19 Resources For Children & Youth To Fight Racism.
In the midst of yet another killing of an African American by police, and the subsequent urban unrest, many parents, guardians, and educators have been asking “where can I start a conversation with my children?” Below is a list of 19 resources, from videos to podcasts to articles, to help you have a conversation with your youth about race in America.
Updated On: June 19, 2020
1) If you are a parent, guardian, or educator of young people, start here. This short video from the Atlantic is a primer on how, and why having a conversation with kids is important.
2) For parents, guardians, or educators, reading this list from the Anti-Defamation League will help you map out a conversation for engaging critically and compassionately with your kids about race.
3) Read Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You: A Remix of the National Book Award-Winning Stamped From the Beginning by Ibram X Kendi and Jason Reynolds. It’s a ‘junior’ remix of Kendi’s Stamped From the Beginning.
4) Take the Harvard Implicit Bias Test here. Discuss the results.
5) Read fiction from Black Authors. Some great choices include Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neal Hurston, Toni Morrison’s Beloved, Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man, Colson Whitehead’s The Nickel Boys.
6) Watch The Hate You Give. Discuss with your friends, or children.
7) Listen to Eula Bliss discuss Whiteness and privilege on this podcast.
8) Read a follow-up blog post “The Unbearable Lightness of Being White” here.
9) Listen to Peggy McIntosh’s TEDTalk on White Privilege here.
10) Watch this 2 minutes video from Ibram X Kendi on how to be an anti-racist here.
11) Watch this short video from PBS on Introducing Implicit Bias here.
12) Watch part two of this short video from PBS on friendship and battling implicit bias here.
13) Watch 13th, it’s streaming on Netflix.
14) Watch The Hate You Give. Discuss with your children.
15) Watch Just Mercy, it’s available to stream free on all digital platforms.
16) Subscribe to podcasts that examine race in America. These include ‘The 1619 Project’, ‘Code Switch’, ‘Pod Save America’, and ‘Ear Hustle’.
17) Read Isabel Wilkerson The Warmth of Other Suns. The ‘Great Migration’ of African Americans from the South to the North had a significant impact on shaping Norfolk.
18) Follow the Urban Renewal Center on Facebook, and Instagram. @theurcnorfolk. You can keep track of all the new articles, resources we’re publishing.
19) Read Black poetry. Check out poems that celebrate and engage Black culture here. Some poets to consider: Gwendolyn Brooks, Ross Gay, bell hooks, Nikki Giovanni, Alice Walker, and James Baldwin.
This list is updated regularly. Check back for new materials.