Last Updated on May 20, 2022
This post was originally published on June 5, 2020 and is frequently updated with additional resources.
What do you think it will take to have everyone in the United States achieve the full recognition of the dignity of Black people? This is a discussion question from our January 11, 2017 current event “Comparing Black Lives Matter to the Civil Rights Movement” that is still relevant today.
As our country continuously grapples with the extrajudicial killing of Black men/women by the hands of police and racially-motivated hate crimes, parents and educators are feeling the need to help children process. We aim to empower educators to create intentional space for students and community members to engage in meaningful dialogue. We at Listenwise stand in support of Black lives and racial equity.
It is clear that we as a nation need to do more in our classrooms to talk constructively about race. We have compiled a list of age-appropriate news stories from Listenwise that examine America’s history of violence and oppression, racial bias, structural racism, and police brutality, as well as the rights of Americans to gather in protest. We hope that listening to these stories and those of students can support your school community’s efforts toward positive change and social and emotional processing.
- Reflections on the Anniversary of Breonna Taylor’s Death
- History of Police Response to Protests
- Understanding Systemic Racism
- Reimagining Policing in the U.S.
- Teaching Black History as American History
- Protests Follow George Floyd’s Death
- Running While Black
- Debate: Should Videos of Community Violence Be Shared?
- Police Shootings
- Debate: Is Studying America’s Flaws Unpatriotic?
- Marching on Washington: Then and Now
- Racism and British Royalty
- Athletes Protest Police Shooting of Jacob Blake
- Systemic Racism Drives Protests
- Mississippi Votes to Remove Confederate Emblem from Flag
- Caravans for Justice
- NFL’s Response to Race Protests
- Racial Bias Training
- Debate: Do You Think Everyone Has a Bias?
- Protests Now and in the Past
- Race and Equality in Policing
- Ferguson Protests
- Verdict in St. Louis Ignites Protests
- Protests in Baltimore
- Racist Violence Declared Priority for the FBI
Any form of racial oppression is not OK, and as we are also seeing increasing anti-Asian sentiment and hate crimes, educators should use this as a teaching moment to highlight everyone’s humanity & teach the history of racism against Asian Americans. Here are further resources to center Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) voices using these podcast lessons.
Here are some other high-quality resources that can help in addressing race and race-based violence with kids:
- Talking about Race from the Smithsonian’s NMAAHC –Designed to help individuals, families, and communities talk about racism, racial identity, and the way these forces shape every aspect of American culture.
- Reflecting on George Floyd’s Death and Police Violence Towards Black Americans from Facing History
- Resource collection on Race & Ethnicity , Teaching About Race, Racism, and Police Violence and Why Teaching Black Lives Matter Matters | Part I from Learning for Justice (formerly Teaching Tolerance)
- Colorin Colorado’s resource collection on Talking About Racism and Violence with Students
- Anti-Racism Resources for All Ages from Dr. Nicole Cooke at the University of South Carolina
- Beyond the Work, How to Create More Anti-Racist School Districts from 5th grade teacher Jessica Lifshitz – 7 actions that schools and school districts can take “to create the kinds of change that will last beyond this one moment and will lead to real and long-lasting change in creating more anti-racist school districts”
We invite educators to consider how to seize this teachable moment, ensure diverse representation within the curriculum, and help students think deeply about issues of race and racism all year long.
