportunity to interrogate history a little bit more through oral history and to - they stop seeing history or issues as being monolithic, but they see them as a lot more nuanced and complex. And I think teachers and students have really appreciated the opportunity to develop those skills. And finally I just wanted to mention that a lot of students and teachers have reported back to us that the oral history process, whether or not a class is using a Voice of Witness book or doing a sort of Voice of Witness-sponsored oral history project, they're seeing that the approach to oral history - speaking and listening, seeing and being seen, listening in a nonjudgemental way, really to analyze and be critical and to see your own place in history - but it tends to have a positive impact on the culture of the classroom, where everybody's created more opportunities to see and be seen and to know each other a little bit better. And those are skills that a lot of schools and a lot of teachers and a lot of educational environments don't teach. It's so solely focused on content -

GONZALEZ: Yeah.

MAYOTTE: - that that kind of social, emotional learning is not, space isn't made for that in this world of standardized testing.

GONZALEZ: Right.

MAYOTTE: So that's just some of the feedback that we've gotten, in addition to really one of the core skills around literacy and writing and collaborating, because if you're conducting an oral history, you're transcribing a story, you're editing a story, and you're responsible for sharing somebody else's story in a trustful, respectful, ethical manner.

GONZALEZ: Yeah.

MAYOTTE: And so the students really gain a newfound respect, not only for the process of editing, but for the storyteller and the person that they were able to interview.

GONZALEZ: You had listed some quotes here. I'm not sure that, did you want those there for reference or were you wanting to read some of those? I think we probably couldn't fit them all in, time-wise -

MAYOTTE: Yeah, I think mostly they were for frame of reference, to kind of get at some of the things that I had mentioned around cultural relevance and empathy and things like that. I would like to read one of them though, and this is from a former student that engaged in an oral history project, and kind of, I'm really interested in how students take what we're able to do and extend that into their future, extend that into their lives, into careers, into vocations, and kind of how empathy becomes a more central part of their lives. Danielle Covington, who was a former student at Oakland Technical High School, said, "Organizations like Voice of Witness bring our attention back to the experiences of people so that justice can be restored. This work inspired me to study drama at New York University, to learn about even more methods to bring underrepresented voices to the stage." And that's particularly resonate with me, you know, I do have a background in theater, so I was very excited to read that quote. But also just somebody that as a result of engaging with our books and our curriculum and oral history in general, has a commitment to bringing underrepresented voices and to listening to underrepresented voices, which I think is very, very powerful.

GONZALEZ: Yes, yeah. And well that's just, again I'm seeing more and more of this, these students seeing themselves as actual agents of change, as opposed to just passive receivers of information. They're actually seeing themselves as being able to do something.

MAYOTTE: Yeah. We just need to listen and get out of their way.

GONZALEZ: Mhmm. Well I'm really hoping that this is going to get a lot more teachers interested in these materials. I hope you sell out quickly because people want these so much. If they want to start to explore your materials and get the books, where should they go?

MAYOTTE: I think the easiest point of access to getting some of our books and learning more about what we do is through our website, and our website will definitely direct people to independent book stores, independent booksellers, independent book distributors and not Amazon.

GONZALEZ: Okay.

MAYOTTE: And that, our website address is VoiceofWitness.org, that's VoiceofWitness.org.

GONZALEZ: And can teachers buy bulk books?

MAYOTTE: Yes. There is an option for bulk orders, and at a certain point, you know, if teachers are buying a class set, they definitely get a discount for class sets of books.

GONZALEZ: Okay.

MAYOTTE: So yeah. That definitely makes it a lot more affordable for teachers. So yeah, as you say, I hope we sell them all out. I mean no, not sell out the teachers, that's not what I mean, but sell the books. We would never want to sell teachers out.

GONZALEZ: Sell them so you have to print lots more, yeah. Thank you so much.

MAYOTTE: Yeah.

GONZALEZ: Thank you for the time here and to all of you. I've been a Dave Eggers fan forever, so when I saw that his name was attached to this, I wasn't actually surprised, because I read "What Is the What" and I read "Zeitoun" the one about Katrina, I can't pronounce it.

MAYOTTE: "Zeitoun."

GONZALEZ: Thank you. I've always just read it. So this seems like an extension of that work too. It looks like now you guys have got a whole team working on this, and I just, I think you're doing incredible, important work, so thank you so much.

MAYOTTE: Oh, thank you, Jenn. It's been a pleasure to talk to you and really have appreciated the opportunity to spread the word about Voice of Witness.

Hey, one more thing before I go: As I was preparing for this interview, I also learned about another really promising-looking resource that has a similar mission to Voice of Witness. It's called Doc Academy, and it's a free online education platform that brings critically-acclaimed documentary films to high school classrooms, so teachers can deliver lessons around the most pressing social issues of our day. Film clips and multidisciplinary, standards-aligned lessons are developed by teachers for teachers, available free to any educator. Visit docacademy.org to see what they have to offer.

For links to all the resources mentioned in this episode, visit cultofpedagogy.com, click podcast, and choose episode 105. To get a weekly email from me about my newest blog posts, podcast episodes, and products, sign up for my mailing list at cultofpedagogy.com/subscribe. Thanks so much for listening, and have a great day.

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Episode 105: Voice of Witness: Bring the Power of Oral History to Your Classroom

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This is Jennifer Gonzalez welcoming you to Episode 105 of the Cult of Pedagogy Podcast. In this episode, we're going to explore an incredible series of books and classroom materials that amplifies the stories of people impacted by injustice all over the world. The series is called Voice of Witness.

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“White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” and “Some Notes for Facilitators”

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“White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” and “Some Notes for Facilitators”

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In the self reflection tool, Peggy McIntosh created 26 statements identifying some of the daily effects of white privilege in her life.  Such statements as “I can if I wish, arrange to be in the company of people of my race most of the time” and“When I am told about our national heritage or about civilization, I am shown that people of my color made it what it is” helps the beneficiaries of white privilege identify the very incidents and or experiences that illustrate their privilege.  Her questions can be used to help the educators in my building reflect on how they in fact are privileged so that they can begin to use it for good.

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White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack
Downloadable PDF © 1989 Peggy McIntosh "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack" first appeared in Peace and Freedom Magazine, July/August, 1989, pp. 10-12, a For use in a bound volume there will be a copyright fee. McIntosh's lists must not be taken out of their autobiographical contexts. These articles may not be electronically posted except by the National SEED Project. publication of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, Philadelphia, PA.
I was taught to see racism only in individual acts of meanness, not in invisible systems conferring dominance on my group.

Through work to bring materials from Women's Studies into the rest of the curriculum, I have often noticed men's unwillingness to grant that they are over-privileged, even though they may grant that women are disadvantaged. They may say they will work to improve women's status, in the society, the university, or the curriculum, but they can't or won't support the idea of lessening men's. Denials which amount to taboos surround the subject of advantages which men gain from women's disadvantages. These denials protect male privilege from being fully acknowledged, lessened or ended.

Thinking through unacknowledged male privilege as a phenomenon, I realized that, since hierarchies in our society are interlocking, there was most likely a phenomenon of white privilege that was similarly denied and protected. As a white person, I realized I had been taught about racism as something that puts others at a disadvantage, but had been taught not to see one of its corollary aspects, white privilege, which puts me at an advantage.

I think whites are carefully taught not to recognize white privilege, as males are taught not to recognize male privilege. So I have begun in an untutored way to ask what it is like to have white privilege. I have come to see white privilege as an invisible package of unearned assets that I can count on cashing in each day, but about which I was "meant" to remain oblivious. White privilege is like an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions, maps, passports, codebooks, visas, clothes, tools and blank checks.

Describing white privilege makes one newly accountable. As we in Women's Studies work to reveal male privilege and ask men to give up some of their power, so one who writes about white privilege must ask, "Having described it, what will I do to lessen or end it?"

After I realized the extent to which men work from a base of unacknowledged privilege, I understood that much of their oppressiveness was unconscious. Then I remembered the frequent charges from women of color that white women whom they encounter are oppressive.

I began to understand why we are justly seen as oppressive, even when we don't see ourselves that way. I began to count the ways in which I enjoy unearned skin privilege and have been conditioned into oblivion about its existence.

My schooling gave me no training in seeing myself as an oppressor, as an unfairly advantaged person, or as a participant in a damaged culture. I was taught to see myself as an individual whose moral state depended on her individual moral will. My schooling followed the pattern my colleague Elizabeth Minnich has pointed out: whites are taught to think of their lives as morally neutral, normative, and average, and also ideal, so that when we work to benefit others, this is seen as work which will allow "them" to be more like "us."

I decided to try to work on myself at least by identifying some of the daily effects of white privilege in my life. I have chosen those conditions which I think in my case attach somewhat more to skin-color privilege than to class, religion, ethnic status, or geographic location, though of course all these other factors are intricately intertwined. As far as I can see, my African American co-workers, friends, and acquaintances with whom I come into daily or frequent contact in this particular time, place and line of work cannot count on most of these conditions.

1. I can if I wish arrange to be in the company of people of my race most of the time.

2. If I should need to move, I can be pretty sure of renting or purchasing housing in an area which I can afford and in which I would want to live.

3. I can be pretty sure that my neighbors in such a location will be neutral or pleasant to me.

4. I can go shopping alone most of the time, pretty well assured that I will not be followed or harassed.

5. I can turn on the television or open to the front page of the paper and see people of my race widely represented.

6. When I am told about our national heritage or about "civilization," I am shown that people of my color made it what it is.

7. I can be sure that my children will be given curricular materials that testify to the existence of their race.

8. If I want to, I can be pretty sure of finding a publisher for this piece on white privilege.

9. I can go into a music shop and count on finding the music of my race represented, into a supermarket and find the staple foods that fit with my cultural traditions, into a hairdresser's shop and find someone who can cut my hair.

10. Whether I use checks, credit cards or cash, I can count on my skin color not to work against the appearance of financial reliability.

11. I can arrange to protect my children most of the time from people who might not like them.

12. I can swear, or dress in second-hand clothes, or not answer letters, without having people attribute these choices to the bad morals, the poverty, or the illiteracy of my race.

13. I can speak in public to a powerful male group without putting my race on trial.

14. I can do well in a challenging situation without being called a credit to my race.

15. I am never asked to speak for all the people of my racial group.

16. I can remain oblivious of the language and customs of persons of color who constitute the world's majority without feeling in my culture any penalty for such oblivion.

17. I can criticize our government and talk about how much I fear its policies and behavior without being seen as a cultural outsider.

18. I can be pretty sure that if I ask to talk to "the person in charge," I will be facing a person of my race.

19. If a traffic cop pulls me over or if the IRS audits my tax return, I can be sure I haven't been singled out because of my race.

20. I can easily buy posters, postcards, picture books, greeting cards, dolls, toys, and children's magazines featuring people of my race.

21. I can go home from most meetings of organizations I belong to feeling somewhat tied in, rather than isolated, out-of-place, outnumbered, unheard, held at a distance, or feared.

22. I can take a job with an affirmative action employer without having co-workers on the job suspect that I got it because of race.

23. I can choose public accommodations without fearing that people of my race cannot get in or will be mistreated in the places I have chosen.

24. I can be sure that if I need legal or medical help, my race will not work against me.

25. If my day, week, or year is going badly, I need not ask of each negative episode or situation whether it has racial overtones.

26. I can choose blemish cover or bandages in "flesh" color and have them more less match my skin.

I repeatedly forgot each of the realizations on this list until I wrote it down. For me, white privilege has turned out to be an elusive and fugitive subject. The pressure to avoid it is great, for in facing it I must give up the myth of meritocracy. If these things are true, this is not such a free country; one's life is not what one makes it; many doors open for certain people through no virtues of their own.

In unpacking this invisible knapsack of white privilege, I have listed conditions of daily experience that I once took for granted. Nor did I think of any of these perquisites as bad for the holder. I now think that we need a more finely differentiated taxonomy of privilege, for some of these varieties are only what one would want for everyone in a just society, and others give license to be ignorant, oblivious, arrogant and destructive.

I see a pattern running through the matrix of white privilege, a pattern of assumptions that were passed on to me as a white person. There was one main piece of cultural turf; it was my own turf, and I was among those who could control the turf. My skin color was an asset for any move I was educated to want to make. I could think of myself as belonging in major ways and of making social systems work for me. I could freely disparage, fear, neglect, or be oblivious to anything outside of the dominant cultural forms. Being of the main culture, I could also criticize it fairly freely.

In proportion as my racial group was being made confident, comfortable, and oblivious, other groups were likely being made inconfident, uncomfortable, and alienated. Whiteness protected me from many kinds of hostility, distress and violence, which I was being subtly trained to visit, in turn, upon people of color.

For this reason, the word "privilege" now seems to me misleading. We usually think of privilege as being a favored state, whether earned or conferred by birth or luck. Yet some of the conditions I have described here work systematically to overempower certain groups. Such privilege simply confers dominance because of one's race or sex.

I want, then, to distinguish between earned strength and unearned power conferred systemically. Power from unearned privilege can look like strength when it is in fact permission to escape or to dominate. But not all of the privileges on my list are inevitably damaging. Some, like the expectation that neighbors will be decent to you, or that your race will not count against you in court, should be the norm in a just society. Others, like the privilege to ignore less powerful people, distort the humanity of the holders as well as the ignored groups.

We might at least start by distinguishing between positive advantages, which we can work to spread, and negative types of advantage, which unless rejected will always reinforce our present hierarchies. For example, the feeling that one belongs within the human circle, as Native Americans say, should not be seen as privilege for a few. Ideally it is an unearned entitlement. At present, since only a few have it, it is an unearned advantage for them. This paper results from a process of coming to see that some of the power that I originally saw as attendant on being a human being in the United States consisted in unearned advantage and conferred dominance.

The question is: "Having described white privilege, what will I do to end it?

I have met very few men who are truly distressed about systemic, unearned male advantage and conferred dominance. And so one question for me and others like me is whether we will be like them, or whether we will get truly distressed, even outraged, about unearned race advantage and conferred dominance, and, if so, what will we do to lessen them. In any case, we need to do more work in identifying how they actually affect our daily lives. Many, perhaps most, of our white students in the U.S. think that racism doesn't affect them because they are not people of color, they do not see "whiteness" as a racial identity. In addition, since race and sex are not the only advantaging systems at work, we need similarly to examine the daily experience of having age advantage, or ethnic advantage, or physical ability, or advantage related to nationality, religion, or sexual orientation.

Difficulties and dangers surrounding the task of finding parallels are many. Since racism, sexism, and heterosexism are not the same, the advantages associated with them should not be seen as the same. In addition, it is hard to disentangle aspects of unearned advantage which rest more on social class, economic class, race, religion, sex, and ethnic identity than on other factors. Still, all of the oppressions are interlocking, as the Combahee River Collective Statement of 1977 continues to remind us eloquently.

One factor seems clear about all of the interlocking oppressions. They take both active forms, which we can see, and embedded forms, which as a member of the dominant group one is taught not to see. In my class and place, I did not see myself as a racist because I was taught to recognize racism only in individual acts of meanness by members of my group, never in invisible systems conferring unsought racial dominance on my group from birth.

Disapproving of the systems won't be enough to change them. I was taught to think that racism could end if white individuals changed their attitudes. But a "white" skin in the United States opens many doors for whites whether or not we approve of the way dominance has been conferred on us. Individual acts can palliate, but cannot end, these problems.

To redesign social systems, we need first to acknowledge their colossal unseen dimensions. The silences and denials surrounding privilege are the key political tool here. They keep the thinking about equality or equity incomplete, protecting unearned advantage and conferred dominance by making these taboo subjects. Most talk by whites about equal opportunity seems to me now to be about equal opportunity to try to get into a position of dominance while denying that systems of dominance exist.

It seems to me that obliviousness about white advantage, like obliviousness about male advantage, is kept strongly inculturated in the United States so as to maintain the myth of meritocracy, the myth that democratic choice is equally available to all. Keeping most people unaware that freedom of confident action is there for just a small number of people props up those in power and serves to keep power in the hands of the same groups that have most of it already.

Although systemic change takes many decades, there are pressing questions for me and I imagine for some others like me if we raise our daily consciousness on the perquisites of being light-skinned. What will we do with such knowledge? As we know from watching men, it is an open question whether we will choose to use unearned advantage to weaken hidden systems of advantage, and whether we will use any of our arbitrarily awarded power to try to reconstruct power systems on a broader base.

*This is an authorized excerpt of McIntosh's original white privilege article, "White Privilege and Male Privilege: A Personal Account of Coming to See Correspondences through Work in Women's Studies," Working Paper 189 (1988), Wellesley Centers for Women, Wellesley College, MA, 02481.
© 2010, Peggy McIntosh - Wellesley Centers for Women, Wellesley, MA
Some Notes for Facilitators on Presenting My White Privilege Papers

1. My work is not about blame, shame, guilt, or whether one is a "nice person." It's about observing, realizing, thinking systemically and personally. It is about seeing privilege, the "up-side" of oppression and discrimination. It is about unearned advantage, which can also be described as exemption from discrimination.

2. Please do not generalize from my papers. They are about my experience, not about the experiences of all white people in all times and places and circumstances. The paragraph in each paper before the list begins says this, and also allays fears of white people that a paper on white privilege will call them racist.

3. Keep "the lists" in their autobiographical contexts. It is a matter of scholarly integrity and accuracy not to claim more than I did. I compared my own circumstances with some of those of African American women I worked with. Being clear about this will actually increase your effectiveness as a facilitator. You can say, "This is from just one white woman coming to see she's white in her time and place and workspace. . . .She's writing about herself, not you."

4. The work goes best when you draw on participants' own personal experiences, not their opinions. Opinions invite argumentation. Telling about experience invites listening. Opinions tend to bring on conflict, whereas shared experiences tend to elicit curiosity and empathy. When participants move from experiential testimony to opinion, bring them back, knowing that most schooling discourages testimony.

5. When exploring privilege, it is useful to use "Serial Testimony," a disciplined mode in which each participant gets to respond in turn, uninterrupted, for, say, one minute, timed. I call this "the autocratic administration of time in the service of democratic distribution of time."

6. But without rigorous use of a watch or timer, Serial Testimony can be as undemocratic as any other form of discussion.

7. Understand that every participant has an intricate "politics of location" (Adrienne Rich) within the systems of social power. For example, all people in a workshop or class will have a lifetime of experiences of both advantage and disadvantage, empowerment and disempowerment, overwhelming or subtle, within many different systems of power.

8. Recognize that all people are both located in systems and also uniquely individual.

9. Co-presentations and panels of people speaking about their experiences one after another can be very effective. I do not usually arrange for "dialogues," since I feel they are often a veiled form of debating and fighting, rather than listening and learning. I discourage "crosstalk" after panels unless it further clarifies and respects what the panelists have said. This is what Peter Elbow called playing the "The Believing Game."

10. My lists of the unearned privileges I have relative to my colleagues are not "check lists" or "questionnaires." They are not "confessional readings."

11. Please draw attention to the specificity of "my sample." I compared my circumstances only with what I knew of the circumstances of my African-American female colleagues in the same building and line of work. This sample is very specific with regard to race, sex, region, location, workplace, vocation and nation.

12. Behind and within my examples are institutions that bear on my experience such as schools, the police, the IRS, the media, the law, medicine, business.

13. Do not get trapped in definitions of privilege and power. They lack nuances and flexibility.

14. Invite people to make their own autobiographical lists of privilege, for example, about:

15. Beware of gym-exercises which position people in only one aspect of their identities, asking them to step forward or backward from a baseline at a given prompt.

16. Urge participants to avoid self righteousness and preaching to family and friends about privilege, especially if it is something they have just discovered themselves. Explain the word "systemic." Help participants or students to think about what it is to see society systemically, and structurally, rather than only in terms of individuals making individual choices.

17. Think about why U.S. people, especially White people, have trouble seeing systemically. Explain the myth of meritocracy: that the unit of society is the individual and that whatever one ends up with must be whatever that individual wanted, worked for, earned, and deserved. Why do you think this myth survives so successfully, suppressing knowledge of systemic oppression and especially of its "up-side,"systemic privilege?

18. Help participants to strengthen three intellectual muscles: a) the ability to see in terms of systems as well as in terms of individuals; b) the ability to see how systemic discrimination , the downside, is matched by systemic privilege, the upside; c) the ability to see many different kinds of privilege systems.

19. You can argue that work on privilege in schools and universities makes people smarter, not necessarily better. Academic institutions do not claim that making us better is their primary goal, but accurate thinking is a goal they claim to foster.

20. When I present, or co-present with a person of color, on Privilege Systems, whether or not I am the first to speak, I usually:

tell how I came to see men's privilege and their obliviousness to it, which made me see laterally to my own race privilege and my obliviousness to it;

read some examples from my white privilege list, and sometimes read some of my heterosexual privilege list, class privilege list, Christian privilege list, and lists of privilege relative to Asian Americans, Indigenous people, Latino/as, etc.;

analyze some of the different misreadings of my paper by white people and people of color;

raise the question of how I can use unearned advantage to weaken systems of unearned advantage, and why I would want to.

The co-presenter and I take equal time to testify about how we came to see privilege systems in and around us. After this, we use Serial Testimony. We form either small circles of people, or pairs, to respond, in turn, uninterrupted, for one minute each, to the following prompts:
Round one: What are one or more ways in which you've had unearned disadvantage in your life?
Round two: What are one or more ways in which you've had unearned advantage in your life?
Round three: What is it like for you to sit here and talk about and hear about these experiences of unearned advantage and disadvantage?

Round three is like a debrief in itself. Any further debrief should be only on new learnings from the exercise. Random discussion of the exercise usually leads away from experience to generalizations and repetitions of the same opinions people came into the session with.

Some people "get" the idea of systemic privilege and ask "But what can I do?" My answer is, you can use unearned advantage to weaken systems of unearned advantage. I see white privilege as a bank account that I did not ask for, but that I can choose to spend. People with privilege have far more power than we have been taught to realize, within the myth of meritocracy. Participants can brainstorm about how to use unearned assets to share power; these may include time, money, energy, literacy, mobility, leisure, connections, spaces, housing, travel opportunities. Using these assets may lead to key changes in other behaviors as well, such as paying attention, making associations, intervening, speaking up, asserting and deferring, being alert, taking initiative, doing ally and advocacy work, lobbying, campaigning, protesting, organizing, and recognizing and acting against both the external and internalized forms of oppression and privilege.

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White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack' and 'Some Notes for Facilitators' | National SEED Project

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Downloadable PDF © 1989 Peggy McIntosh "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack" first appeared in Peace and Freedom Magazine, July/August, 1989, pp. 10-12, a For use in a bound volume there will be a copyright fee. McIntosh's lists must not be taken out of their autobiographical contexts.

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A Decade of Watching Black People Die - NPR Podcast

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A Decade of Watching Black People Die - NPR Podcast

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The hosts of this NPR broadcast discuss the phenomenon of police violence against African-Americans.  They spent time creating a list of names of black folks killed by police since Eric’s Garner’s death in 2014.  Using resources including Mapping Police Violence, they read the names of people from across the country, of all ages.  They discussed each person’s (victim) final moments before the police ended their lives.  Our students, who also witness these acts of violence, look to the adults in their lives to help them make sense of it.  This includes our teachers who have a responsibility to help them foster a level of understanding about this very American problem.

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subscribe to Code Switch podcast

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The last few weeks have been filled with devastating news - stories about the police killing black people. At this point, these calamities feel familiar - so familiar, in fact, that their details have begun to echo each other.

In July 2014, a cellphone video captured some of Eric Garner's final words as New York City police officers sat on his head and pinned him to the ground on a sidewalk: "I can't breathe." On May 25 of this year, the same words were spoken by George Floyd, who pleaded for release as an officer knelt on his neck and pinned him to the ground on a Minneapolis street.

We're at the point where the very words people use to plead for their lives can be repurposed as shorthand for completely separate tragedies.

Part of our job here at Code Switch is to contextualize and make sense of news like this. But it's hard to come up with something new to say. We covered the events in Ferguson, Mo., in August 2014 after Michael Brown was killed by the police, and we were in Baltimore after Freddie Gray's death in 2015. We covered the deaths of Eric Garner, Philando Castile, Alton Sterling, Delrawn Small.

We've talked about what happens when camera crews leave cities still reeling from police violence. We've reflected on how traumatizing it can be for black folks to consume news cycles about black death, the semantics of "uprisings" versus "riots" and how #HousingSegregationInEverything shapes police violence. All of these conversations are playing out again.

Since it's hard to come up with fresh insights about this phenomenon over and over and over, we thought we'd look back to another time, back in 2015, when the nation turned its collective attention to this perpetual problem. We invited Jamil Smith, a senior writer at Rolling Stone, to read from an essay that he wrote at The New Republic more than five years ago titled " What Does Seeing Black Men Die Do for You?"

In it, he writes:

"It seems sickly fitting that those killed by police today are no longer transformed into the anointed or the condemned, but, thanks to more advanced and available technology, they become hashtags. With a flood of more videotaped killings, a hashtag seems a brutally meager epitaph, a mere declaration that a victim of police violence was once alive, human, and didn't merit having her or his life stolen.

Unfortunately, the increased visibility of trauma and death at the hands of cops isn't doing as much as it should be. The legacy of our increased exposure to black death has merely been the deadening of our collective senses."

The essay is still hauntingly resonant today, as camera-phone videos of black people being killed by police circulate the Internet. And it's a reminder that so much and so little has changed. Since Jan. 1, 2015, 1,252 black people have been shot and killed by police, according to The Washington Post's database tracking police shootings; that doesn't even include those who died in police custody or were killed using other methods.

We also spent time creating a (very non-comprehensive) list of names of black folks killed by the police since Eric Garner's death in 2014. Using resources including Mapping Police Violence and The Guardian's "The Counted" series, we read the names of people from across the country, of all ages. Some, like Tamir Rice and Sandra Bland, were familiar to us. But others were new - a reminder that many black deaths at the hands of police don't make it to national news.

We wanted to learn more about each person's final moments before the police ended their lives. Here's some of what we learned:

Eric Garner had just broken up a fight, according to witness testimony.

Ezell Ford was walking in his neighborhood.

Michelle Cusseaux was changing the lock on her home's door when police arrived to take her to a mental health facility.

Tanisha Anderson was having a bad mental health episode, and her brother called 911.

Tamir Rice was playing in a park.

Natasha McKenna was having a schizophrenic episode when she was tazed in Fairfax, Va.

Walter Scott was going to an auto-parts store.

Bettie Jones answered the door to let Chicago police officers in to help her upstairs neighbor, who had called 911 to resolve a domestic dispute.

Philando Castile was driving home from dinner with his girlfriend.

Botham Jean was eating ice cream in his living room in Dallas.

Atatiana Jefferson was babysitting her nephew at home in Fort Worth, Texas.

Eric Reason was pulling into a parking spot at a local chicken and fish shop.

Dominique Clayton was sleeping in her bed.

Breonna Taylor was also asleep in her bed.

And George Floyd was at the grocery store.

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A Decade Of Watching Black People Die : Code Switch

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subscribe to Code Switch podcast subscribe to Code Switch podcast The last few weeks have been filled with devastating news - stories about the police killing black people. At this point, these calamities feel familiar - so familiar, in fact, that their details have begun to echo each other.

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5 Tips for Being An Ally - Video / YouTube

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5 Tips for Being An Ally - Video / YouTube

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In this three minute and thirty-one seconds video, the narrator, Chescaleigh offers five practical suggestions on how individuals can be allies for marginalized groups that they are not a part of.  She provides colorful and somewhat humorous examples and commentary that capture the audience’s attention.  This short video can be used to reinforce the behaviors we want to see utilized by school staff in order to create and maintain an antiracist school culture.

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Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones hosts this series that examines the history of slavery in American.  In August of 1619, a ship carrying more than 20 enslaved Africans arrived in the English colony of Virginia.  America was not yet America, but this was the moment it began as no aspect of the country that would be formed here has been untouched by the 250 years of slavery that followed.  This series can be used to help history teachers build the capacity to teach American History in a new, more enlightened manner.

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In August of 1619, a ship carrying more than 20 enslaved Africans arrived in the English colony of Virginia. America was not yet America, but this was the moment it began. No aspect of the country that would be formed here has been untouched by the 250 years of slavery that followed. On the 400th anniversary of this fateful moment, it is time to tell the story.
"1619" is a New York Times audio series hosted by Nikole Hannah-Jones. You can find more information about it at nytimes.com/1619podcast.

In August of 1619, a ship carrying more than 20 enslaved Africans arrived in the English colony of Virginia. America was not yet America, but this was the moment it began. No aspect of the country that would be formed here has been untouched by the 250 years of slavery that followed. On the 400th anniversary of this fateful moment, it is time to tell the story.
"1619" is a New York Times audio series hosted by Nikole Hannah-Jones. You can find more information about it at nytimes.com/1619podcast.

THIS POD IS BEAUTIFUL 💚💚💚

I've head the book since it dropped so now I have to read it and if the book is a reflection of this pod in any way, BOOK GOLD!!! I LOVED the story of her uncle and the story about music *chef's kiss*!!! All the stories, truly & the story about the farmland in Louisiana had me in tears. WE NEED MORE STORIES LIKE THISSSSSSS. Thank you 💚💚💚.

Great historical journalism

Excellent summarization of how the systems that built 250 years of slavery still drive our societal structures today! Compact but comprehensive series. Tells a true American history in an interesting, story telling way. Everyone should listen and absorb this; understanding our history will allow us to build a better future!

Amazing journalism of a sad but most be told history

Thanks for your work. A brilliant account of just some of the realities of what it means and has meant to be African- American. Watching all the Hulu episodes now.

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In August of 1619, a ship carrying more than 20 enslaved Africans arrived in the English colony of Virginia. America was not yet America, but this was the moment it began. No aspect of the country that would be formed here has been untouched by the 250 years of slavery that followed.

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Learning For Justice, formerly known as Teaching Tolerance, is a website sponsored by The Southern Poverty Law Center. It has incredible tools for teachers. The lesson plans are updated regularly and span a wide variety of grade levels in appropriateness. They also tend to have great resources after major tragedies to help teachers approach the topics in their classrooms.

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We've changed our name to better reflect our mission and our work.

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Nice White Parents is a five part podcast from the New York Times. It explores inequity in public schools, and the factors that contribute to them. Specifically, the podcast addresses how well-meaning white parents contribute to segregation in the public school system. This would be a great way to dive into some of the larger systemic issues that plague American public schools today.

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Introducing: Nice White Parents (Published 2020)

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A new five-part series about building a better school system, and what gets in the way. New episodes of “Nice White Parents” are available here, brought to you by Serial Productions and The New York Times.

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My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending our Hearts and Bodies

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My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending our Hearts and Bodies

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My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending our Hearts and Bodies is half book, half spiritual journey. In this book, readers are forced to confront the truths of how racial trauma impacts our personal and mental health.It offers meditations and practices to help heal, as well as hard truths to confront about privilege, racial aggression, and personal growth.

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My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies

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My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies [Menakem, Resmaa] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies

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The Danger of a Single Story is a Ted Talk by the author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. In this Ted Talk, Adichie details the danger of telling a single story of a place or people. This resource is a great reminder about checking our own implicit biases and the narratives we can create about marginalized groups and their experiences.

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Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: The Danger of a Single Story | TED

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Black Appetite, White Food is a book that explores the deep racial inequity of the education system. It presents truths about the colonialism that is embedded in nearly all we do in teaching. This book is a must read for anyone looking to understand the large scale issues of racism in our school systems, and what we can do in our classrooms to stop them.

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Black Appetite. White Food.: Issues of Race, Voice, and Justice Within and Beyond the Classroom

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Black Appetite. White Food.: Issues of Race, Voice, and Justice Within and Beyond the Classroom [Lyiscott, Jamila] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Black Appetite. White Food.: Issues of Race, Voice, and Justice Within and Beyond the Classroom

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Mediocre: The dangerous Legacy of White Male America by Ijeoma Olou

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Mediocre: The dangerous Legacy of White Male America by Ijeoma Olou

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This book is about how White people, particularly white men are shown in this world as “superior,” intelligent, ambitious, and high achievers. In actuality, White males are average thinkers. Although, there is nothing inherently gifted in White males, they are still advanced in all facets of life than anyone else. Mediocre investigates the real costs of this phenomenon in order to imagine a new White male identity, one free from racism and sexism.

As provocative as it is essential, this book will upend everything you thought you knew about American identity and offers a bold new vision of American greatness.

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Why do all black kids sit together at the Cafeteria table? by Beverly Tatum

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Why do all black kids sit together at the Cafeteria table? by Beverly Tatum

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This book is written by Beverly Tatum, a psychologist who studies racial identity. This book is about the development of racial identity and its connection to the racism prevalent in American society at the turn of the 20th century. The book focuses primarily on Black-White relations in childhood and adolescence. Tatum begins the book with an examination of the terms in which racism is understood. She first offers her admittedly controversial understanding of racism as a system of advantage based on race. That is, racism does not necessarily require any one person to harbor explicit racist attitudes. Instead, it is simply a social state in which race assigns some groups greater social and material goods than others.

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The book, Savage Inequalities, written in 1991, take a critical look at the American educational system and its failures. The main argument of the book is that a tremendous divide exists between rich and poor in education, a divide intensified by ethnic and racial prejudice. Kozol claims that in many communities and localities, American schools remain effectively segregated, more than fifty years after the criminalization of such practices.

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The Boston Globe’s Investigating Team: The median net worth of black Bostonians is really $8 by Akiliah Johnson

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The Boston Globe’s Investigating Team: The median net worth of black Bostonians is really $8 by Akiliah Johnson

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This article written in 2017 describes the assets owned by black people in Boston. The article examines the racist practices that makes it hard to own properties in Boston, the lack of job opportunities and promotions for blacks, and other factors that makes it hard for black people to pass on generational wealth. The article really shuns the inequities in black household that leads to success and bright futures.

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This inspiring book is about the parents and children in Harlem who are struggling to better their lives, often against great odds. Carefully researched and deeply affecting, this is a dispatch from inside the most daring and potentially transformative social experiment of our time. This book really explores everything a school can and willing to do, to impact the futures of poor brown students.. Carefully researched and deeply affecting, this is a dispatch from inside the most daring and potentially transformative social experiment of our time.

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So You want To Talk About RaceAuthor Ijeoma Oluo

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So You want To Talk About RaceAuthor Ijeoma Oluo

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In this book, the author shares about her experiences as a black child born to a white mother living in a largely white community in Seattle. Ms. Oluo pulls the reader into her life experiences of microaggressions, wage gap and inequity in the workforce. This book is a call to action that pushes the reader to understand the damage that is caused by racist attitudes or behaviors that individuals may think really does not matter. What one person may see as a meaningless inconsequential action can add to the cumulative weight of a person’s life experiences. This book has pushed me to embrace the experiences of my students and to be more aware that my words and behaviors matter. This book can equip educators with the tools on how to respond to racist thoughts and actions and ways to reframe the conversation.