Racism

The dictionary defines racism as, “...prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against a person or people on the basis of their membership of a particular racial or ethnic group, typically one that is a minority or marginalized… the belief that different races possess distinct characteristics, abilities, or qualities, especially so as to distinguish them as inferior or superior to one another."

In order to achieve full equity and antiracism, an understanding of racism and injustice is necessary. Children need to learn how to recognize racism, and that they can take action to combat it.

The resources that follow are organized for educators and parents to help undertake this important task.

Understanding 21st Century Racism

Learn more about the impact of systemic, structural, institutional, and indiviualized racim.

The lie that invented racismTo understand and eradicate racist thinking, start at the beginning. That's what journalist and documentarian John Biewen did, leading to a trove of surprising and thought-provoking information on the "origins" of race. He shares his findings, supplying answers to fundamental questions about racism -- and lays out an exemplary path for practicing effective allyship.

Learn about why is it difficult to talk abut race from the author of White Fragility

Why we must confront the painful parts of US historyTo move forward in the United States, we must look back and confront the difficult history that has shaped widespread injustice. Revisiting a significant yet overlooked piece of the past, Hasan Kwame Jeffries emphasizes the need to weave historical context, no matter how painful, into our understanding of modern society -- so we can disrupt the continuum of inequality massively affecting marginalized communities.

Racism in the Classroom:
We Need to Do Better

The Achievement gap first exposed by NCLB act of 2002, has been revealed to exist long before this educational mandate. The disparity in scores between students of color and their white counterparts reveals an underlying institutional racism that is pervasive throughout education and demands intentional interventions to counter it. Both urban and suburban schools experience overrepresentation in discipline and special edcuation, while under representation in AP, honors, and gIfted classes. These disparites are exacerbated by a lack of culturally relevant curriculum and teacher diversity.