Anti-Racism Resources for Kids, Families, and Educators

Do you remember the first conversation you had about race? Do you remember who it was with? How old you were? What set it in motion?

Earlier this month I ran across the Ted Talk below, given by Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum. She’s an amazingly talented speaker and even though I could listen to her for hours, she manages to clearly address a complex topic with humor, humanity, and eloquence in just under 14 minutes. Now that’s a gift.

If you’re here looking for ways to navigate the crucial, but sometimes uncomfortable discussions about race with your kids, I think Dr. Tatum’s own conversations offer such a kind and caring, real place to begin. And she gets right to the point. The important thing? Have the conversations.

“In this moment, our silence will not help us. We have to have conversations. The way forward to changing our future is with a conversation. Sometimes even a conversation with a 3-year-old.”

Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum

Whether you’re an individual looking to learn more, a parent on the search for hands-on anti-racism learning activities, or a teacher looking to foster a classroom environment that encourages healthy race-positive discussions – there’s something among these resources that will help you start the conversation.

You’ll also find some tools here to encourage activism in your kids, because learning to speak up for ourselves and each other is another important piece of the discussion too.

I am still learning how to use barley & birch as a tool to combat systemic racism. Rather than using this link list to find a “one-and-done” activity, I hope you think of this post as I do: a start. I hope you find wisdom, optimism, and encouragement in these materials, as I have. Fighting racism and oppression – continuing these conversations – is a life-long habit we can work on together.

Visit our new Heritage and Pride Months: Kids Resources Hub to find inclusive activities you can use to celebrate diversity all throughout the year.

Books

• An Anti-Racist Reading List by Ibram X. Kendi
• The Anti-Racist Book List from Brain Lair Books
• Indigenous Studies Book Collection from Birchbark Books
• An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
• A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn
• Books and Articles written by Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum

Podcasts

• Uncivil a podcast from Gimlet Media
• This Land from Crooked Media
• The Seeing White Podcast from Scene on Radio
• Nice White Parents Podcast from The New York Times
• Running from COPS from Topic

Movies, Documentaries, and Series

• 13th and When They See Us directed by Ava DuVernay
• I Am Not Your Negro directed by Raoul Peck, based on James Baldwin‘s unfinished manuscript Remember This House
• Wyatt Cenac’s Problem Areas (HBO)
• United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell (CNN)
• Reel Injun directed by Neil Diamond
• Slavery by Another Name presented by PBS
• Jim Crow of the North presented by Twin Cities PBS
• Black Is…Black Ain’t directed by Marlon Riggs (if your library partners with Kanopy you can watch it free with a library card)
• Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland
• Do the Right Thing directed by Spike Lee

Taking Family Action

• Courageous Conversation from Pacific Educational Group
• The Guide to Allyship from Amelie Lamont
• Woke Homeschooling from Delina Pryce McPhaull
• Address and take action against offensive native mascots
• Shop We Buy Black or download the Official Black Wall Street App
• Use the Indian Arts and Crafts Board‘s List to find Native-owned businesses by state
• Embrace Race
• Learning for Justice
• Color of Change
• Join and support the Black Lives Matter Global Network
• March (with masks!)