Talking About Racism and Violence: Resources for Educators and Families

Being sensitive to trauma

Discussion of the following topics may be traumatic for students. Educators are encouraged to seek guidance in trauma-informed practices in preparation for discussions related to these topics. Learn more from these resources and those below.

Addressing Race and Trauma in the Classroom: A Resources for Educators (The National Child Traumatic Stress Network)
Affirming Black Lives Without Inducing Trauma (Teaching Tolerance)
Preparing to Discuss Race and Police Violence in the Classroom (DC Public Schools)

Articles and resources about current events

The following resources and updates address the events and aftermath following the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor.

Lesson Plans

PBS NewsHour Extra / Share My Lesson

See additional lessons related to Social Issues from NewsHour Extra.

Other Recommended Lesson Plans

15 Classroom Resources for Discussing Racism, Policing, and Protest (Education Week)
Bearing Witness: The Death of George Floyd (Facing History)
Protests Follow George Floyd's Death (Listenwise, registration required)
"We’re sick of it": Anger over police killings shatters U.S. (Newsela, registration required)
Lesson of the Day: "'I Can't Breathe': 4 Minneapolis Officers Fired After Black Man Dies in Custody" (The New York Times)

Best-selling YA author Jason Reynolds has grappled with racism personally and in his writing. The National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature also recently co-authored a book for young people on fighting racism: Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You. Public radio host Kojo Nnamdi, based at WAMU in Washington, DC, asked Jason Reynolds to join this edition of Kojo For Kids to help listenders understand what has led to the tensions we’ve seen over the last week, and to talk about why racism persists and what we can do to build a less racist society.

Authors Organize Kit Lit Rally for Black Lives on Facebook (School Library Journal)

Kwame Alexander, Jason Reynolds, and Jacqueline Woodson organized a Kit Lit Rally for Black Lives on The Brown Bookshelf. The Rally featured inspiring words, music, and numerous calls to action in support of equity and justice. A list of recommended anti-racist materials has also been compiled as part of the rally.

How to talk about violence

Understanding the Impact of Racism and Violence on Mental Health

How school pyschologists can support students in the wake of racialized violence (National Association of School Psychologists' Statement)
Social Justice Resources for Educators and School Psychologists (National Association of School Psychologists)
The Link Between Experiences of Racism and Stress and Anxiety for Black Americans: A Mindfulness and Acceptance-Based Coping Approach (Anxiety.org)
Police Killings Have Harmed Mental Health in Black Communities, Study Finds (The New York Times)
Having 'The Talk': Expert Guidance On Preparing Kids For Police Interactions (NPR)
School Personnel Can Help Students Heal from Trauma (AFT)

Tips for Talking about Violence

15 Tips for Talking with Children About Violence (Colorín Colorado)
Showing Up Strong for Yourself — and Your Students — in the Aftermath of Violence (Teaching Tolerance)
Supporting Marginalized Students in Stressful Times: Tips for Educators (National Association of School Psychologists)

Talking about Tough Topics in the News

Explaining the News to Our Kids: Tips for All Ages (Common Sense Media)
Helping Children with Tragic Events in the News (Fred Rogers Productions)
When Something Scary Happens (PBS Parents)
Parenting for a Challenging World: Recovery After a Traumatic Event (National Child Traumatic Stress Network)
Best News Sites and Apps for Kids (Common Sense Media)

See more parent resources on talking race and racism below.

Note: If you are connecting with your students remotely, this resource guide for virtual circles of concern offers tips for managing conversations about difficult topics in distance learning settings.

Classroom resources: teaching about racism and violence

Resources: Racism and Violence

Empowering Educators: A Guidebook to Race and Racism (First Book)
How some educators are teaching antiracism to the youngest students (PBS NewsHour)
Advice For Teachers Talking With Students About Racism & Police Violence (Education Week)
Teaching About Race, Racism, and Police Violence (Teaching Tolerance)
Resources for Talking About Race, Racism, and Racialized Violence with Kids (Center for Racial Justice in Education)
Resources for Discussing Police Violence, Race, and Racism With Students (Education Week)
Facing Ferguson: News Literacy in a Digital Age (Facing History)
Black Lives Matter: From Hashtag to Movement (Anti-Defamation League)
Police Shootings, Race and Respect (Share My Lesson)
Black Lives Matter at School: Lesson Plans
Black Lives Matter at School: Toolkit from Rochester City Schools (NY)
Black Lives Matter at School (NEA)
Talking About Freddie Gray: My Baltimore eighth-graders’ response to the question, ‘What now?’ left me speechless (PBS NewsHour)

Tulsa Race Massacre: 1921

Lesson Plans

Articles and Blogs

Tulsa's Ugly Racial History: From the Trail of Tears to the Deadly Race Massacre (The Washington Post)
Oklahoma to Incorporate 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre into Statewide Curriculum (WBUR)
Graphic: The Massacre of Black Wall Street (The Atlantic)
Black Wall Street and the Tulsa Race Massacre, Explained (Teen Vogue)
One paper has never forgotten the Tulsa race massacre, and its fight continues (Los Angeles Times)
Red Summer of 1919 (Facing History Blog)

Resources: More about Race and Racism

Teaching about Race and Racism: Lesson Plans and Resources (Share My Lesson)
Let's Talk: Race and Racism (PBS Learning Media)
Anti-Racism Resources for All Ages from Dr. Nicole Cook (A project of the Augusta Baker Endowed Chair at the University of South Carolina)
Racial Justice Resources: Justice for Black Lives (NEA EdJustice)
1619 Project and related podcast (The New York Times)
1619 Project: Educational Resources (Pulitzer Center)

Teaching about Juneteenth

Juneteenth: Classroom Resources (Larry Ferlazzo)
Race in America: The Legacy of Juneteenth with Lonnie G. Bunch III, Secretary of the Smithsonian (The Washington Post)
The Historical Legacy of Juneteenth (National Museum of African American History and Culture)
Children's Booklists: Juneteenth (Children's Book Council)

Talking About Race: National Museum of African American History and Culture

The Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture has just launched Talking About Race, a new online portal designed to help individuals, families, and communities talk about racism, racial identity and the way these forces shape every aspect of society, from the economy and politics to the broader American culture. The online portal provides digital tools, online exercises, video instructions, scholarly articles and more than 100 multi-media resources tailored for educators, parents and caregivers—and individuals committed to racial equality. The museum moved up the launch date due to the number of racially charged incidents in recent weeks.

Articles and Multimedia

Special Report: Big Ideas for Confronting Racism in Education (Education Week)
For Many Teachers, Black Lives Only Matter Conditionally: What your history textbook says about your priorities (Education Week)
How Teachers Are Rethinking the Way They Talk About Race in America (Slate)
Creating an Anti-Racist Classroom (Edutopia)
5-Minute Film Festival: Talking About Race and Stereotypes (Edutopia)
Teachable Moments and Academic Rigor: A Mini-Unit (Edutopia)
5 practices of highly-effective urban educators (Education Dive)
TED Talks to help you understand racism in America

Reflecting on Perspective

5 Things Educators Can Do to Address Bias in Their School (NEA)
Race to Improve Teacher Education (American Educator, Fall 2019)
Recommended Books: White Identity (Social Justice Books)
'For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood...': An Interview With Chris Emdin (Education Week)
Saying 'I Don't See Color' Denies the Racial Identity of Students (Education Week)
Reimagining Equity and Access for Diverse Youth: Allies and Antiracism (Project READY)

Teaching Tolerance Resources

Jane Elliott's "Blue Eye/Brown Eye" Exercise

Frontline: A Class Divided (PBS film and teacher's guide)
The Oprah Winfrey Show: Jane Elliott's Anti-Racism Exercise
An Unfinished Crusade: An Interview with Jane Elliott (PBS)

Culturally Responsive Practice

This collection of culturally responsive resources include a wide range of topics related to honoring students' identities and experiences, addressing bias in schools and classrooms, and digging into the hard work of personal reflection and action.