Talking to White Kids About Race & Racism

Safe Space Radio

Many white parents have never learned how to talk about race and racism with their kids. Silence perpetuates racism—but it can be hard to know how to start. This hour-long program is about talking to white kids about race and racism: how white parents, families, and teachers can learn to show up for racial justice in a way that will make a difference for generations to come. The show explores a wide variety of approaches with kids of all ages.

Parents, racial justice experts, and teens all provide perspectives on these necessary and challenging conversations, with a focus on how white parents can actively interrupt the racist messages and stereotypes that children as young as three years old are already starting to pick up. We combine compelling storytelling with practical expert guidance to give you tools to start your own courageous conversations.

Tips & Strategies for Talking to White Kids About Race & Racism (PDF)

Listen to Stories From the Episode

Resources

From Our Guests

• Jennifer Harvey Full Interview Transcript (PDF)
• White Ally Toolkit
  David Campt
• Black Girl in Maine
  Shay Stewart-Bouley
• Waking Up White, and Finding Myself in the Story of Race
  Debbie Irving
• Raising White Kids: Bringing Up Children in a Racially Unjust America
  Jennifer Harvey
• Seeing White—Scene on Radio
  Produced and Hosted by John Biewen, with Chenjerai Kumanyika
• White Like Me: Reflections on Race From a Privileged Son
  Tim Wise
• Speak Out
  Hosted by Tim Wise
• White Kids: Growing Up With Privilege in a Racially Divided America
  Margaret Hagerman

Further Reading & Listening

Books

• White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism
  Robin DiAngelo
• So You Want to Talk About Race
  Ijeoma Oluo
• Between the World and Me
  Ta-Nehisi Coates
• Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? and Other Conversations About Race
  Beverly D. Tatum
• Me And White Supremacy Workbook
  Layla Saad
• Stamped From the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America
  Ibram X. Kendi
• The New Jim Crow
  Michelle Alexander

General Resources for White People Wanting to Become Anti-Racist Allies

• What is White Privilege?
  Cory Collins—Teaching Tolerance
• The Costs of Racism to White People
  Paul Kivel
• The Cost of Racism to White People and Why They Should Care About Racial Justice
  Diane Goodman—Focusing Initiatives International
• 100 Ways to Be a White Ally
  Kesiena Bloom—Broadly
• Anti-Racist Checklist for White People
  Robin DiAngelo (adapted from Dr. John Raible)
• Silence-Breakers for White People
  Anika Nailah & Robin DiAngelo
• Research Says There Are Ways to Reduce Racial Bias—Calling People Racist Isn’t One of Them
  German Lopez—Vox

Parenting & Teaching

• How To Talk to Kids About Race: Books & Resources That Can Help
  Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich—Brightly
• They Were Raised To Be Colorblind—But Now More White Parents are Talking About Race
  Caitlin Gibson—The Washington Post
• 24 Books for Anti-Racist Teachers
  Joe Truss—Culturally Responsible Leadership
• Talking About Race, Learning About Racism
  Beverly Tatum—Harvard Educational Review
• 31 Children’s Books to Support Conversations on Race, Racism, and Resistance
  Embrace Race
• Classroom Resources
  Teaching Tolerance

Race & Education

• The Utter Inadequacy of America’s Efforts to Desegregate Schools
  Alana Semuels—Atlantic
• The Data Proves That School Segregation Is Getting Worse
  Alvin Chang—Vox
• Segregation Now
  Nikole Hannah-Jones—ProPublica
• Unequal Opportunity: Race and Education
  Linda Darling-Hammond—Brookings Institution
• Inequality at School
  Kirsten Weir—American Psychological Association

Race & Housing

• Racial Residential Segregation and Neighborhood Disparities
  Solomon Greene et al—U.S. Partnership on Mobility from Poverty
  
• The Shocking Truth 50 Years After the 1968 Fair Housing Act
  John Wake—Forbes
• The Test Used to Expose Housing Discrimination and Its Chicago Roots
  Natalie Moore—WBEZ

Race & Employment

• Workplace Discrimination is Illegal. But Our Data Shows It’s Still a Huge Problem.
  Maryam Jameel & Joe Yerardi—Vox
• The Mark of a Criminal Record
  Devah Pager—American Journal of Sociology

Race & Criminal Justice

• Criminal Justice Facts
  The Sentencing Project
• Tipping Point: Maryland’s Overuse of Incarceration and the Impact on Public Safety
  Eric Lotke & Jason Ziedenberg—Justice Policy Institute
• Ending Mass Incarceration: Ideas From Today’s Leaders
  Inimai M. Chettiar et al.—Brennan Center
• Left and Right Agree on Criminal Justice: They Were Both Wrong Before
  Maggie Astor—The New York Times
• There’s Overwhelming Evidence That the Criminal Justice System is Racist. Here’s the Proof.
  Radley Balko—The Washington Post
• Report: Who Pays? The True Cost of Incarceration on Families
  Ella Baker Center for Human Rights & Partners

Race & Healthcare

• Doctors and Racial Bias: Still a Long Way to Go
  Aaron E. Carroll—The New York Times
• Implicit Bias in Healthcare Professionals: a Systematic Review
  Chloe FitzGerald and Samia Hurst—BMC Medical Ethics
• Reducing Racial Disparities in Healthcare By Confronting Racism
  Martha Hostetter and Sarah Klein—The Commonwealth Fund

Helpful Organizations

• Teaching Tolerance
• Equal Justice Initiative
• The Conscious Kid
• Embrace Race
• ERASE Racism
• Cultures of Dignity
• DreamYard
• Showing Up for Racial Justice
• Community Change Inc.
• Justice Mapping Project
• White Privilege Conference
• Center for Racial Justice in Education

We’d love to hear from you! If you are a parent or teacher, and you have a story about talking to kids about racism—or a comment for one of our guests—please leave us a voicemail at 617-600-8419.

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