Talking with Children About Racism and Inclusion
- Talking About Racial Injustice with Children (a collection of resources for families and adults who work with children, June 2020)
- Talking to Children after Racial Incidents An interview with Howard Stevenson, a clinical psychologist at Penn Graduate School of Education.
- Table Talk: Family Conversations about Current Events Links to specific current events and guidance for parents, families, and caregivers. Also: Explaining the News to Our Kids on the Common Sense Media website.
- Coming Together: Talking to Children About Race and Identity Developmentally appropriate resources from Sesame Street for exploring racial justice and celebrating identity with young children. It’s Sesame Street, so there are songs, stories, activities, and familiar furry friends to help.
Resources for Anti-Racism Learning and Action
- Black Lives Matter Instructional Library (several books, across ages)
- Compiled by Pheobe Defino. An excellent collection of children’s racial justice books all in read-aloud format. Sections/shelves focusing on: Activism and Advocacy, Self-love and Empowerment, Black History, Libros en Espanol, Additional Resources and Contact.
- Children and Youth Resources Exploring Racism and Racial Justice (by Melinda Wenner Bradley, PYM) list of websites, blogs, online articles, curricula and children’s literature that begins with framing queries:
- How do we approach the work of teaching/learning about undoing racism for both Friends of European and African descent? Other People of Color?
- What scaffolding or tools can we create/recommend for working with a book resource? (queries, wondering questions, etc.)
- How do we prepare the way in our meetings and RE programs for ALL children to feel welcomed, included and fully participatory in the Religious Society of Friends? How do we signal welcome and inclusion to visitors?
- Racial Justice Curriculum for Young Friends (by Lisa Graustein, New England Yearly Meeting, for middle and high-school age Friends)
- “Something Happened in Our Town” — lesson based on a children’s story about racial injustice, told from two perspectives, that of a Black family and a white family. Created by Friends at Madison Meeting in Northern Yearly Meeting
- Protest Song Activity (created by the KidsBridge Center)
Native Justice
- Choosing Excellent Children’s Books By & About American Indians
created by the The Indian Affairs Committee of Salem Quarter, guidance for choosing books; there are many newer picture books which center the voices of Native people! - Children’s Books on Indigenous Residential Schools & Forced Assimilation:
- Art Activity for Remembrance and Healing for Native American Boarding Schools
- “Decolonizing Thanksgiving Is An Oxymoron – Kids Books Dismantling The Myth of a ‘First Thanksgiving’”
“Rethinking Thanksgiving” from Northstar Educational Explorations is a good resource for reexamining the holiday and history behind it to teach children the truth of Thanksgiving – modeling generosity and gratitude all year long – while remembering the violent history of colonization.
