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Anti-Racism Resources
This document is intended to serve as a resource to parents and educators to deepen our anti-racism work. If you would like to learn more about this topic please explore the options below. Also, feel free to circulate this document on social media and with your friends, family, and colleagues.
Resources:
Books:
- Coretta Scott King Book Award Winners: books for children and young adults
- 31 Children's books to support conversations on race, racism and resistance
- Beloved by Toni Morrison
- Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry (picture book)
- How To Be An Antiracist by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi
- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
- Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
- The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
- The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein
- The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
- The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
by Michelle Alexander - Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
- Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? by Beverly Daniel Tatum, PhD
Podcasts:
- Fare of the Free Child podcast
- Integrated Schools podcast episode “Raising White Kids with Jennifer Harvey”
- NPR Podcast Episode "Talking Race With Young Children"
Articles for Parents:
- How White Parents Can Talk To Their Kids About Race | NPR
- Teaching Your Child About Black History Month | PBS
- Your Kids Aren't Too Young to Talk About Race: Resource Roundup from Pretty Good
- How to Talk to Kids About Race and Racism Parent Toolkit
- Talking to Children after racial incidents from the Penn GSE Newsroom
- Talking to Kids About Discrimination American Psychological Association
- Social Justice National Association of School Psychologists
- Talking to Kids About Racial Stereotypes Media Smarts
- Activities that Promote Racial and Cultural Awareness PBS
Articles for Teachers:
- “Moments like now are why we teach’: Educators tackle tough conversations about race and violence — this time virtually” by Reema Amin, Caroline Bauman, and Stephanie Wang I Chalkbeat (May 31, 2020)
- ”My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant” by Jose Antonio Vargas | NYT Mag (June 22, 2011)
- The 1619 Project (all the articles) | The New York Times Magazine
- ”White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” by Knapsack Peggy McIntosh
- “Who Gets to Be Afraid in America?” by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi | Atlantic (May 12, 2020)
- Teaching About Race, Racism, and Police Violence from Teaching Tolerance
- Beyond the Golden Rule Teaching Tolerance
- Talking with Kids about Race and Racism: A Community Conversation from the Oakland Public Library
- 60+ Resources for Talking to Kids About Racism Bounceback Parenting (includes books lists by age)
- Discussing Difficult Situations with Your Children National PTA
- Race and Equity Resources National School Counselor Association
- Talking About Race Web Portal National Museum of African American History and Culture
Organizations to follow on Social Media:
- The Conscious Kid: follow them on Instagram and consider signing up for their Patreon
- Colorlines: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- Justice League NYC: Twitter | Instagram + Gathering For Justice: Twitter | Instagram
- The Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- The Movement For Black Lives (M4BL): Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Films, Documentaries and TV series:
(Ratings and Reviews in link)
- 13th (Ava DuVernay) — Netflix
- I Am Not Your Negro (James Baldwin doc) — Available to rent or on Kanopy
- If Beale Street Could Talk (Barry Jenkins) — Hulu
- Just Mercy (Destin Daniel Cretton) — Available to rent for free in June in the U.S.
- Selma (Ava DuVernay) — Available to rent for free in June in the U.S.
- The Hate U Give (George Tillman Jr.) — Available to rent for free
- When They See Us (Ava DuVernay) — Netflix Miniseries
More anti-racism resources to check out:
Jenna Arnold’s (Educator & Activist) resources (books and people to follow)
Rachel Ricketts’ (racial justice educator, lawyer, healer, speaker and author) anti-racism resources
Zinn Education Project’s teaching materials
Reviewing and agreeing on the principles below can help us have candid discussions about racism with our own children, students—or among fellow educators.
- Assume that, at any given moment in the conversation, the other person is doing the best he or she can. Chances are, it's true.
- Forgive yourself and others for making mistakes, including inexact wording, muddled thinking, or unintended use of stereotypes.
- Suppress hidden agendas and the urge to preach or politicize.
- Remain non accusatory when you see things differently from another. Use phrases like, "It's been my experience that ___," "Tell me more about___," or "How did faculty at your last school respond to ___?"
- Seek first to understand, then to be understood (Covey, 2013).
- If you disagree with someone, paraphrase that person's point before responding. It helps him know that his comments were heard and considered.
- Avoid language that blames ("If it weren't for white people. …" "They're always speaking Spanish together, so they must not want me around." "You're blind to white privilege.") Blaming thwarts honest conversation.
- Don't ask anyone to speak for a whole race if there's only one student or colleague in the group from a particular culture or race.
- Acknowledge that candid conversation makes us all vulnerable. Teachers' inner selves are on view daily by many constituencies—students, parents, administrators, and the general public. They are also subject to self-doubts and high expectations of professionalism. As a result, they may be hesitant to open those vulnerability gates too widely.
- Avoid associating the quality of a colleague's teaching with exploratory comments offered in conversation about racism. A peer can be a neophyte in such conversations, but effective in the classroom.
Document compiled by Sarah Sophie Flicker, Alyssa Klein in May 2020. Adapted by Jeanine Farfalla Tricario in June 2020.