Resources

Helpful information for our community members and culturally diverse families.

Also find additional resources on our Cultural and Family Partnership Resources page here.

Please click on the tabs below for resources.

Talking to Kids About Race

Talking to kids about race can be a hard for some families. Here are some resources and tips to guide and support you. Reading books with your child is a great way to start the conversation about race, injustice, tolerance and diversity. Building our own self-awareness, knowledge, understanding the perspective of Blacks in the US, being curious and open to learning is crucial reducing our own biases, prejudices and racist behavior. Ignoring racism and injustice in the US and avoiding conversations with children about race will not solve the problems that our country is facing.

Kids have the capacity to notice race from a very early age—infants will stare longer at faces of people from races they are unfamiliar with, which tells us they notice difference. Yet difference is a long shot from racism. An awareness of stereotypes and racism doesn't begin to happen until about age 6 (McKown and Weinstein, 2003).

Reading and Media Resources by age group

Please click on the tabs below for resources.

Elementary Level

Books on racism, police violence, fight for civil rights and protests

Daddy, There’s a Noise Outside by Kenneth Braswell (Ages 6+)
Something Happened in our Town: A Child’s Story About Racial Injustice by Marianne Celano Phd (Ages 4-8). This book contains a resource guide for both black families, white families, and teachers conversation starters and ideas on how to talk to kids about race.

YouTube videos

The Stone Thrower by Joel Ealey Richardson (Ages 4-9)
The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles (Ages 3+)
Rosa by Nikki Giovanni (Age 8-10)
Child of the Civil Rights Movement by Paula Young Shelton (Ages 4-8)

Introducing the Concept of Racism with young children

These books can lead to conversations with children on the topic of race and injustice:

Separate is never equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation by Duncan Tonatiuh (Ages 6-9)
Viola Desmond Won’t Be Budged by Jody Nyasha Warner (Ages 5-9)
Let’s Talk About Race by Julius Lester (Ages 4-8)
The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson (Ages 5-8)
I am Jackie Robinson by Brad Meltzer (Ages 4-7)

Bullying, grief, and diversity

Suggested reading book with diverse characters:

The Courageous Adventures of the Konscious Kidz by John Casselberry and Madeline Connor (Ages 6-11)
All the Colors We Are by Katie Kissinger (Ages 3+)
What’s the Difference? Being Different is Amazing by Doyin Richards, Feiwel and Friends (Ages 2-10)

Videos and read-a-loud books for elementary students

Henry's Freedom Box, by Ellen Levine
Moses, by Carole Boston Weatherford
The Story of Ruby Bridges, by Robert Coles
Let the Children March, by Monica Clark-Robinson
Back of the Bus, by Aaron Reynolds
Hair Love, a full short film by Sony Pictures Animation
The Case for Loving - The Fight for Interracial Marriage - Words On Screen
I Am Enough, by Grace Byers
Don't Touch My Hair!, by Sharee Miller
Bippity Bop Barbershop, by Natasha Anastasia Tarpley
Feast for 10, by Cathryn Falwell

Thinking about Social Justice through Crafts and Conversation - Anti-Defamation League

Secondary Level

Book recommendations for young adults (Grades 5-12)

The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas
Dear Martin by Nic Stone
All American Boys by Jason Reynolds
Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Stamped by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

Table Talk: Conversation Starters for Families on George Floyd, Racism and Law Enforcement (Ages 11+)

George Floyd, Racism and Law Enforcement (in English and en Español) - Anti-Defamation League

High School Students and Adults

Books to read to learn about racism in the United States

How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide by Carol Anderson, Ph.D.
White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America by Michael Eric Dyson
Black Stats: African Americans by the Numbers in the Twenty-first Century by Monique W. Morris
The Invention of the White Race by Theodore W. Allen
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Parents or Caregivers

Documentaries, TV series or Movies to broaden the viewer’s perspective of race in the United States

Please note the rating of the videos, as some can be graphic.

Just Mercy – Free to rent from Warner Bros
13th – Netflix
Fruitvale Station
When They See Us: A story of the Exonerated Five (formerly known as the Central Park Five)
Dear White People
Malcolm X
12 Years a Slave
Do the Right Thing

Podcasts

1619 from the New York Times
Pod Save the People from Crooked Media

Additional reading materials

Tips for Parents on Talking to Kids about Race

General tips from Parents.com
- Acknowledge differences
- Be a positive role model
- Talk about bigotry
- Encourage empathy
- Expose your child to diversity
- Foster a strong sense of identity
- Don't tolerate prejudice of any kind
Talking to kids about the riots, racism, and law enforcement (in light of George Floyd's killing in Minneapolis)
Talking to kids about race - National Geographic
How to Talk About Race to Kids: Experts' Advice for Parents
10 Tips for Teaching and Talking to Kids About Race
Resources and activities at National History of African American History and Culture

Resources from Teaching Tolerance

Why Teaching Black Lives Matter Matters | Part I

Websites that address race and privilege at all age levels

Resources for Black Families

Talking about race, racism, and injustice are not new topics for black families. Often, dealing with the trauma from these experiences can be overwhelming to navigate, especially if you are witnessing others respond, judge, remain silent, focus on the wrong things, or deny. This is not an exhaustive list of resources, but the message that the trauma, anger, anxiety, etc., that you are feeling is valued and heard.

Racial trauma

Tips For Self-Care: When what is happening in the world Has You Questioning Humanity and Social Media Is Enough

Emotionally Restorative Self-Care for Black People

The Road to Resilience

Building your resilience (American Psychological Association)

Racial Trauma

Coping While Black: A Season Of Traumatic News Takes A Psychological Toll (NPR)
The Impact of Racial Trauma on African Americans (African American Men and Boys Advisory Board, The Heinz Endowments)

How to talk about race and protests with children

Reporting Incidents Related to Culture and Identity

Parent Workshops were held to help parents understand how to respond to incidents related to culture and identity. This also included what schools do to support your students, whom and how to report an incident, and what parents can do to support their student.

Reporting Incidents - Elementary Focus
Reporting Incidents - for Middle and High School Families