From elementary classrooms to university seminars, schools in the United States continue to erase and silence, underserve, and over-discipline Black students and other students of color. These resources explore the history, legacy, and current impact of systemic racism within the U.S. education system.
Historical Timeline of Public Education in the US (Race Forward, 2006)
This timeline traces the development of education in the United States with a focus on racial inequity and injustice.
"History of Institutional Racism in U.S. Public Schools" (The Ed Advocate, 2019)
Matthew Lynch discusses the history and current forms of racism in public education in the U.S.
"How Racism Affects Minority Students in Public Schools" (ThoughtCo, 2020)
Nadra Kareem Nittle examines how systemic racism harms students of color in U.S. public schools.
"When Minority Students Attend Elite Private Schools" (The Atlantic, 2013)
Judith Ohikuare explores the challenges she and other students of color have experienced while attending predominantly white private schools in the United States.
"Across Atlanta private schools, black students and grads share their pain" (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 2020)
Maureen Downey reports on Atlanta area Black students who started a social media movement to share their stories about experiencing racism while attending predominantly white private schools. Oak Ridge, the fictional private school that Justyce attends in Dear Martin, is in Atlanta.
"Affirmative Action" (Encyclopedia Britannica)
Encyclopedia Britannica provides a description of how affirmative action efforts in education and employment seek to remedy centuries of discrimination against minority groups in the United States.
"5 Key Events in Affirmative Action History" (ThoughtCo, 2018)
"The Affirmative Action Debate: Five Issues to Consider" (ThoughtCo, 2019)
In these two short articles, Nadra Kareem Nittle reviews key events, issues, and questions that shape the often divisive topic of affirmative action in the U.S.
"The Myth of Reverse Racism" (The Atlantic, 2017)
Vann R. Newkirk II deconstructs and debunks the idea that affirmative action discriminates against white people.
"Implicit Bias, Stereotype Threat and Higher Education" (TEDx, 2018)
In this 11-minute video, Russell McClain examines the role of implicit bias and stereotype threat - the fear of confirming another's biased views - in creating achievement gaps in higher education.
Leah Asmelash analyzes how hair discrimination in U.S. schools is bad for all students while specifically harming Black students.
"The Crown Act: What You Need to Know About the Fight Against Hair Discrimination" (Cosmopolitan, 2020)
Ama Kwarteng details the current movement to end hair discrimination in education and employment.
"School-to-Prison Pipeline" (American Civil Liberties Union)
The ACLU describes the pattern in U.S. education of young people moving directly from public schools into juvenile (and adult) detention facilitates.
"Why are We Criminalizing Black Students?" (Education Week, 2017)
Tyrone C. Howard discusses how the presence of "school resource officers" in U.S. schools contributes to the policing and criminalization of Black students.
"From Preschool to Prison: The Criminalization of Black Girls" (Center for American Progress, 2017)
Mackenzie Chakara examines the "school-to-prison pipeline" with specific attention on how Black girls are over-penalized in the U.S. education system.