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Black Is A Rainbow Colour - Read Aloud by Ms. CeCe

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Black Is A Rainbow Colour - Read Aloud by Ms. CeCe

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BLACK IS A RAINBOW COLOR, READ ALOUD BY MS. CECE

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How W. Kamua Bell Talks About Race With His Kids

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How W. Kamua Bell Talks About Race With His Kids

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"She knows she's half her mom and half me. She knows her mom is a different color than I am, and slowly we have to say, 'And here's what all that means.'"

W. Kamau Bell is a comedian and host of an upcoming CNN series, United Shades of America.

He also has two young daughters, and in an interview for BuzzFeed's podcast The Tell Show, he talked about what it's like to raise inquisitive, mixed-race children.

He doesn't avoid talking about race with his 4-year-old daughter Sammy...

Mike Hinson / BuzzFeed

"The thing that I've learned most is not to shy away from talking to her about race, or even racism, in a way that she can understand. Kids will let you know if they don't understand, because they'll say 'I don't understand.'"-W. Kamau Bell

But he waited until she brought it up first.

"She realized she was a different color from her mom, but she had no judgement about it," says Bell. "She thought [we] were the same color. She was like, 'Me and dada are the same color.' And, weirdly, I was like, Yay! Because that's what race does. It screws you up!"

He knows his daughters are in new territory...

Neither Bell nor his wife, Melissa Hudson Bell, knows what it's like to be a mixed-race kid. And, says Bell, "The identity of what it means to be mixed in America is a bigger, growing identity. So [even] that will probably change over the next 10 to 15 years."

http://www.selinaalko.com/

http://www.selinaalko.com/

Ted Lewis / Via Courtesy Selina Alko

Children's book author Selina Alko with her husband, Sean Qualls

Once you start talking about race, you'll eventually start talking about racism.

To do that, Bell looked for children's books about Harriet Tubman and Martin Luther King Jr. That way, he says, "My daughter has heard the word slavery before she gets to school and some teacher talks about it in a way that I'm not comfortable with, or not there to help clear it up with her."

Bell has also learned that you can tell kids anything, because they don't know anything.

Mike Hinson / BuzzFeed

"What I've learned is that you can tell kids anything, because they don't know anything... They're here to figure out what's going on in the world, so they're not going to be like, 'That's too much information. I can't handle that right now.'"-W. Kamau Bell

For the full interview, subscribe to The Tell Show on iTunes or listen here.

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Here's How W. Kamau Bell Talks About Race With His Kids

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"She knows she's half her mom and half me. She knows her mom is a different color than I am, and slowly we have to say, 'And here's what all that means.'" W. Kamau Bell is a comedian and host of an upcoming CNN series, United Shades of America.

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100 Race-Conscious Things You Can Say To Your Child To Advance Racial Justice

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100 Race-Conscious Things You Can Say To Your Child To Advance Racial Justice

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In honor of Raising Race Conscious Children's 100 th post, this list lifts a quote from each and every blog post to date, modeling language that has actually been used in a conversation with a child regarding race (and other identity-markers such as gender and class). Through the blog and workshops/webinars, Raising Race Conscious Children support adults who are trying to talk about race with young children, with the goals of dismantling the color-blind framework and preparing young people to work toward racial justice.

Just click on a quote to read the original blog post from which the quote was lifted. Thank you to the 38 (and counting!) guest bloggers (and interviewee) whose words are included in this list, including Dr. Pedro Noguera, Dr. Brigitte Vittrup, performance artist Staceyann Chin, and members of Showing Up for Racial Justice.

"TOP TEN" race conscious things you can say to your child to advance racial justice

1) Explicit, proactive language around race:
"We are called White, but it's confusing ...Look. This piece of paper really is the shade of white. Does this look like the color of our skin? But people with a lighter skin color, like ours, are called White even though we don't look like the real shade of white. And it's the same with Beba (her Black doll). Look," (showing a black long-sleeved shirt) "this is the real shade of black. Is this the color of Beba's skin? ...Beba has more of a brown skin color...but (some) people with Beba's skin color are called Black."
"The N-word is a terrible, horrible name used against Black people. It is a powerful insult meant to treat Black people as less than human." Click here for additional quotes about racism. Click here for additional quotes about explicit, proactive language around race. "We don't know what relationship people have with one another without asking...because you can't know which person belongs to another just by looking at them." Click here for additional quotes about multi-racial families.
2) Explaining racism
"It's interesting that all the people in this book have pale skin that we call White. This doesn't look like where we live, in Brooklyn, where there are people with all different shades of skin." Click here for additional quotes about children's books.
3) Multi-racial families
"...even though people who are Black aren't enslaved anymore, the history of slavery means that, today, people who are Black still are discriminated against. That means that they aren't treated fairly. But people who are White, like us, don't experience this discrimination. And that's really unfair. So now there is a movement called "Black Lives Matter" where people are standing up and saying, 'We want justice! Black people need to be treated fairly." Click here for additional quotes about Black Lives Matter and White privilege.
4) Children's books:
"Eric Garner was a father and grandfather who was hurt and killed by the police. He was one of too many Black men that the police have hurt and killed. His last words were 'I can't breathe.' ...By saying 'I can't breathe,' we are saying that it was wrong that Eric Garner was hurt and we are standing up for justice for him and his family. We are telling the police it is not OK to hurt people, and we will keep working together until everyone, especially people of color, are treated fairly, with respect and dignity." Click here for additional quotes about police violence.
5) Black Lives Matter and White privilege
In response to a parent's exploration of race with her children, they wrote this letter to Legos: "Dear Lego Friends, I really like your legos. There are just two problems for me. The girls don't have pants and we need more brown-skinned girls and boys." Click here for additional quotes about inspiring activism.
6) Police violence
"You know what? That boy wasn't just being mean," I said. "There's a word for what he was being. He was being 'sexist.'" Click here for additional quotes about gender identity and sexism.
7) Inspiring activism

8) Gender identity and sexism:
Click here for additional quotes about various holidays.
9) Holidays
Homelessness: Need a conversation starter? Click here for additional quotes about additional issue specific topics. Click here for more information on participating in a Raising Race Conscious Children interactive workshop/webinar or small group workshop series. "The world we live in is unfair. Some people have a lot more than they need-and because of that, other people don't have enough of what they need. This man is asking for money because he doesn't have enough of what he needs: food, a home, etc."
Thanksgiving/Thanks-taking: "A long time ago, a group of White people called the Pilgrims came from Europe to what we now call the United States. They came here because they didn't have freedoms where they lived and it wasn't fair...But, there were other people already living here called Native Americans or American Indians. Over time, more and more White people came here and ended up hurting the Native Americans. So in the end, the Pilgrims got their freedoms, but the American Indians lost those same freedoms. Today, there are still a lot of people who don't have access to the same freedoms and privileges that the Pilgrims came to the United States to find."

10) Issue specific topics

11) "Look, these children all have different shades of skin. Some have lighter skin we call White, like us. Some have darker skin and might be Black or Indian..."

12) "This boy has peachy colored skin...that people call "White.' We are White, too, but your skin is more like the color of a brown egg shell."
16) "Mia is the only girl who looks like her...you are totally right! With straight, dark hair, and eyes shaped like hers and skin like hers. Mia is Chinese. She is the only Chinese girl in your class, and you noticed that."
13) "This baby has light skin like us that we call White," and "This baby is Asian...he might be Korean... or Chinese or Japanese," and "You know, it's nice that there is a baby with brown skin on the cover but I noticed that most of the babies in the book are actually White."

14) In response to a two-year-old asking "Will the baby be Black or White?" about a new sibling: "The baby's skin will probably look like yours and mine and Daddy's skin, the peachy color we call White."

15) "Both of these dolls have the same skin color that we also call White, and the same hair style...their hair color is different, though."

17) In response to a child saying, "I just noticed that all of the people who work in the cafeteria are Black..." a teacher responded, "You're right, that's a good observation."
22) 23) "You know sometimes we form hypotheses about people based on their race or their gender and I think that Ruby's mom might have been making an assumption about you both because you are a boy and because you are brown-what do you think?" "This is your friend Nestor. He has brown skin and really curly hair. This is his mom. She is from the Dominican Republic. She also has brown skin."
18) In response to a child looking at Doc McStuffins and Disney princess advertising: "Doc McStuffins has brown skin and these girls all have pale skin or White skin. But you're right about two things. These girls do look similar to one another. And there should be girls with brown skin on this box, too."
27) "I think that's a very rude and offensive thing to say, and I'm upset that you are speaking hatefully around my family." 29) "I don't like when people dress up like a group of people. That's not a costume I think is funny."
19) "Usually people call people who look like us 'White,' even though our skin isn't actually White. Usually people call other people with very dark skin 'Black,' even though their skin isn't actually Black."

20) "I'm trying to see which color crayon matches my skin color."

21) "Puerto Ricans come in all colors and shades."
34) "Some children have siblings, some live with a grandparent, some have step-parents, some have two dads..." 36) 37) ...in our family it is important to learn the language of the place where you were born. That's why I continue to learn Spanish, too. "Some mommies and children have a similar skin color, but other mommies and their children have different skin colors, did you know that?" "Do you think the man should take George home with him?" "No." "I agree, George looks very happy in Africa. Africa is his home and he has all the space he wants to play, and find food, and be free."
24) "Hmm, yes, I guess they do resemble Daddy, but you know what? Daddy doesn't like those statues, and neither do I, because we think they could be making fun of people who look like Daddy."
"Look, this baby has peachy skin that people call White, like us. This baby also has blonde hair like your friend Sienna." Or: "This baby has brown skin that people call Black. Our neighbor Sally is Black, too."
25) "In our school, we don't make fun of other people-and when we pretend to change the way our eyes look or laugh about other friends' eyes, we are making fun of friends who are Asian for being different."
"My father told me to save this gold for myself. But I already built myself a solid, brick house, and have enough food to put on my table, and what do I need with all the gold in the world if another wolf happens to come along and take my two friends away from me?"
26) "A racist is someone who is mean to another person based on the color of their skin. See your skin? People call that White skin. Other people have different color skin."
How do you think it makes Carlitos feel that his mom works full-time but still doesn't have enough money to pay for his grandmother's medicine? How does it make you feel?
28) "I don't like this video, it is making fun of people who are Asian."
In response to "They smiled at the good and frowned at the bad": "Let me tell you why I don't like this picture. This is showing a man stealing money, which is wrong...but I don't like that the book is calling him "bad" just because he is stealing. We live in a world where not everyone has everything they need. And that is also wrong."
30) "My husband is Black and I'm White, so our son is a color in between." It was such a simple explanation, yet something many children are unaware of because of the general silence around the topic of race and the invisibility of interracial families in the media.
In response to a White student saying, "The fence should be there because Black people are evil.": "The media often portrays Black people as 'bad.' But, in fact, people of all races sometimes do 'bad' things. And it is just as likely that a White person does a 'bad' thing."
31) In response to ""Why did (G-d) create things so that they always match? Like kids match their parents?" "I honestly don't know. It really doesn't make any sense does it? It would be far more interesting if people, animals, and things didn't match, right? ...we don't match, but we don't need to match to be a family and love each other."
"You see this block? Before it was a construction site, there were people who lived here and who had businesses here and they were basically forced to leave their homes and businesses. It's like in the book, Lakas and the Makibaka Hotel-and even though lots of people stood up and said, 'This isn't fair, we don't want to leave our homes," they were forced to leave anyway. So when I walk by this block, I think about the people who lived here before."
32) In response to a White child asking a White mom of a child of color "why didn't her real mother want her?" "a conversation...about her school friends who are adopted and of different races and what that's like for her and for her friends and how kind of cool it all really is."
"...I want to tell you why I don't like this book. Look at the cover. This woman's name is Snow White and, for me, the picture is sending the message that to be beautiful, like her, you have to have White, pale skin like hers. And I don't think that's true. People with brown skin and coffee skin and olive skin are all beautiful. So I don't like the message this picture is trying to give us."
33) "Look, these are families like ours. Our skin may not look exactly the same, but we are most definitely family."
"There are lots of people in the world whose lives and experiences are very different from ours and if we only read books about White characters, our understanding of the world leaves out a lot of what the world is like." "Have you ever noticed whether the books you read have a lot of characters of color (or not)?" In response to talking about and reading books that positively reflected this African-American child's identity: "Yes, I'm African American. I was born in New York and my mommy is Jamaican, where are you from?"
35) "I noticed that the grandma has peachy skin and her grandbaby has brown skin."

38) "You and your sister are Asian and White...This is very special, but other people are different and special too, and that is a good thing. Wouldn't it be boring if we were all the same?"

39) Curious George

40) More, More, More, Said the Baby

41) The Third Little Pig (Raising Race Conscious Children's version)
55) 56) "I'm glad I that you didn't want to play with that gun and liked how you asked your friend to put it away. You know, last year, a 12-year-old boy was playing with a toy gun that was bigger and even more real-looking and the police killed him." In response to "But why would a police officer (shoot and kill a boy) if the boy didn't even have a gun?" "Well, because Black and brown people have been treated unfairly for a long time in this country, and they still are. And if that boy looked like you (White), this probably wouldn't have happened." 59) 60) In responseto a parent's conversation with her five-year-old about police violence and Black Lives Matter: "The protesters spoke up so people will know this is not fair...it is OK to tell me about scary things because they got hurt, and when you are hurt you have to not keep it a secret because then nobody can help you...we have to not let anymore hurting go on-we have to do something about it." "There are a lot of people who are sad and mad because a police officer hurt a man who was Black..."
42) Si, Se Puede! Yes, We Can!

43) Madeline
65) "Curtis only has two cans of beans, but Fitz has so much food! It's too much for him. It doesn't seem fair. What can we do about this?"
44) The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson

45) Lakas and the Hotel Makibaka

46) Snow White:

47), 48), and 49) Reading diverse children's books:

50) "Slavery was when people with Black skin were enslaved. That means people with White skin owned them and they didn't have any rights or freedoms. And because of this history, people with Black skin are still treated unfairly."
72) "I'm also a girl with short hair. But you're right that there are boys who look like me. I liked your question because people look lots of different ways and so it's always nice to ask someone what they want to be called."
51) "We are here today because racism still exists and because of the grassroots movement #BlackLivesMatter."

52) In response to explicit conversations about race and racism, this White parent's child has been known to walk around the house chanting "Black Lives Matter."
76) "...we don't know if this little girl has a mommy or a papi...she could just have one mommy, or she could have two mommies...or she could have two papis."
53) "...if you are White and you commit a crime, like stealing something, the police might say 'that was wrong, don't do that again,' and that's all...but if you are Black and commit the same crime, they might arrest you and you might go to prison. And that isn't fair."
"Columbus was a White man from Italy who took a ship a long, long time ago before he could take an airplane and ended up in the Americas which includes where we live in Brooklyn, which is part of the United States of America. And this holiday is about celebrating Columbus for finding the Americas. But he didn't actually discover the Americans because there were already people living here who are called 'Indians' or 'Native Americans.'"
54) "You know that police officers are supposed to help people, but this police officer hurt a man and he died. What really makes me mad is that that people who are Black have to be scared that a police officer might hurt them. That isn't fair. We are White, and we don't really worry that a police officer might hurt us."
"...on Chanukah we can also think about the people who don't have the things that are important to them or the things they need. And we can think about what we can do to help them."
57) "...we are going to be with people tonight who are sad...because 9 Black people died...were killed by a mean White man...you see how all these people have brown skin? The man who killed them didn't like brown skin. He had White skin like us."
"...we eat matzah to remind us that the Jewish people were once slaves...as Jewish people, we can stand with people of color (internal and external to the Jewish community), and say 'No! That's not fair.'"
58) "...I'm going to keep you safe, and that's why we're going to this protest, to stop police from hurting people like you, and other people who are Black and Latino and Asian."
In response to "Why do so many Black people live in this neighborhood?" "..I don't know enough about why. But I have been reading some things, and I am learning that White people didn't want Black people to live near them, or have much money, so they didn't let them buy houses except in certain parts of the city." Did you know that before you were born, most of the people who lived in our neighborhood were Black? And now, more and more White people live in our neighborhood...When more and more White people move in to a neighborhood, it often gets more expensive to live there...and that can mean that the Black people who lived in that neighborhood before, can no longer afford to live there. This is called gentrification. In response to analyzing a map that labeled each neighborhood in a city with its racial demographics: "Where are most of the White people living?"
61) "Some schools and neighborhoods are mostly White, and others are mostly Black, Latino, or new Asian immigrants. The White schools usually have more money and the children get more support there...It's not fair, is it? Our job is to make things more fair, what do you think we should do?"
In response to a conversation about homelessness, this author's son was playing Minecraft and shared: "This is the house I built for me and over here are the houses I built for the homeless...the villagers just wander around they don't have anywhere to go, so I built them a house."
62) In response to a book about Angela Davis and the KKK: "Black people led the way, and some people with White skin also helped because they cared about justice too and knew that our whole world is better when it is more fair for everyone."
In response to this parent's daughter sharing that one of her White classmates had told her that she is 'Black' and that it was 'a secret:' "Yes, you are Black, and it is not a secret. Your skin color is exactly the color it should be." "I don't like when I hear other children ask questions about what language we are speaking in a negative way. It's an incredible thing to speak two languages. And we know a lot of people who speak two languages."
63) "An activist is someone who sees something that is unfair and decides to do something to make it more fair. For example, people who are Black are treated differently than people who are White. And women are treated differently than men...women don't make as much money as men, for example, and that's not fair...So people speak up and say 'that's not fair, we want justice.'"
In response to a toddler's comment that another child was a 'baby:' "He's not a baby, he's the same age as you are. All of us are working on learning how to do something better and Matthew is working on learning how to touch people gently." "Some children need different things than others so they can learn and be happy and successful."
64) "...it is a good idea to try to tell other people about what we are doing because they might not know that most of the chocolate companies use slave labor."
"This man isn't wearing face paint, he has a beauty mark on his face just like I have one on my chin and you have one on your arm." "I know you're not a mean guy, but some people say that African American people look like monkeys to be mean. I know you like monkeys, and you're not being mean, but some people do that."
66) "...Malala was not allowed to go to school because she was a girl...First she was sad. Then she got mad. And decided to speak up about it and fight for girl power."
"Well, a lot of people who work in our supermarket are immigrants. That means that they were born in another country and moved here, like Papi. And a lot of times, when immigrants come to a new country and don't speak English, working in a supermarket is a good opportunity to have a job and make money so they can pay for things like food and an apartment where they can live."
67) "These people are protesting because they think there is something that is unfair that they want to change."
In response to a teacher's inquiry about segregation: "Segregation was when Black and White kids weren't allowed to go to the same schools...(but) we're all Black."
68) "...I have spent my entire life protesting boys and men who says girls can't do stuff! So how does that make you feel?"
"...the people in the crowd were so filled with hate that they thought what they were doing was right. I went on to explain that he had nothing to fear because lynchings no longer occur in this country."
69) In response to: "Rick said he likes pink, too. He's the only other boy I know who likes pink. Most of my friends say pink's for girls..." "I like pink. Now you know three boys."
"I think that sometimes what we say about others has more to do with something going on inside of us. Like when people have been treated badly or gotten hurt because of who they are, sometimes they will treat others the same way to deal with the experience...they got hurt by racism and that's their way of showing it."
70) In response to a young child: "Playing with our penises or vaginas is really fun, where do you think is the best place to do it?"
"That's not Julien. That little boy is one of our neighbors...You're right that he and Julien are both Black, but Julien is much younger! That boy over there is much older-look how tall he is!"
71) "You know, some people are born with penises but feel like girls on the inside and some people are born with vaginas but feel like boys on the inside. We can't always tell if someone is a boy or a girl just by looking at them and that's okay."
"...it really makes me sad when we waste food-because remember when we saw children in Chiapas asking for food on the street? They were asking for food because they didn't have enough to eat-and that isn't fair. So I don't like it when we waste our food."
73) In response to teachers' prompting students to analyze toy advertisements: "The advertisers think this ad is for boys, but we think it is for all kids...Some of the advertisements might change what toy I felt comfortable asking for, even if I really wanted that toy."
"...I really like places like schools and neighborhoods to be diverse-but it's also really important that people have spaces where they can share experiences with people who share their same experiences."
74) In response to "Momma, why aren't there more boy teachers?": "In our family, we believe that teachers are very important but not everyone thinks that way, so teachers are not always well-respected and are not the highest paid jobs...As you move onto high school and college there will likely be more male teachers. There is more respect for high school and college level teachers and often a bigger salary..."
"Trump is not (yet-in that moment the reality was more far-fetched) a nominee for president...and I believe there are many people in the U.S. who share our view of this country being welcoming to a people from diverse backgrounds."
75) In response to using the word "pretty" with regard to girls: "Would you ask if the butterfly was 'pretty' if she were a boy?"
"In the United States, there are many, many people who are in jail who shouldn't be in jail but, instead, need help. For example, someone who was so hungry that they stole food...that person doesn't need to be in prison. It's wrong to steal but what that person really needs is a job so they can make money to buy food."
77) In response to the gender binary: "People decide for themselves how they want to identify, just like with skin color-unless we ask (click here or here to read posts about asking questions about identity in an appropriate way) we don't know how people like to be called just by looking at them."
Need a conversation starter? Click here for more information on participating in a Raising Race Conscious Children interactive workshop/webinar.
78) Columbus Day/Native American Remembrance Day

79) Chanukah

80) Passover

81), 82), and 83) Red-lining and gentrification

84) Homelessness

85) and 86) Racial/cultural identity:

87) and 88) Talking about children with disabilities

89) and 90) Responding to children's comments in public

91) The service industry and immigrants

92) Segregation

93) The history of lynching

94) Internalized racism

95) Confusing two people based on their race

96) Waste

97) Striking the balance between same-race and cross-race spaces:

98) Trump and immigration

99) Prisons:

100) In honor of Raising Race Conscious Children's 100th post, add your own "race conscious" language to the comments section below!

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100 race-conscious things you can say to your child to advance racial justice - Raising Race Conscious Children

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In honor of Raising Race Conscious Children's 100th post, this list lifts a quote from each and every blog post to date, modeling language that has actually been used in a conversation with a child regarding race (and other identity-markers...

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Resource Roundup: Your Kids Aren't Too Young to Talk About Race

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Resource Roundup: Your Kids Aren't Too Young to Talk About Race

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Your Kids Aren't Too Young to Talk About Race: Resource Roundup - Pretty Good

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Your kids aren't too young to talk about race. Here are a few resources to get your started.

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Talking To Kids About Black Lives Matter

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Talking To Kids About Black Lives Matter

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Some ideas for talking to young people about racist violence and #blacklivesmatter Note: I'm a light-skinned, mixed-race, queer school counselor. I am not Black, which means: 1) It's my obligation to share labor and resources, and 2) I expect to get some things wrong. If you have helpful additions or corrections, I welcome them and thank you in advance for your time and effort. The language we use to broach conversations with young people is helpful...

to check our own understanding

to use as building-blocks when engaging with other adults who haven't been exposed to social justice frameworks that are often inaccessible and make people feel uneducated or shut out

to keep us humble in how we use language to engage with people for whom English is not their first language, for our elders who may need slower or simpler explanations, for our beloved community members who have different cognitive abilities

and so on

From Children's Community School Is my child, sibling, student too young to talk about race and injustice? or But won't it traumatize them or rob them of their innocence? me. I am also willing to work alongside you if you have further questions about how to engage with kids about this.
No. Developmentally speaking, kids are behaving based on perceived differences in race, gender presentation, class, and much more by the time they are 2 and 3 years old - or even younger. Because of the way representation works in film, media, and advertising, even really young kids are developing ideas about who heroes are, what beauty is, who the "bad guys" are, etc. The younger we speak to them explicitly about race as a social construct, consequences of bias, what their rights are, and how to actively be a good friend in solidarity to others, the better. My guiding light is this simple call to action: We absolutely must tell kids the truth.

It's sad and it sucks to share sad, hard stuff with our kids. But if you are in a position to have a loving, safe conversation with young people about racism, do it. Do it with intention and care. Families of color, and especially Black families, have to explain to their kids at an exceptionally young age that they are not always safe, that they can't always rely on asking neighbors for help when they miss the bus to school, can't always rely on the police to have their best interests in mind or give them the benefit of the doubt, can't even be out after a certain hour because bad stuff could happen to them.
Model humility and transparency
Nobody gets to stay innocent, not the people who are being marginalized, and not the people wanting to cover the eyes of their kids. If we are outraged at robbing young people of their innocence too early, then the only option is working to create a world that is safer and more just. This means raising young people to know better than we did. Summon the same courage it took to talk to your kids about COVID-19 and death, a shared global crisis that affects kids deeply - from canceled school to brushing up against death and risk and personal responsibility. As a result of its pervasiveness, many of us developed great creativity and patience in how we explained it to young people. The violence of racism also affects kids deeply, in every aspect of life, in a shared global crisis.

For Black adults reading this and talking to kids in your life: I see you, I see the absolutely beautiful and heartbreaking and nimble work you have had to do by telling the truth to your kids, by showing them your real fears and emotions when you have to explain that things are not fair for them. I have learned so much from you. Thank you.

"I wasn't sure how to talk to you about this because I felt I didn't know enough and I didn't want to make you sad. I was scared. Now I understand that it's important to talk about the problems in the world even if we don't feel like experts, and I think you deserve the truth, even if it makes you sad. Being sad means you care. If you become sad, I'll be here to help you feel better."

"The problem of racism and violence has existed for a long time, and it took me a little too long to realize that it was my problem too. I was wrong to stay on the sidelines for so long. But I had some really smart people explain to me what I could do to help, and I appreciated those conversations and the books I read, even though it did make me feel bad and guilty at first."

"Sometimes I get so personally hurt and upset about this topic that it was hard for me to bring it up with you. But I know it's important to talk to you, so if you notice me getting upset, you can hold my hand or give me a hug, but know that I made the choice to talk to you today because I want you to be able to ask questions and understand what you're seeing on social media."

Be concrete and engaging
Kids watch adults closely. They see us attempt to keep control and attempt to know everything. Yikes, am I right?!?!?!?! I always say that one of the most radical things we can do is share transparently with kids that we don't know it all, we have been wrong, and we have been able to change. Model apologizing to kids, model saying you don't know and then look things up together.

In conversations about racism, demonstrate your own flexibility in your thought process and be vulnerable. For instance:

It can often be helpful and grounding to center your conversation around a concrete activity or ritual. This feels engaging to kids who are putting together very abstract new ideas about justice, fairness, and race. Using art and other activities can pull in kids who are very young, kids who aren't verbal processors, aloof teens who aren't super interested in talking it out with you right now, etc.

Kids sometimes react to trauma or misunderstanding with anger, confusion, awkward jokes or humor, distraction, denial, etc. This is normal. Depending on your family's experiences and positionality, consider: coming back to this conversation later, allowing breathing room, or persisting. I can imagine a white middle-class family really wanting to persevere through several conversations over time, and I can imagine a family of color being flexible about offering space if it doesn't seem like a good time.

You might find yourself explaining death. Take a deep breath. You can say, "When people get really hurt or really sick, sometimes they can't get better and stop living, and that's death."
Activities

Light a candle or create an altar, and talk about the person who died like a memorial service

Make a card for that person, or for their family. Put it on the altar so it stays in sight, and/or see if there's a way to send it with a donation or share an image on social media.

Coloring pages. The #blacklivesmatteratschool coloring book is a wonderful place to start. I also love the idea of printing out the beautiful images circulating of our beloved Black community who have died, including babes Ahmaud, George, Breonna, Tony. Let kids show their grief through the meditative act of art. My youuuung K-5 students are still coloring XXXTentacion because they just miss him and love to spend some time rendering care and beauty around his image. Explain who or what you are coloring, and that it's an act of respect and sadness to spend some time with their picture and make a beautiful piece of art.
Do some research around who died, and share things about them as you color, like, "George Floyd really loved going to church and his friends and neighbors remember him sharing his love of spirituality with others," and, "Breonna Taylor saved lives in her job as an EMT. She dreamed about becoming a nurse."

Donate together. "Part of how we can help is by sending money to the family who is suffering and has to pay for a funeral, or to an organization that is working on making the world a better place. What should we say in the donation note? Do you want to enter my name and our address in the payment form?"

Pick a word of the day and contextualize, like this fantastique breakdown of Protest

Look at protest images. This compilation from my hometown, Portland, shows lots of signs and kids in the crowd. Ask questions: What do you think is going on? What do you think this means? What would your protest sign be? What do you think the people who are protesting are feeling? Why did they decide to go?

Ask all kids:

How does this make you feel?

How should we show how sad we are?

How should we mourn?

Knowing all of what we've talked about together, how can you make sure that you act with fairness and love toward all people?

What do you do when you see something unfair happening? How can you act?

Special care for our Black babies:
Bringing up the subject - feelings first
"I am feeling sad and worried about something. Can we talk about it?" If they seem to be engaged with it, I go further: "We try to make good choices that don't hurt people, and we get sad when other people hurt people. Right now I'm sad because some people are being hurt and killed, and it's not right. The reason they are being hurt is not fair. It is about their skin color. Do you think it's fair for people to get hurt because of how they look?" Then take some time to really dissect this.

You are a source of safety and unconditional love for your kids, so you are uniquely qualified to have this absolutely devastating conversation with them.

You also may have too much trauma to feel like you can do this right now, or ever. That's extremely understandable. See who you can rope into the conversation, like the kid's school counselor, another mental health therapist, a friend, another family member, a book, a video, etc.

You may have already talked about this to or in front of your kids. That's normal. Give yourself grace and understanding when you have an emotional or heightened reaction, and you aren't taking anything away from them by being real. They are watching you react with human emotion and they will be able to understand your anger, sadness, or coping mechanisms as love. If you worry, be explicit: "I am having a really strong reaction to this situation because it makes me think of our family. I want you to know that your own anger or fear or desire to be distracted is normal and okay too."

Ask, "What do you need to feel better?" If they come up with some stuff that you don't have, consider making an ask to white people to bring it for you. There's a lot of white guilt and desire for action floating around, and as awkward and uncomfortable it is to make a Facebook or Insta post about it...y'all deserve it and I hope you have people in your life who would show up for you in that way.

Cultivate a sense of safety in the places where you do have more control. We know that Black people are never really safe in this country, but perhaps the child's bedroom or your living room could be a safer space that you could decorate together, make a soft pillow fort, turn the lights down, etc.

"I love you. I want you to be safe and I will always try to keep you safe." This. Goes. So. Far.

Explain why you've chosen that activity
"Today I want us to light a candle/make a card in memory of someone/some people who have died. They died unfairly and a lot of people are hurting and angry right now because they're scared it won't stop. We are lighting this candle because even though I didn't know this person, I feel sad too and I want them to be remembered lovingly."
Let kids ask questions and try to be honest, simple, and vulnerable in your answers.

There is tremendous expertise and experience in the Black community around how to talk to kids about hard things, death, and unfairness. I wish this wasn't the case. I defer to the lived experience of Black families around this. As a humble counselor who just really loves you and your kids, even if we've never met, let me offer these loose guidelines for you to take or leave.

In the world of public education, we recognize every day that the world is changing rapidly and that we're learning alongside kids whose careers and lives might look very different from ours right now. There's an opportunity here: we can open up conversations that imagine more than traditional models of governance, policing, jobs, capitalistic and materialistic values, etc. When our kids regurgitate aspirations of wanting to be a police officer, for instance, we can say, "Why?" Listen to their answers, validate. If they come up with answers like, "They get bad guys," offer nuance. Say, "Actually, the job of a police officer is supposed to be to serve the people and protect, the gentler the better. There are not really 'bad guys' that they 'get,' mostly people in really bad circumstances who need help." And then broaden worldviews beyond the traditional. Ask, "Are there other jobs that protect people? What could those be? Who else is protecting people?"

What would a world where everyone is safe look like? Feel like? Who's there? What are they doing?

Who could protect communities and what would protection look like? How would we know they are being fair?

If you were president/queen/mayor, what would you change that would make sure racism ends?

Be brave in how you defend radical actions
One of the best things about young people is that they have great ideas. I don't buy rhetoric that says "omg they are just not jaded or corrupted so their imaginations are wild!" Kids are jaded sometimes. But it's true that they are smarter than us. Quote me on that! Engage with kids on dreaming up what a better world could look like.

Draw it, write a story about it, act it out in a skit, record it to put on Tik Tok!

Empathy first. "I understand what people are mad about and I understand the reactions of protestors. Buildings can be fixed, but people who have been killed can't come back."
No matter where you are in your comfort level with radical acts of protest, please focus on this message: anger is valid, and property is not more important than lives lost. Protests are happening to try to get the world to see that racist acts of violence should stop.

"This is different than being violent for no reason. We know it's not right to hit someone for no reason, and it's not right to hurt someone weaker than you. This is a situation where lots of people have been hurt unfairly, and it doesn't look like it will stop or change. This group of people is trying to send a message and ask for better treatment in the future. They are saying, 'Enough is enough, and if you hurt us for this long, we have to stand up for ourselves.'"

Share examples of people who are in solidarity with protestors, like the Gandhi Mahal restaurant-owners who understand the bigger picture and said, "Let my building burn."

Look into histories of revolution against oppressors like colonizers. Here are Colonialism Facts for Kids, including lots of pictures to spark conversation.

Don't forget, don't let it go
To the untrained eye, it's funny to think about how, on the one hand, we try to get kids to see that they shouldn't rip up their homework assignment if they are frustrated, but on the other, we have an obligation to change rhetoric around rioting and violence as a logical act of resistance (also, maybe sometimes they should rip up the homework too. Life's complicated). These are not equivalent and we can encourage emotional resilience and emotional regulation about life's expected frustrations AS DIFFERENT AND NOT EQUIVALENT to strategic acts of protest against wildly unfair and horrific systems of oppression. HAVE STAMINA IN YOUR ARTICULATION OF NUANCE. IT CAN TAKE A WHILE. Engage with young people in a nuanced manner about how you can understand the reactions emanating from pain, suffering, and unending forced endurance under a terribly racist and violent system.
More resources

A resource roundup for talking to kids about race and racism, including articles, books, podcasts, etc.

An anti-racism resource masterpost that includes stuff for kids, articles, podcasts, books, etc. Designed mainly for white and non-black folks to educate themselves.

#blacklivesmatteratschool
Coloring book
Teaching materials

Self-care for people of color in the wake of racial tragedy

Scaffolded Anti-Racist resources organized by topic

There Is No Apolitical Classroom teaching resources

Embrace Race's 10 tips for talking to kids about racism, available as PDFs in English and Spanish

Embrace Race's presentation on supporting kids after racialized violence

Children's community school social justice resources for families of kids

31 children's books to support conversations on race, racism, and activism

Action items

Places to donate specific to the death of George Floyd and Minneapolis jail/bond activism

Even more places to donate to support protestors

The Conscious Kid instagram - follow for book recommendations, resources, and access their Patreon of even more

"Safe," a short video story for young audiences by Woke Kindergarten about how Black people deserve to feel safe.

Books for kids and teens about police brutality

Teaching Tolerance for social justice and diversity-centered lesson plans

Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) for action guidance

A poignant and telling video of Black parents talking to their kids about how to interact with cops

Crucially important scholarly article about how white activism can do contribute to burnout for activists of color

The American School Counselor Association (ASCA)'s list of resources on talking about race

The American Counseling Association (ACA)'s preliminary discussion points for addressing racial injustice (geared toward white folks)

Race and Mental Health resource roundup

An oldie but goodie: Curriculum for White Americans to Educate Themselves on Race

If you have other great resources, peep my contact info at the top of the post to send more or share corrections.
If you are reading this feeling squeamish or doubtful, I urge you to deconstruct that. Private property is not as valuable as human lives, and destruction, riots, and violence are legitimate forms of protest. Please understand that peaceful protest is historically not what produces results - not for queer people at Stonewall, not for suffragettes getting the vote for (white) women, not for union workers who fought for labor rights, not for colonized people fighting for independence, not for civil rights activists fighting for Black lives as far back as we can remember.

So many things in the world are happening while we are apart because of COVID-19, and even distance learning is about to peter off for summer break. It's our obligation as adults to provide young people the opportunity to process often, and especially for educators, as soon as we can get back together in schools. Young people need an opportunity to share how they feel and ask questions about many ways the world feels fraught and uncertain right now. Open space for that when our classrooms open back up, bring it up, remind people. Let them talk about quarantine, let them talk about racism and these most recent bouts of unjust Black death. If you do not intentionally carve out time for this, it may never happen. What a disappointment and missed obligation that would be.

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Some ideas for talking to young people about racist violence and #blacklivesmatter Note: I'm a light-skinned, mixed-race, queer school counselor. I am not Black, which means: 1) It's my obligation to share labor and resources, and 2) I expect to get some things wrong.

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Raising Luminaries: Kids books about Black Women in history

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[Image Description: Feature of an illustrated portrait of Alma Woodsey Thomas from an inner page of 'Little Leaders: Bold Women In Black History,' by Vashti Harrison]
In this post: Pictures books to inspire young history buffs - Stories of Black Women in American history. Bonus - learn to identify 3 common ways authors whitewash history.

Books For Littles(BFL) is free and accessible for readers who can't afford a paywall. Posts may contain affiliate links, which allow me to earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Check out the full affiliate disclosure along with the BFL statement of accountability. If you're pairing this advice with a trip to the library (please do!), you can also support BFL on Patreon.
I'm not Black. As a non-Black woman of color, raised in the US, I'm bound to miss some things. I've done my best to boost the voices of Black femmes, but feel free to comment if/when I screw up. This a working list, imperfect (and incomplete).

Sparking Curious Kids

Our kids are racist. And so are we.

We don't have to be - we can fight it. We can fight the bias drilled into our kids from the media, from our institutions, from our own personal, subconscious bias.

To start - we need to re-frame how we see people of color - how women in particular have been held back by our kyriarchy. (You could argue we should focus on Indigenous/Trans/disabled/etc. women, and we should - but for now, Black History Month is an easy start).

To get kids truly inspired by history, you need something that entices your kids to ask questions, to get curious about the past - and hopeful for the future. We need stories that connect all kids (even white-presenting boys like mine) to the stories of women who shaped our nation. No more dry factoids of dates and dry, dreary illustrations. No more overwhelming despair and powerlessness.

So after a few years of searching...I've got a pretty kick-ass collection to share with you.

But before you get started - stick around for the whole thing. To fight white supremacy at story time - you'll need to learn how to identify common ways authors whitewash mainstream children's books. (Keep reading!)

Crappy stories do active harm

After last year's election, publishers are finally boosting the stories of more Black heroes. Even Chelsea Clinton made a half-assed attempt at diverse representation ( COUGH opportunist ...COUGH cash-grab COUGH). We're seeing more filler books. You're left to sift through more time-wasters.
Captioned age ranges are for when my sons were able to understand and enjoy each story. Your mileage may vary since every kid is different. Stories validating lived experiences and normalizing racial diversity is vital, but for this post, we're focusing on validating & insightful stories on the experience of Black women and girls in American history.
*Asterisk-marked books are #OwnVoices stories written by Black women.
I can't stress this enough - do not force your kids to read boring, redundant history books. Nothing shuts down curiosity, acceptance, and compassion like boredom. Wasting your time with shitty, whitewashed books is an act of white supremacy. It derails us from the stuff we need to grow stronger, smarter, and kinder.

Sparking Empathy With Fiction

Though the eyes of young Black girls, my boys are able to see how systemic racism affects real kids. Rather than filling readers with overwhelm in despair, these stories based on history and lived experience demonstrate the importance of anti-racism work, the urgency of maintaining the fight, and gives kids a sense of power showing that they, too, have a responsibility to carry that torch.
The Story of Ruby Bridges, *Child of the Civil Rights Movement, The Youngest Marcher *Voice of Freedom, *Little Leaders: Bold Women In Black History, *Someday Is Now Fancy Party Gowns *Asterisk-marked books are written by Black women. Strange Fruit
Lillian's Right To Vote, *Auntie Luce's Talking Paintings

*A Sweet Smell of Roses, Ruth And The Green Book, Juneteenth For Mazie

Young Freedom Fighters

There comes a time around age 4 when kids are all about big feats of bravery. My kids emulate superheroes who jump higher, run faster, and show extraordinary courage . We run with that enthusiasm - and teach our kids that true courage comes not in the absence of fear, but in spite of it.

These stories teach our kids that being brave doesn't just mean sticking up for ourselves when necessary. Being brave means sticking up for others even when it would be easier to walk away.
STEP 1: STOP CENTERING WHITE DUDES
*Little Melba And Her Big Trombone, Let The Children March

Following In The Path Of Firebrands

There's nothing worse than a bland biography full of dates and names to turn little kids off to learning. At this age, kids want inspiration, they want super heroes who struggle and survive and stand up in glory even when the odds are against them.

These aren't 100% vetted for historical accuracy, but picture-book biographies spark curiosity in little minds and encourage them to learn more. Stories like these make Superman pale in comparison, and inspire my kids to run through the house screaming, "I AM HARRIET TUBMAN! I AM BRAVE!"

I am Rosa Parks ( see below for discussion on Meltzer's history of whitewashing & sexism), *Let It Shine: Stories Of Black Women Freedom Fighters, Minty

I Am Harriet Tubman (for ages 4+, cover not pictured) is another one of our favorites - slightly more engaging than 'Minty.'
STEP 2: STOP EXCUSING OPPRESSORS
Sing It Loud

For every girl of color who's been told to stay quiet, that her voice doesn't count, that nothing she has to say matters, she needs to see a loud woman claiming space and visibility. For generations, Black performers have used the stage to open the eyes of white fans to inequality. They've kept their voices raised even when reviled, insulted, silenced, and threatened. They've used their power and influence to fight for desegregation, voting rights, and community crises. Music continues to be one of the few spaces where Black women are heard, and they've used those voices to enact change in courageous ways.

Josephine, Bessie Smith & The Night Riders, * Harlem's Little Blackbird.

Calculating Genius

Pioneering doctors, mathematicians, and astronauts, oh my!

The Doctor With An Eye For Eyes, Hidden Figures (picture book version), and *Mae Among The Stars.

The Moon Over Star (not pictured) is another beautiful book featuring Mae Jemison about changing generational values, best for older kids (ages 6+)

The Girl With A Mind For Math, Counting On Katherine
Become a Patron!
Biographies of Black Woman Authors

(I'm still screening books for this section - gimmie a minute)

Zora Neale Hurston And The Chinaberry Tree, Maya Angelou, Yours For Justice, Ida B. Wells

Caveat: 'Maya Angelou' contains a good deal of white-washing, and the makers have been known to write about Nazi-sympathizers (Coco Chanel). For now, it's the only children's book about Angelou we can find, and my kids adore the illustrations. Also, it briefly mentions the assault and abuse she was victim to as a child.

Kids Books Are Whitewashed - Learn to spot subtle supremacy

Let's discuss white saviors!

It's just unnecessary, misleading, and more than a little silly to center a white man in stories about the fight for civil rights and racial justice.

If you pick up ' Sweet Land of Liberty,' (which features Marian Anderson on the cover) you'd think this book would be about the discrimination and obstacles Anderson encountered in her career, or at least the tumult surrounding her rendition of 'My Country, 'Tis of Thee' in 1939 at the Lincoln Memorial.

Nope!

It's about a white dude and how instrumental his white savior work was to Anderson's success - as if she was some nobody who just showed up that day, and not one of the most celebrated singers in American history.

What self-defeating nonsense. If Oscar Chapman truly was an accomplice for civil rights (he sounds like a great guy, but come ON) - if he worked his whole career to boost the visibility and agency of people like Marian Anderson - would he really want a book about this event to be about him?

White accomplices have a place in books about the fight for civil rights - a place of honor and appreciation. But - it's in the background.

' Blue Sky, White Stars' and pretty much anything by Kadir Nelson shows does this well, with white accomplices standing in solidarity WITH or behind Black folks. In a single page of text, ' Little Leaders ' provides a more accurate and empowering history of Anderson's accomplishments.

Being a 'nice' slaver doesn't make slavery okay. You don't get points for exploiting other humans nicely.

From ' Phillis's Big Test,' "Her first winter was so very cold and awful. She survived only by the kindness of her masters."

Maybe Phillis's first winter wouldn't have been so cold and awful if she wasn't KIDNAPPED AND SOLD AS A SLAVE. She didn't survive because of her enslavers, she survived DESPITE them.

For more problematic literally sugarcoating slavery, look to ' A Fine Dessert,' which inspired the hastag #SlaveryWithASmile (coined by BLM Activist Leslie Mac) in a detailed article by Kenrya Rankin from Colorlines. In another, Demetria Lucas D'Oyley from The Root shows us another horrific example of whitewashing in ' A Birthday Cake For George Washington. '

This 'good' slavery story is common from white authors - another reason why we need to read books by Black authors.

Stay Curious & Stand Brave & Support Women of Color

Hi - I'm Ashia. I run Books for Littles so it's easier for you to raise kind and brilliant humans. I get to use my autistic hyperfocus to smash the kyriarchy, and you get insight and the best books to read with your kids about hard topics.

If you're raising kind & brilliant luminaries, come join us over on patreon.

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No White Saviors: Kids Books About Black Women in US History - Books For Littles

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Image Description: Feature of an illustrated portrait of Alma Woodsey Thomas from an inner page of 'Little Leaders: Bold Women In Black History,' by Vashti Harrison] In this post: Pictures books to inspire young history buffs - Stories of Black Women in American history. Bonus - learn to identify 3 common ways authors whitewash history.

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EmbraceRace: books that inspire resilience in Kids of Colour

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EmbraceRace: books that inspire resilience in Kids of Colour

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Grades 4-8

Her last name may mean "kings," but Ana María Reyes REALLY does not live in a castle. Rather, she's stuck in a tiny apartment with two parents (way too loveydovey), three sisters (way too dramatic), everyone's friends (way too often), and a piano (which she never gets to practice). And when her parents announce a new baby is coming, that means they'll have even less time for Ana María.

Then she hears about the Eleanor School, New York City's best private academy. If Ana María can win a scholarship, she'll be able to get out of her Washington Heights neighborhood school and achieve the education she's longed for. To stand out, she'll need to nail her piano piece at the upcoming city showcase, which means she has to practice through her sisters' hijinks, the neighbors' visits, a family trip to the Dominican Republic . . . right up until the baby's birth! But some new friends and honest conversations help her figure out what truly matters, and know that she can succeed no matter what.

Ana María Reyes may not be royal, but she's certain to come out on top.

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Books that inspire resilience in kids of color

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The books on this list demonstrate kids of color persevering in a variety of settings and overcoming obstacles through a myriad of scenarios: whether it's the first day of school, standing up to a bully or for yourself, dealing with death, defending a person in need, or celebrating identity.

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26 children’s books to support conversations about race, racism, and resistance

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Research from Harvard University suggests that children as young as three years old, when exposed to racism and prejudice, tend to embrace and accept it, even though they might not understand the feelings. By age 5, white children are strongly biased towards whiteness. To counter this bias, experts recommend acknowledging and naming race and racism with children as early and as often as possible. Children's books are one of the most effective and practical tools for initiating these critical conversations; and they can also be used to model what it means to resist and dismantle oppression.

Beyond addressing issues of race and racism, this children's reading list focuses on taking action. It highlights resistance, resilience and activism; and seeks to empower youth to participate in the ongoing movement for racial justice. These books showcase the diverse ways people of all ages and races have engaged in anti-racist activism, and highlight how race intersects with other issues, such as capitalism, class and colonization. The majority of books center activists of color, whose lives and bodies have been on the front lines of racial justice work, yet whose stories often go untold. The essential work of white activists is also included?-?to underscore that anti-racist work is not the responsibility of people of color; and exemplify the ways white allies have stood up against racial injustice. This list was curated by The Conscious Kid Library and American Indians in Children's Literature, in partnership with Raising Race Conscious Children.

Let It Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters: Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus and sparked a boycott that changed America. Harriet Tubman helped hundreds of slaves escape the South on the Underground Railroad. The lives of ten Black women activists are featured in an incredible story about courage in the face of oppression; about the challenges and triumphs of the battle for civil rights; and about speaking out for what you believe in?-?even when it feels like no one is listening. Ages 6-9.

Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez & Her Family's Fight for Desegregation: Almost 10 years before Brown v. Board of Education, Sylvia Mendez and her parents helped end school segregation in California. Mendez, an American citizen of Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage, was denied enrollment to a "Whites only" school. Her parents took action by organizing the Latinx community and filing a lawsuit in federal district court. Their success eventually brought an end to the era of segregated education in California. Ages 6-9.

When We Were Alone: When a young girl helps tend to her grandmother's garden, she begins to notice things that make her curious. Why does her grandmother have long braided hair and beautifully colored clothing? Why does she speak another language and spend so much time with her family? As she asks her grandmother about these things, she is told about life in a residential school a long time ago, where all of these things were taken away. When We Were Alone is a story about a difficult time in history and, ultimately, one of resilience, empowerment and strength. Ages 4-8.

The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, A Young Civil Rights Activist: Meet the youngest known child to be arrested for a civil rights protest in Birmingham, Alabama, 1963. This moving picture book proves you're never too little to make a difference. When nine-year-old Audrey Faye Hendricks heard grown-ups talk about wiping out Birmingham's segregation laws, she volunteered to get arrested, even though it meant she would have to go to jail. This is the remarkable and inspiring story of one child's role in the Civil Rights Movement. Ages 5-10.

Fred Korematsu Speaks Up: Fred Korematsu liked listening to music on the radio, playing tennis, and hanging around with his friends?-?just like lots of other Americans. But everything changed when the United States went to war with Japan in 1941. The government forced all people of Japanese descent to leave their homes on the West Coast and move to concentration camps. This included Fred, whose parents had immigrated to the United States from Japan many years before. But Fred refused to go. He knew that what the government was doing was unfair. And when he got put in jail for resisting, he knew he couldn't give up. Ages 6-10.

Strange Fruit: Billie Holiday and the Power of a Protest Song: The audience was completely silent the first time Billie Holiday performed a song called "Strange Fruit." In the 1930s, Billie was known as a performer of jazz and blues music, but this song wasn't either of those things. It was a song about injustice, and it would change her life forever. Discover how two outsiders?-?Billie Holiday, a young Black woman raised in poverty, and Abel Meeropol, the son of Jewish immigrants?-?combined their talents to create a song that challenged racism and paved the way for the Civil Rights movement. Ages 8-12.

Crossing Bok Chitto: A Choctaw Tale of Friendship & Freedom: Martha Tom, a young Choctaw girl, knows better than to cross the river, but one day?-?in search of blackberries?-?she disobeys her mother and finds herself on the other side. Thus begins the story about seven slaves who cross the big river to freedom, led by a Choctaw girl. It documents a part of history that is little-known: the relationship between the Choctaws?-?members of a sovereign nation?-?and the slaves who lived in Mississippi during that time before the Civil War, before the Choctaws were forced out of Mississippi to Oklahoma on the Trail of Tears. Author Tim Tingle says: " Crossing Bok Chitto is a tribute to the Indians of every nation who aided the runaway people of bondage. Crossing Bok Chitto is an Indian book and documented the Indian way. We Indians need to know and embrace our past. Non-Indians should know the sweet and secret fire, as secret as the stones, that drives the Indian heart and keeps us so determined that our way, a way of respect for others and the land we live on, will prevail." Ages 7-13.

Malcolm Little: The Boy Who Grew Up to Become Malcolm X: Malcolm X grew to be one of America's most influential figures. But first, he was a boy named Malcolm Little. Written by his daughter, this inspiring picture book biography celebrates a vision of freedom and justice. Bolstered by the love and wisdom of his large, warm family, young Malcolm Little was a natural born leader. But when confronted with intolerance and a series of tragedies, Malcolm's optimism and faith were threatened. He had to learn how to be strong and how to hold on to his individuality. He had to learn self-reliance. Ilyasah Shabazz gives us a unique glimpse into the childhood of her father, Malcolm X, with a lyrical story that carries a message that resonates still today?-?that we must all strive to live to our highest potential. Ages 6-10.

Preaching to the Chickens: The Story of Young John Lewis: John wants to be a preacher when he grows up?-?a leader whose words stir hearts to change, minds to think, and bodies to take action. But why wait? When John is put in charge of the family farm's flock of chickens, he discovers that they make a wonderful congregation! So he preaches to his flock, and they listen, content under his watchful care, riveted by the rhythm of his voice. Celebrating ingenuity and dreaming big, this inspirational story includes an author's note about John Lewis, who grew up to be a member of the Freedom Riders; chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee; demonstrator on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama; and Georgia congressman, who is still an activist today. Ages 4-8.

She Stood for Freedom: The Untold Story of a Civil Rights Hero, Joan Trumpauer Mulholland: Joan was a white teenager in the South during Segregation who put herself on the front lines of the Civil Rights struggle. She attended demonstrations and sit-ins and was one of the Freedom Riders in 1961 who was arrested and put on death row for months at the notorious Parchman Penitentiary. She was the first white person to join in the 1963 Woolworth's lunch counter sit-ins in Jackson, Mississippi; and that same year, participated in the March on Washington with Dr. Martin Luther King and the Selma to Montgomery march in 1965 which contributed to the passage of the landmark Voting Rights Act that year. Ages 8-10.

Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez: Cesar Chavez is known as one of America's greatest civil rights leaders. When he led a 340-mile peaceful protest march through California, he ignited a cause and improved the lives of thousands of migrant farm workers. But Cesar wasn't always a leader. As a boy, he was shy and teased at school. His family worked in the fields for barely enough money to survive. Cesar knew things had to change, and he thought that?-?maybe?-?he could help change them. So he took charge. He spoke up. And an entire country listened. Ages 4-7.

Nelson Mandela: Award-winning author-illustrator Kadir Nelson tells the story of global icon and Nobel Peace Prize winner Nelson Mandela. It is the story of a young boy's determination to change South Africa, and of the struggles of a man who eventually became the president of his country. Mandela believed in equality for all people, no matter the color of their skin. Readers will be inspired by Mandela's triumph and his lifelong quest to create a more just world. Ages 4-8.

Gordon Parks: How the Photographer Captured Black and White America: His white teacher tells her all-Black class, "You'll all wind up porters and waiters". What did she know? Gordon Parks is most famous for being the first Black director in Hollywood. But before he made movies and wrote books, he was poor and looking for work. When he bought a camera, his life changed forever. He taught himself how to take pictures and before long, people noticed. His success as a fashion photographer landed him a job working for the government. In Washington DC, Gordon went looking for a subject, but what he found was segregation. He and others were treated differently because of the color of their skin. Gordon wanted to take a stand against the racism he observed. With his camera in hand, he found a way. Told through lyrical verse and atmospheric art, this is the story of how, with a single photograph, a self-taught artist got America to take notice. Ages 4-8.

Shining Star: The Anna May Wong Story: Born in 1905, Anna May Wong spent her childhood working in her family's laundry in Los Angeles's Chinatown. Anna May struggled to pursue an acting career in Hollywood in the 1930s. There were very few roles for Asian Americans, and many were demeaning and stereotypical. Finally, after years of unfulfilling roles, Anna May began crusading for more meaningful opportunities for herself and other Asian American actors and refused to play stereotypical roles. As the first Chinese American movie star, she took a stand against racial discrimination in the film industry and was a pioneer of the cinema. Ages 6-11.

As Good As Anybody: Martin Luther King Jr., and Abraham Joshua Heschel's Amazing March Toward Freedom: Their names stand for the quest for justice and equality. Martin grew up in a loving family in the American South, with the country plagued by racial discrimination. He aimed to put a stop to it. He became a minister like his father, and he preached and marched for the cause. Abraham grew up in a loving Jewish family in Germany. In 1938, he was arrested and deported by the Gestapo and his mother and sisters were killed by Nazi's. He found a new home in America, where he became a respected rabbi like his father, carrying a message of peace and acceptance. This is the story of two icons for social justice, how they formed a remarkable friendship, and turned their personal experiences of oppression into a message of love and equality for all. Ages 6-9.

We March: On August 28, 1963, a remarkable event took place?-?more than 250,000 people gathered in our nation's capital to participate in the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. The march began at the Washington Monument and ended with a rally at the Lincoln Memorial, where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his historic "I Have a Dream" speech, advocating racial harmony. The thrill of the day is brought to life for even the youngest reader to experience. Ages 2-7.

That's Not Fair! Emma Tenayuca's Struggle for Justice: A vivid depiction of the early injustices encountered by a young Mexican-American girl in San Antonio in the 1920's. Emma Tenayuca learns to care deeply about poverty and hunger during a time when many Mexican Americans were starving to death and working unreasonably long hours for 3 cents/hour in the city's pecan-shelling factories. Through astute perception, caring, and personal action, Emma begins to get involved, and eventually, at the age of 21, leads 12,000 workers in the first significant historical action in the Mexican-American struggle for justice. Emma's story serves as a model for young and old alike about courage, compassion, and the role everyone can play in making the world more fair. Ages 5-7.

Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom: Carole Boston Weatherford depicts Harriet Tubman's initial escape from slavery and her mission to lead others to freedom as divinely inspired, and achieved by steadfast faith and prayer. On the eve of her being sold and torn from her family, Tubman prays in her despair. In response, "God speaks in a whip-poor-will's song. 'I set the North Star in the heavens and I mean for you to be free.' The twinkling star encourages Tubman: "My mind is made up. Tomorrow, I flee." A foreword introduces the concept of slavery for children and an author's note includes a brief biography of Tubman. Ages 5-8.

Harlem's Little Blackbird: The Story of Florence Mills: Born to parents who were both former slaves, Florence Mills knew at an early age that she loved to sing, and that her sweet, bird-like voice, resonated with those who heard her. Performing catapulted her all the way to the stages of 1920s Broadway where she inspired everyone from songwriters to playwrights. Yet with all her success, she knew firsthand how prejudice shaped her world and the world of those around her. As a result, Florence chose to support and promote works by fellow Black performers while heralding a call for their civil rights. Harlem's Little Blackbird is a timeless story about justice, equality, and the importance of following one's heart and dreams. Ages 3-7.

Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement: Despite fierce prejudice and abuse, even being beaten to within an inch of her life, Fannie Lou Hamer was a champion of civil rights from the 1950s until her death in 1977. Integral to the Freedom Summer of 1964, Ms. Hamer gave a speech at the Democratic National Convention that, despite President Johnson's interference, aired on national TV news and spurred the nation to support the Freedom Democrats. Voice of Freedom celebrates Fannie Lou Hamer's life and legacy with a message of hope, determination, and strength. Ages 9-12.

Josephine: Patricia Hruby Powell and Christian Robinson create an extraordinary portrait for young people of the passionate performer and civil rights advocate Josephine Baker, the woman who worked her way from the slums of St. Louis to the grandest stages in the world. Josephine used her platform to fight for racial equality and civil rights, and refused to dance in segregated American dance halls. Josephine is a powerful story of struggle and triumph. Ages 10-13.

Frederick Douglass: The Lion Who Wrote History: Frederick Douglass was a self-educated slave in the South who grew up to become an icon. He was a leader of the abolitionist movement, a celebrated writer, an esteemed speaker, and a social reformer, proving that, as he said, "Once you learn to read, you will be forever free." Ages 6-10.

Dolores Huerta: A Hero to Migrant Workers: Dolores wants to know why her students are too hungry to listen, why they don't have shoes to wear to school. When she finds out that the farm workers in her community are poorly paid and working under dangerous conditions, she stands up for their rights. This is the story of Dolores Huerta and the extraordinary battle she waged to ensure fair and safe workplaces for Mexican and Mexican American migrant workers. Ages 6-8.

Rosa: Fifty years after her refusal to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama, city bus, Mrs. Rosa Parks is still one of the most important figures in the American civil rights movement. This tribute to Mrs. Parks is a celebration of her courageous action and the events that followed. Ages 4-8.

Sojourner Truth's Step-Stomp Stride: Born into slavery, Belle had to endure the cruelty of several masters before she escaped to freedom. But she knew she wouldn't really be free unless she was helping to end injustice. That's when she changed her name to Sojourner and began traveling across the country, demanding equal rights for Black people and for women. Many people weren't ready for her message, but Sojourner was brave, and her truth was powerful. Ages 5-9.

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Repost: The Conscious Kid Library's 26 Children's books to support conversations about race, racism, and resistance

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Research from Harvard University suggests that children as young as three years old, when exposed to racism and prejudice, tend to embrace and accept it, even though they might not understand the feelings. By age 5, white children are strongly biased towards whiteness.

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Booklist based on Guiding Principles of Black Lives Matter

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Booklist based on Guiding Principles of Black Lives Matter

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Look at your skin—the wonderful skin you live in! Follow along as author Michael Tyler reads his thoughtful, beautiful book about loving who you are.

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Urgent, controversial, and undeniably honest, The Skin We’re In is a wake-up call to complacent Canadians. Racism is here. It is everywhere. It is us and we are it. Following celebrated journalist Desmond Cole as he researches his hotly anticipated book, this documentary from acclaimed director Charles Officer pulls back the curtain on racism in Canada.

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Urgent, controversial, and undeniably honest, The Skin We're In is a wake-up call to complacent Canadians. Racism is here. It is everywhere. It is us and we are it. Following celebrated journalist Desmond Cole as he researches his hotly anticipated book, this documentary from acclaimed director Charles Officer pulls back the curtain on racism in Canada.

This film marks a distinctly Canadian contribution to the " Black Lives Matter " movement which originated in the US, but which describes a set of systemic injustices and disadvantages faced by all black people living in white-dominated societies. Cole asserts that anti-black racism is so all-encompassing in Canada that black people and their allies, far from congratulating themselves that they do not live in America, should be following the American example and dismantling the structures that continue to hold them back.

Journalist Desmond Cole

The Skin We're In invites viewers into the mind of an emerging intellectual and firebrand. Boasting intimate access to one of Canada's most intriguing voices, it profiles Desmond Cole as his most exciting chapter unfolds.

This is his journey from journalist to activist, unfolding in real time. We follow Cole as he travels across Canada in pursuit of stories, examples, and knowledge about black identities and experiences.

MORE:
The First Reported Race Riot In North America Happened in Canada
5 Creative Canadians Changing the Conversation About Race
The Current: Listen to an interview with Desmond Cole

The film begins at the National Magazine Awards where Cole racks up a series of prizes for his penetrating cover story on police surveillance of black people. In his acceptance speech, Cole dedicates the awards to people of colour whose stories go unheard. From there, the film follows him as he embarks on a journey to understand more about those very people.

From his local Toronto barber shop to Halifax's venerable Kwacha House, Cole engages with a diverse collection of black Canadians and listens to their stories. Cole travels back to Ferguson, Missouri, the site of a high profile police shooting, and the place where he feels he became a black activist.

MORE:
Don't Believe the Hype: Canada Is Not A Nation of Cultural Intolerance
H ere's What You Need to Know About Carding
CBC ARTS: One movie can't end racism in Canada - but 'The Skin We're In' will fuel the fight

Back in Toronto, he confronts the Chief of Police about the police shooting of Andrew Loku, an African immigrant, and witnesses a powerful Black Lives Matter protest. He wonders about Loku's family, and journeys to Saskatoon to meet with his grieving sister. Finally, Cole travels to his home town of Red Deer, Alberta, to reconnect with his first experiences of being a Canadian, and to sit down with a family or recent immigrants from Africa.

The Skin We're In is a procedural documentary. It is an investigation. And it is a cry from the heart. Cole's journey is not just toward discovery, but toward the unveiling of a desperate, hidden truth: the truth about the skin he's in. And the Canada we thought we knew.

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Urgent, controversial, and undeniably honest, The Skin We're In is a wake-up call to complacent Canadians. Racism is here. It is everywhere. It is us and we are it. Following celebrated journalist Desmond Cole as he researches his hotly anticipated book, this documentary from acclaimed director Charles Officer pulls back the curtain on racism in Canada.

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Coming Together: Standing up to Racism Town Hall

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Coming Together: Standing up to Racism Town Hall

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Join this CNN and Sesame Street Town Hall for kids and families.

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Coming Together: Standing up to Racism Town Hall part 3

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EmbraceRace - 20 Picture Books for 2020: Readings to embrace race, provide solace and do good.

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EmbraceRace - 20 Picture Books for 2020: Readings to embrace race, provide solace and do good.

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Parents and other caregivers are seeking resources to help them hold children through the current, terrible wave of racialized violence, which is exacerbated by the tensions and vulnerabilities exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. As scholars, writers, and parents who use books to connect with our children and spark conversations with them, the EmbraceRace team has developed this book list to help engage the broad range of emotions and needs of diverse children in our multiracial society.

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Parents and other caregivers are seeking resources to help them hold children through the current, terrible wave of racialized violence, which is exacerbated by the tensions and vulnerabilities exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. As scholars, writers, and parents who use books to connect with our children and spark conversations with them, we've developed this book list to help engage the broad range of emotions and needs of diverse children in our multiracial society. In some cases, we've highlighted worthy, albeit lesser-known titles. Some are older books, some are newer, and a few will publish later this year but are available for pre-order now. This list skews heavily towards #ownvoices books and is arranged alphabetically by title.

Please use these books to help you do the work of making the world a safer, more equitable place for all children.

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20 Picture Books for 2020: Readings to Embrace Race, Provide Solace &...

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As scholars, writers, and parents who use books to connect with our children and spark conversations with them, we've developed this book list to help engage the broad range of emotions and needs of diverse children in our multiracial society.

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This one-of-a-kind Antiracism course is for individuals and businesses to dismantle unconscious bias, address white privilege, uncover systemic racism, and learn how to centre the experience of BIPOC individuals.

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Virtual Antiracism and Anti-Oppression Training on Canada's Colonial History, White Privilege, White Supremacy, White Superiority, Anti-Black Racism, Anti-Indigenous Racism and Allyship.

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Anishnaabe comedian and activist Ryan McMahon takes us to his hometown of Fort Frances, Ont., where the main drag is called "Colonization Road." Similarly-named streets exist all over Northern Ontario and Manitoba, and they aren't named that by accident. These roads were literally built to bring colonizers to the area. McMahon looks at the legacy these roads have left on the region's First Nations communities and asks what "decolonization" means in a place where colonization is so deeply embedded.”

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Since Europeans arrived on these shores, roads have been built to bring settlers across the country, connect them with resources to create industry and ultimately to establish a nation. Many of these interconnecting networks are called Colonization Roads. For Indigenous peoples, these roads embody a powerful and ironic reality; colonization is still so powerful, we name our roads after it. Join Anishinaabe comedian, Ryan McMahon as he travels across Ontario learning about Colonization Roads, the ways in which they have dispossessed Indigenous people of land and access to traditional territories while creating space for settlers in the colonial experiment that has become Canada.

Ryan McMahon on stage

With his brand of hard-hitting comedy, Ryan speaks with well respected Indigenous and settler lawyers, historians, researchers and policy makers who provide history, context and solutions for colonization roads and their impact. Ryan will look at the history of the roads, from the first settlers lured by Free Land Grant advertisements to the treaties signed in the name of Indigenous sovereignty and nationhood with the newcomers.

MORE:
Colonization Road is About Real, Actual Roads
Why I Won't Be Attending Canada's 150th Birthday Party

Ryan learns from historians and lawyers how treaties are the foundation of Canadian law and how they articulate the relationship between Indigenous peoples and settlers. These agreements have been repeatedly broken by the state. The breaking of treaties has displaced and disenfranchised First Nations throughout what we now call Canada. While the term "reconciliation" is often bandied about, the people Ryan meets with shine light on just how difficult the realization of reconciliation can be.

While roads provide access and infrastructure to settlers throughout the country, there are First Nation communities whose absence of roads has been detrimental and even deadly. Ryan looks at one such community: Shoal Lake 40 First Nation, which was cut off from the mainland at the beginning of the 20th century when water was diverted from the lake to provide drinking water to the city of Winnipeg, turning their community into an island. The community has been on a boil water advisory since 1997 and is only accessible by a barge in the summer and ice roads over the lake in the winter. In the weeks during freeze up and break up, fall and spring respectively, the residents of Shoal Lake 40 risk their lives to collect their mail or travel for work or shop for groceries.

MORE:
Listen to an interview with director Michelle St. John on Unreserved

For years, the people of Shoal Lake 40 have been demanding that the federal, provincial and municipal governments invest in the building of a bridge and a road that would connect their community to the Trans Canada Highway. They have named it - Freedom Road. Ryan visits Shoal Lake 40 to hear first hand from community members and leaders, why Freedom Road is so essential to their community.

In the end, Colonization Road will provide insight into a system that has led not only to the growth of Canada, but the very real cost of that growth and how honouring the treaties, foundational to this place we all call home can lead to a decolonized Canada as long as the waters flow.

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Since Europeans arrived on these shores, roads have been built to bring settlers across the country, connect them with resources to create industry and ultimately to establish a nation. Many of these interconnecting networks are called Colonization Roads. For Indigenous peoples, these roads embody a powerful and ironic reality; colonization is still so powerful, we name our roads after it.

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"The Secret Life of Canada: The Province of Jamaica"

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"The Secret Life of Canada: The Province of Jamaica"

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How did different groups of Black men and women successfully work together toward labour activism and human rights in Canada? This episode of The Secret Life of Canada explores Caribbean migration to Canada through historical perspectives, examines the legacies of Black activists and Sleeping Car Porters in Canadian history, and investigates the causes of systemic racism.

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CBC Podcasts · Posted: Aug 23, 2019 3:48 PM EDT | Last Updated: August 29, 2019

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TEACHING GUIDE: The Secret Life of the Province of Jamaica | CBC Radio

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This episode explores Caribbean migration to Canada through historical perspectives, examines the legacies of black activists and Sleeping Car Porters in Canadian history, and investigates the causes of systemic racism.

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This documentary that tells the stories of African American immigrants who settled in Alberta and Saskatchewan in the early 1900s. In the film, you’ll hear stories from 19 descendants of original settlers, as they moved north to escape slavery, persecution and racism in America. Once in Canada, these families would then experience more discrimination, both in Edmonton and in rural communities they settled.

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Winner of the 2018 Alberta Historical Resources Foundation 2018 Heritage Awareness award, We Are the Roots is a documentary that tells the stories of African American immigrants who settled in Alberta and Saskatchewan in the early 1900s.

In the film, you'll hear stories from 19 descendants of original settlers, as they moved north to escape slavery, persecution and racism in America. Once in Canada, these families would then experience more discrimination, both in Edmonton and in rural communities they settled.

The film was produced and created through a partnership between documentary film production company Bailey and Soda Films along with Edmonton's Shiloh Centre for Multicultural Roots,

Click the image above to view the full-length documentary.

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We Are the Roots: Black settlers and their experiences of discrimination on the Canadian prairies

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Winner of the 2018 Alberta Historical Resources Foundation 2018 Heritage Awareness award, We Are the Roots is a documentary that tells the stories of African American immigrants who settled in Alberta and Saskatchewan in the early 1900s. In the film, you'll hear stories from 19 descendants of original settlers, as they moved north to escape slavery,...

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Classroom Resources for Teaching Black History in Canada

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Classroom Resources for Teaching Black History in Canada

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A collective list of videos, podcasts, activities and more designed to celebrate Canada’s Black heritage and introduce diverse learning in the classroom or at home.

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This year marks the 25th anniversary since The Honourable Jean Augustine introduced the motion to make February, Black History Month in Canada. Alongside Augustine, many Black Canadians have played an important role in shaping our country's history, all while facing much discrimination and racism. Although such achievements should be recognized year-round, this month is a time to honour the legacy of Black Canadians and reflect on the many contributions they have made to our country. Brightspark has compiled a list of teacher resources to help you do just this! Find videos, podcasts, activities and more designed to celebrate Canada's Black heritage and introduce diverse learning in the classroom.

From understanding what Black History Month is, to a CBC Podcast complete with a lesson plan and activities, here are seven resources to help you teach Canadian Black History in your classroom.

What is Black History Month?

Delve into the origins of Black History Month and learn about how the civil rights movement traversed the American border and was brought to Canada.

Learn Our History

Canada has a long history of systematic racism and discrimination which is often overshadowed by that of American History. Follow along with this brief timeline video highlighting major moments and Black achievements in Canadian history. Students can then further explore some of these specific events through Historica Canada's or Canadiana's short video clips.

Female Freedom Fighters

Facing both sexism and racism, Black females are often some of the most overlooked members of society. This demographic, however, has contributed significantly to Canada's rich history. Have your students read through the Canadian Encyclopedia's collection of articles highlighting six Black Canadian female advocates, activists and catalysts for change within Canada. You can also read the 4 Black Canadian Women That Changed History article here on the Brightspark Blog. These individuals fought, pushed back and, demonstrated to ensuing generations that there was nowhere to go but up!

Activity Idea: Solve the Mystery Quest! In several resources above, you are introduced to Marie-Josephe Angelique, an enslaved Black woman accused of setting fire to a hospital and 45 houses on rue Saint-Paul in Montreal. Invite your students to complete this Mystery Quest, examining key pieces of evidence presented at the trial. Your students will ultimately need to decide whether they are convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that it was Angelique who set the fire!

Teaching with Podcasts

Podcasts are another great way to capture student interest and engage them in historical topics! Encourage your students listen to Portraits of Black Canadians or The Secret Life of Canada. These two podcasts discuss some of the country's hidden stories as well as spotlight some of the Black Canadians that have marked the country's past and present. Brightspark favourite episodes include Episode 5: Slave Rebellions and The Province of Jamaica which focus on Caribbean migration to Canada.

Activity Idea: The Secret Life of Canada has created Teaching Guides for select episodes including a lesson plan, activity sheet and a bonus content for The Province of Jamaica episode.

Canada's History Magazine for Kids

There are also many resources aimed specifically for young learners! Explore this Black History issue of Kayak: Canada's History for Kids examining some of the amazing stories and examples of the ways Black Canadians helped to build and shape this country. Be sure to check out the several lesson plans incorporated into their educational package as well!

Activity Idea: After reading the article "Black Voyageurs" found on page 18 of the magazine, have your students engage in one of or several activities listed in this guide which merges Black Canadian History with a pre-teen favourite: social media. These activities allow students to explore creative writing, media arts and selecting visuals for popular audiences with an emphasis on important historical events.

Test your Knowledge!

After participating in the above activities, challenge your class to a Kahoot! game to reinforce the key facts of Black History within Canada.

Go to Kahoot.com

Click "login" or "create account" on the top right

Once logged in, go to the discover tab next to the home button

In the search field, enter "Brightspark: Black History in Canada"

Click the "Brightspark: Black History in Canada" Kahoot

Hit "play" and select either Teach (live game where everyone plays at the same time) or Assign (students play at their own pace with a deadline attached to it)

Send the link and pin to your students (students do not need an account to play)

Unwritten Histories: An Online Guide

Looking for more? Check out this extremely comprehensive list from the Unwritten Histories blog citing specifically Canadian resources surrounding Black History. Here you will find even more lesson plans, various online exhibitions, and media content that can further supplement classroom learning.

If you are looking for further information on Black History month refer to our previous blog posts 5 Canadian Events to Remember This Black History Month and 4 Black Canadian Women That Changed History or for a more immersive lesson on Canada's Black History, consider taking your class on an Underground Railroad tour through the Niagara area.

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7 Classroom Resources for Teaching Black History in Canada

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This year marks the 25th anniversary since The Honourable Jean Augustine introduced the motion to make February, Black History Month in Canada. Alongside Augustine, many Black Canadians have played an important role in shaping our country's history, all while facing much discrimination and racism.

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Charis Books & More: books to teach white children and teens how to undo racism and white supremacy

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Charis Books & More: books to teach white children and teens how to undo racism and white supremacy

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Time and again we read that white children are not taught about race and racial injustice with the same frequency or at the same early age as their peers of color. Parents of white children often struggle to work conversations about race "naturally" into the flow of the day, believing that race, like sexuality or body development is a topic that necessitates a "big talk" in a time carved out from the flow of normal life. One of the easiest ways to do this is to have books around that prompt conversation and answer questions. Reading "diverse" books and cross-culturally is a great place to start. We also believe that one of the best ways to raise healthy, race-concious white children is to talk to them early and often about racial injustice and racial difference in the course of your daily family life. We recommend the following books for all families, but especially for parents of white children who may be struggling to talk about racial injustice with their kids and teens. We intentionally only featured a handful of "history" books and did not include the many wonderful biographies and histories of movement leaders because, though we carry those books in our store, too often discussions of racial justice and racism focus on the past, on the Civil Rights Movement in isolation or on individual heroes. Change begins now, with white people, in this present moment. We hope this gives you a few ideas for starting places. As always, we encourage you to browse our store in person or buy online at www.charisbooksandmore.com.

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Books to Teach White Children and Teens How to Undo Racism and White Supremacy

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Time and again we read that white children are not taught about race and racial injustice with the same frequency or at the same early age as their peers of color.

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The objectives of the Caribbean Canadian Association of Waterloo Region (CCAWR) are as follows:

To celebrate, promote and support the positive values and traditions of our diverse heritage, and to improve the quality of life of constituents, as well as for others who subscribe to our goals.

To provide social, cultural and educational programs, including the awarding of scholarships that meet the needs of the membership and the community.

To offer a wide range of culturally sensitive services which support the diverse needs of our constituents.

To advocate on behalf of the diverse communities on various economic, social, political, educational and other relevant issues.

To foster cultural integration and to help to develop a society in Canada built on the principle of racial justice.

To collaborate with agencies and organizations that share similar values and goals.

To acquire and hold real and personal property by purchase, bequest, lease or otherwise for the purposes of the Association.

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The CCAWR initiated the Persons of Distinction ceremony to honour individuals who have contributed to the region and the community in a meaningful way. It is our way of saying "thank you". The event will be held on April 29, 2017.
Learn More
Black History Month is recognized in February every year through events hosted by various community organizations. It is an opportunity to celebrate and remember the people and events in the history of the African diaspora who have contributed to the development of the Canadian society. Look out for upcoming events in your area.
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The CCAWR Family Brunch is one of the main fundraiser events for the organizations Scholarship Program. It is an annual event usually held in June and is hosted by the CCAWR to raise money for the Scholarship Fund. The event offers great entertainment, food, features a guest speaker, and of course a time to meet up with some old friends.
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The Awards of Excellence presentation ceremony is usually held in September, at which time all awardees are presented with their scholarships. The CCAWR Scholarship Fund was started in 2002 and provides tuition awards to students of Caribbean heritage in the Waterloo Region community as they move ahead to university or college. The award has steadily grown from $500 to $1,5000 over the years, and we will be undertaking new initiatives that increase the level award.
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CCAWR - Caribbean Canadian Association of Waterloo Region

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The CCAWR initiated the Persons of Distinction ceremony to honour individuals who have contributed to the region and the community in a meaningful way. It is our way of saying "thank you". The event will be held on April 29, 2017. Learn More Black History Month is recognized in February every year through events hosted by various community organizations.

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The ACB Network is a collaborative community development and capacity-building initiative created by Black leaders in Waterloo Region. All of the individuals currently engaged are local stakeholders who build on the longstanding community engagement efforts of the many cultural associations in the Region that represent different communities in the African diaspora. By focusing on advocacy and systems-level work, we avoid duplication of ongoing community-building efforts to engage with persistent issues that create barriers and inequities in our communities.

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We have created a directory of African, Caribbean and Black owned businesses/organizations in the region.

The ACB Network will be creating subcommittees to focus on key topics of interest as identified by community members during previous meetings. The subcommittees will work to develop strategic plans based on the documented report to address these areas of interest within the Kitchener-Waterloo Region.

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ACB Network - African, Caribbean and Black Network of Waterloo Region

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We have created a directory of African, Caribbean and Black owned businesses/organizations in the region. The ACB Network will be creating subcommittees to focus on key topics of interest as identified by community members during previous meetings. The subcommittees will work to develop strategic plans based on the documented report to address these areas of interest within the Kitchener-Waterloo Region.