Talking to Children about Race and Racism

Handout from November 10, 2020 PTA Meeting: Printable PDF Version

 

Antiracism Resources for Adults

Ann Hazzard, PhD, ABPP, Marianne Celano, Ph.D. ABPP & Marietta Collins, Ph.D  

Co-authors, Something Happened in Our Town: A Child's Story about Racial Injustice (Magination Press, 2018)

 

There are many excellent resources available in multiple formats.  This list is by no means exhaustive, but a good starting point for adults seeking to inform themselves and their children.  

 

Finding Diverse Books for Children

Anti-Defamation League (ADF)  https://www.adl.org/education-and-resources/resources-for-educators-parents-families

African American Literature Book Club https://aalbc.com/books/children.php

Brown Bookshelf https://thebrownbookshelf.com/ 

Diverse Book Finder https://diversebookfinder.org/books/

Latinx in Kid Lit https://latinosinkidlit.com/

Booklists developed by Hazzard, Collins, Celano https://www.apa.org/pubs/magination/441B228?tab=5

 

Resources for Adults (with an emphasis on parenting)

American Psychological Association RESilience Initiative. (2019). Racial stress and self-care: Parent tip tool. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/res/parent-resources/racial-stress-tool-kit.pdf

 

Caminos Lab. One talk at a time. Retrieved from https://www.caminoslab.org/onetalk

Free online videos and handouts to support conversations among African-American, Asian, and Latinx families. 

 

Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University.  (2017).  Scene on radio:  Seeing white.  14-part podcast available free from Itunes or other streaming sites.

 

Embrace Race.  Retrieved from http://www.embracerace.org/

A series of engaging webinars covering best practices for raising and caring for all kids in the context of race. 

 

Gienapp, R. (2019).  Raising antiracist kids:  An age by age guide for parents of white children.  Retrieved from https:/www.thebarefootmommy.com

 

Greenberg, J. Citizenship and social justice.  Retrieved 2/17/20 from http://citizenshipandsocialjustice.com/

A high school teacher has curated a multi-media, user- friendly 11-step guide to understanding race, racism, and white privilege.

 

Harvey, J.  (2017).  Raising white kids:  Bringing up children in a racially unjust America.  Nashville, TN:  Abingdon Press. 

 

PBS has many fantastic resources, often aimed at preschoolers.  One recent video features parents discussing racism with young children (https://www.pbs.org/parents/talking-about-racism).   Sesame Street consistently celebrates diversity and recently produced the Power of We, a video about racism aimed at preschoolers (https://www.sesameworkshop.org/what-we-do/racial-justice/about-the-power-of-we. PBS shows featuring diverse characters and prosocial messages include Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, Molly of Denali, Dragon Tails, and the classic Reading Rainbows with LeVar Burton.  Shows which celebrate diversity on other networks include Dora the Explorer, Bino & Fino, and Doc McStuffins.

 

Serial and New York Times. (2020).  Nice white parents.  Podcast available for download.

 

Shutack, C.  75 things white people can do for racial justice.  Retrieved from https://medium.com/equality-includes-you/what-white-people-can-do-for-racial-justice-f2d18b0e0234

 

TED.  Clint Smith: How to raise a black son in Americahttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us70DN2XSfM 

 

Teaching Tolerance.  (2018).  Classroom resources. http://www.tolerance.org/classroom-resources

This website is designed for teachers, but can also help parents to find materials to broaden their child's perspectives on history and social justice.

 

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