AFTER WORKING THROUGH THIS MODULE, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO:

• Explain how youth develop racial biases.
• Develop confidence to talk about race with youth.
• Engage in conversations with your colleagues who are resistant to talk about race.

INTRODUCTION

While these statements are likely uttered with the best of intentions, they ignore the reality of life in the United States. Whether we want to admit it or not, race and racism exist and affect people every day. Not talking about race does not make racism go away. In fact, by pretending racism doesn’t exist, by being silent, by teaching children race and racism are taboo topics, and by not acknowledging the negative impacts of systemic racism on communities of color, we reinforce the very structures that allow racism to thrive and grow.

If we want to create equitable and inclusive libraries, we must first understand how youth develop their racial biases. We must then commit to talking about race and racism with children and teens. We will make mistakes—that’s a part of the process – but making mistakes is better than shushing children or pretending “it didn’t come up.”

PART 1: WHY AND HOW DO YOUTH FORM RACIAL BIASES?

The research is clear: young children, even infants, notice race (Katz & Kofkin, 1997). By the ages of three to five, children develop racial biases (Katz, 2003; Van Ausdale & Feagin, 2001). “How is that possible?” you may be asking. The short answer is that children are socialized through interactions with their peers, adults, the media, and institutions. As Debra Van Ausdale & Joe R. Feagin explain in their book The First R: How Children Learn Race and Racism:

“Racist thought and practice remains strong in the United States, and young children cannot avoid participating in and perpetuating them. Racism surrounds us, permeates our ideas and conversations, focuses our relationships with one another, shapes our practices, and drives much of our personal, social, and political lives. There are few social forces so strong. Children are neither immune to it nor unaware of its power.” (2001, p. 198).

Youths’ understanding of race and racial concepts are not inconsequential. It informs how youth see themselves, their interactions with others (i.e. how they select their friends, which adults they admire and trust, etc.), how they negotiate their social and academic lives, and how they develop their understandings of power and privilege (Van Ausdale & Feagin, 2001).

The resources and activities below will help you gain a better understanding of how youth are socialized to understand race and racism.

CONNECT

Think about your earliest race-related memory. How old were you? What emotions are attached to the memory? Did you talk to anyone about what happened? Did you tell anyone how you felt? Why or why not?

READ

Select and read one of the two articles below:

• [Approx time:12-13 min] Children Are Not Colorblind: How Young Children Learn Race by Erin N. Winkler– This article provides an overview of the research about how young children develop racial biases. The author also provides five strategies caregivers or teachers can use to discuss race and racism with youth.
  • Optional: for more information about how children form ideas about race, what children learn and when they learn it, why they learn certain things at certain times, why this matters, and what we can do about it, watch Dr. Winkler’s lecture, “Children Are Not Colorblind”¹ under Additional Resources.

• [Approx time: 7-8 min] Teaching Tolerance: How white parents should talk to their young kids about race by Melinda Wenner Moyer – This article explores the development of racial bias in young children and provides tips for how adults, specifically white adults, can talk to children about race.

REFLECT

The next time one of your colleagues, a friend, or a caregiver says, “children don’t see color,” or “why is it important to talk about race in storytime?” how would you respond?

PART 2: TALKING ABOUT RACE AND RACISM WITH YOUTH

Parents typically shush their children when they mention race. Educators and librarians often ignore racial comments, change the subject, or even shut youth down. While doing so may make adults feel more at ease or in control, it can give children and teens the impression that talking about race is unacceptable, even forbidden. The truth is, whether or not we draw attention to race, all of us, including children, automatically notice race. Discussing it won’t increase the likelihood of children or teens discriminating against people of color or Indigenous people. In fact, just the opposite is true. Talking about race can challenge prevalent stereotypes, decrease prejudice, make BIPOC feel more comfortable and accepted, and help youth develop positive racial identities (see Module 9). On the other hand, not discussing race can leave youth to draw their own conclusions (often negative) about race, perpetuate discriminatory attitudes and behaviors, and cause BIPOC who are often the targets of racism to feel unaccepted and unwelcome, even unsafe.

As adults, we avoid talking about race and racism for a variety of reasons. It might be because we don’t really understand it ourselves. We might believe it’s better to be “colorblind” (see Module 11). We might be afraid that if we do try to talk about race, we’ll say the wrong thing or we’ll lose control of the situation/classroom. We might even think that by talking about race and racism, we might be accused of being a racist.

In this section of the module, you will gain ideas for how to talk with youth about race, and hear from students, parents, educators, and librarians who are tackling the subject.

WATCH

A group of high school students in Chapel Hill, North Carolina worked together to develop the Students’ Six, a professional development program to improve instruction for students of color by identifying and promoting the use of research-based and student-validated teaching strategies. In the video below, one of the Students’ Six participants, Jotham White, shares some of his experiences with race and racism in the classroom – specifically, how two of his teachers addressed or failed to address race with students.

Following are a series of short articles and a podcast that explore talking about race and prejudice with youth. Please choose one of the below options [READ or LISTEN] to learn more about this topic. Each option takes approximately 20 minutes.

OPTION 1: READ

• The ALSC Early Childhood Programs and Services Committee created Talking with Young Children (0-5) about Race, a resource for librarians serving youth. It contains 3 concrete steps adults can take to talk to young children about race, as well as links to additional resources.
• The Anti-Defamation League also provides concrete tips for talking about race and racism with youth in the classroom, which can be applicable in library settings: Talking to Young Children about Bias and Prejudice
• Erin N. Winkler, associate professor of Africology and Urban Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, provides seven ways adults can talk with children about complex things like systemic racism and societal inequity in the article Here’s How To Raise Race-Conscious Children.

OPTION 2: LISTEN

Listen to this 22-minute segment of This American Life entitled If You See Racism Say Racism in which comedian and writer W. Kamau Bell tries to figure out just how much about the violent history of racism and oppression his four-year-old can handle. As you listen to the segment, think about these questions: What stuck out to you most in this segment? Was your thinking challenged in any way? How do you feel about the different approaches to discussing race and racism with children that are represented in this segment?

IMAGES OF PRACTICE

It’s never too early to begin talking about race with children in the library. Jessica Anne Bratt, formerly the Youth Services Manager at Grand Rapids Public Library, has created a number of resources to help library professionals as they navigate these conversations. Read Jessica’s guest blog post on Jbrary for some of these tips. The toolkit mentioned in the blogpost is no longer readily available – if you would like more information from Jessica Bratt, check out her book² listed in Additional Resources.

OPTIONAL: EXPLORE

[Approx time: 70 min]

For more strategies on talking about race with youth, explore the resources below.

The purpose of the “Raising Race Conscious Children”³ blog is to support parents and teachers who want to talk about race and diversity with youth. On the blog, you’ll find strategies for talking with youth, including 100 race-conscious things you can say to your child to advance racial justice. Explore some of the tactics they recommend.

Can We Talk: Talking to White Kids About Race & Racism is an hour-long show from Safe Space Radio that focuses specifically on how white parents, families, and teachers can engage white youth in conversations about race. The show includes the perspectives and stories of parents, racial justice experts, and teens. As you listen, think about how you might incorporate their suggestions into your work with youth.

PART 3: ENGAGING IN CONVERSATIONS WITH YOUR COLLEAGUES WHO ARE RESISTANT TO TALKING ABOUT RACE

Having conversations about race and inequity with colleagues, especially when they are resistant, may be difficult but is necessary. While it may feel more comfortable to be silent, to not engage,  it is important to remember that for those impacted by racism, silence = acceptance.  As Dr. King said, “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”

Marceline Dubose and Tess Ormseth, members of the Due East Educational Equity Collaborative,  have written a number of blog posts offering concrete strategies for talking to our colleagues (and others) about race and inequity. Read their blog post Conversations with Colleagues: Calling Out Inequities to learn more. 

WATCH

In this video, blogger and radio host Jay Smooth provides advice on how to tell someone they sound racist.

BUT WAIT!

In this section, we address common questions and concerns related to the material presented in each module. You may have these questions yourself, or someone you’re sharing this information with might raise them. We recommend that for each question below, you spend a few minutes thinking about your own response before clicking “See More” to see our response.