Articles & Stories
History, the Law, and Policies
History, the Law, and Policies
The Making of Ferguson - Public Policies at the Root of its Troubles by Richard Rothstein
In August 2014, a Ferguson, Missouri, policeman shot and killed an unarmed black teenager. Michael Brown’s death and the resulting protests and racial tension brought considerable attention to that town. Observers who had not been looking closely at our evolving demographic patterns were surprised to see ghetto conditions we had come to associate with inner cities now duplicated in a formerly white suburban community: racially segregated neighborhoods with high poverty and unemployment, poor student achievement in overwhelmingly black schools, oppressive policing, abandoned homes, and community powerlessness.Magazine Feature from Teaching Tolerance: Does My Town Have a Racist Past?
How students can convert the shameful history of sundown towns in America into a rich opportunity for setting the record straight.Despite its rich history and liberal politics, Boston’s reputation is eclipsed by a dark shadow of racism. Racial tension notoriously escalated in the capital of Massachusetts during the 1970s when white residents violently protested school desegregation.Racial Wealth Gap: How Big is the Racial Wealth Gap? – Of Dollars And Data
As riots erupt across America following the murder of George Floyd, race relations have once again taken center stage in the United States. Though there is a lot of focus on the social inequalities occurring in the U.S., we should also take a deeper look at the economic inequalities as well.The Washington Post, Perspective: Why School Integration Works
It is time, Rucker C. Johnson says, to stop telling myths about the Supreme Court’s historic 1954 ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, in which the justices declared “separate but equal” schools unconstitutional and ordered the integration of public schools.Martin Luther King and the “Polite” Racism of White Liberals - Washington Post
Article by Jeanne Theoharis for the Washington Post.What's Behind The 1619 Project Controversy?
Right-leaning lawmakers in at least five states — Iowa, South Dakota, Missouri, Arkansas and Mississippi — have introduced legislation that would prohibit schools from teaching The 1619 Project or cut funding from those that do.The school curriculum linked to the New York Times’ 1619 Project— an initiative that aims to reframe U.S. history by putting the legacy of slavery and the contributions of Black Americans at its center—is once again the target of Republican lawmakers, who seek to ban the materials in three states.
Helping and Hoping
Helping and Hoping
16 Ways to Help Children Become Thoughtful, Informed, and BRAVE About Race
As adults in the lives of children, we play a crucial role in shaping how and what they learn about race. Here are some starting points for raising children who can be the thoughtful, informed, and race-brave community members our multiracial democracy needs to thrive.103 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice
Note 1: This article was last updated on September 21, 2020.Note 2: Our work to fix what we broke and left broken. The work isn’t done until Black folks tell us it’s done.CNN, How to Support Marginalized Communities
The pain felt by black communities after three recent tragedies is all too familiar. Each time these incidents happen, many of us are left wondering what we can do to support our African-American friends beyond anguished online posts -- and in real, meaningful ways. Being an ally -- a person who is not a member of a particular marginalized group but seeks to help end the oppression of those in the marginalized group -- is a constant process. Allyship can mean different things to different people, and it can be tough to know where to start.NPR spoke with five couples about how their family conversations have changed and how they try to support and inform their children in the face of police violence and racism. The parents spoke about how painful it is to have these issues rupture the innocence of childhood, and the importance of having these discussion proactively.What Antiracist Teachers Do Differently - by Pirette McKamey
They view the success of black students as central to the success of their own teaching.Reviews, Personal Stories, and Opinion Pieces
Reviews, Personal Stories, and Opinion Pieces
63 Black Harvard Students Share Their Experiences In A Powerful Photo Project
The "I, Too, Am Harvard" photo campaign explores the diverse experience that black students at Harvard have to face. Here are 21 of the images.Book Review: 'Caste' Argues Its Most Violent Manifestation Is In Treatment Of Black Americans
To read Isabel Wilkerson is to revel in the pleasure of reading — to relax into the virtuosic performance of thought and form one is about to encounter, safe and secure that the structures will not collapse beneath you.Maintaining Professionalism in the Age of Black Death...Is A Lot.
I just witnessed the lynching of a black man, but don’t worry Ted, I’ll have those deliverables to you end of day."The White Space" by Elijah Anderson
Since the end of the Civil Rights Movement, large numbers of black people have made their way into settings previously occupied only by whites, though their reception has been mixed. Overwhelmingly white neighborhoods, schools, workplaces, restaurants, and other public spaces remain. Blacks perceive such settings as “the white space,” which they often consider to be informally “off limits” for people like them. Meanwhile, despite the growth of an enormous black middle class, many whites assume that the natural black space is that destitute and fearsome locality so commonly featured in the public media, including popular books, music and videos, and the TV news—the iconic ghetto. White people typically avoid black space, but black people are required to navigate the white space as a condition of their existence.“White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” by Peggy McIntosh
"White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack" first appeared in Peace and Freedom Magazine, July/August, 1989, pp. 10-12, a publication of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, Philadelphia, PA.Reflections From A Token Black Friend by Ramesh A. Nagarajah
An article on structural racism, implicit bias, and what white people do (and don’t) say.How Can We Build Antiracist White Educators
One teacher reflects on what he and other white educators need to understand as they work to build anti-racist practices and identities.Impacts of Covid-19
Impacts of Covid-19
On Witness And Respair: A Personal Tragedy Followed By Pandemic
The acclaimed novelist lost her beloved husband—the father of her children—as COVID-19 swept across the country. She writes through their story, and her grief.Racism, cultural mistrust, miscommunication, chronic illness bred by limited food and living choices, and lived experience bind together communities of color as disparate as the Navajo Nation and Chelsea, Massachusetts. Why are we surprised? Because we are complacent.