Tuesday, June 16, 2020
Students’ and educators’ lives have been dramatically disrupted by COVID-19. In addition, the recent killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and others and the social unrest that has resulted has amplified the need for ongoing dialogue and has highlighted the importance of creating spaces and opportunities for children to learn and grow in their understandings of race and racism in America. As the school year comes to a virtual close, having conversations with students about race may be difficult; however, there are several tools and resources available for educators and parents to talk to children about race and racism in the United States.
As the state education agency, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s mission is educational equity. This means providing guidance and support to districts and schools about how to meet the needs of students including creating safe, anti-racist school communities. From advancing equity through social and emotional learning and promoting culturally responsive practices to supporting educators in deepening their understanding of and closing the racial achievement gap, the DPI remains committed to supporting districts and schools in fostering important conversations about race and eliminating racism in our schools and communities.
There are several current resources available for educators and parents to talk to children of all ages about race and racism. The following list offers routes to information, books, and ideas for doing just that:
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PBS Learning Media: Confronting Anti-Black Racism is a collection of materials for middle and high school students to develop an awareness of anti-Black racism. There are videos, lesson plans, and other media for students to view.
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PBS Kids for Parents, How Black Art Can Spark Conversations With Children: Dr. Aisha White shares how art can help children understand history and resist race-based negativity.
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Books for Littles, Anti-Racism For Kids 101: Starting To Talk About Race: A resource for acknowledging and talking about race with children, along with book recommendations for age groups from two through seven.
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Children’s Cooperative Book Center, Selected Books about the Civil Rights Movement for Children and Teens: Organized by grade range, the books establish history from the African American Civil Rights Movement from the 1940s through the 1960s.
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Embracerace.org, 31 Children's books to support conversations on race, racism and resistance: A list of picture books with age ranges from 3-12 that can foster conversations that acknowledge race and racism.
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Commonsensemedia.org, Books About Racism and Social Justice: Fiction and non-fiction titles for all ages focused on people’s experiences with racism while providing historical context.
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Teaching Tolerance, Race and Ethnicity: publications, webinars, and web packages organized to promote conversations about race and racial and ethnic injustice.
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Brightly, How to Talk to Kids About Race: Books and Resources That Can Help: ideas for taking stock of your own understanding of race, how to start conversations, and books for all ages to build a diverse library.
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National Museum of African American History and Culture, Talking About Race: an easily navigable website of tools and guidance for talking to children about race, organized for teachers, parents, and citizens.