What is it that gives many of us White people a visceral fear about discussing race?Do you realize that being able to not think about or talk about it is a uniquely White experience?Do you warn your children about how people might react to them; find store staff following or watching you; get stopped by the police for no reason?The students of color in your classroom experience discrimination every day, in small and large ways. They don’t often see themselves represented in their textbooks, and encounter hostility in school, and outside. For them race is a constant reality, and an issue they need, and want, to discuss. Failure to do so can inhibit their academic performance.Failure to discuss race prevents White students from getting a real, critical and deep understanding of our society and their place in it. It is essential for the well-being of all students that they learn to have constructive conversations about the history of race in this country, the impact of racism on different ethnic communities, and how those communities and cultures contribute to society. The need to model for our students how to talk openly and comfortably about race is critical in America today, but it is still an issue that is difficult to tackle.To overcome the common fear of discussing race, of saying “something wrong”, this book brings together over thirty contributions by teachers and students of different ethnicities and races who offer their experiences, ideas, and advice. With passion and sensitivity they: cover such topics as the development of racial consciousness and identity in children; admit their failures and continuing struggles; write about creating safe spaces and the climate that promotes thoughtful discussion; model self-reflection; demonstrate the importance of giving voice to students; recount how they responded to racial incidents and used current affairs to discuss oppression; describe courses and strategies they have developed; explain the “n” word; present exercises; and pose questions. For any teacher grappling with addressing race in the classroom, and for pre-service teachers confronting their anxieties about race, this book offers a rich resource of insights, approaches and guidance that will allay fears, and provide the reflective practitioner with the confidence to initiate and respond to discussion of race, from the pre-school and elementary classroom through high school.
Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments Poem. "Unless" Rose McGee Foreword. Digging Deeper William Ayers Introduction. Our Separate Voices, Our Combined Vision Poem. “A Drive-by in Frogtown” Paul C. Gorski PART ONE. Getting Grounded 1.Black Silence, White Noise. Race and Labels Johnnetta S. C. Ricks and Imandeep Kaur Grewal 2.Working While White. Observations, Missteps, and Suggestions Amy Philips and Anita Bender 3.Complicating White Privilege. Poverty, Class, and Knapsack Paul C. Gorski 4.Breaking the Cycle of Color Blindness in Higher Education Caprice D. Hollins PART TWO. When It Goes Wrong, When It Goes Right 5.A Small Request With a Big Answer. Can I Borrow Your Copy Code? And Other Pitfalls of Teaching in a Large Public School District Laura Zelle 6.Vignettes on Education and Racism in My Life and the Lives of My Children Ruth Newton 7.The Color of Our Skin Naomi Rae Taylor 8.A Developmental Approach to Civility and Bystander Intervention Jennifer McCary PART THREE. Classroom Dialogues. Preschool, Elementary 9.White Skin and Princess Hair. Exploring Race in a Preschool Classroom Brigid Beaubien and Linda Williams 10.Lessons Learned. Creating a Safe Space to Navigate a Challenging Topic Pam Booker 11.Conversations With Children. Discussions About Race and Identity Cheryl Moore-Thomas and Jennifer Scaturo Watkinson 12.My Preschool Experience Expressed in a Mexican Proverb. La mula no era arisca, la hicieron Cindy Gomez-Schempp PART FOUR. Classroom Dialogues. Middle and High School 13.Letter From a High School Student #1 Eva Mitchell 14.Middle School Lessons Lead to Deeper Insights on Race and Class Amy Vatne Bintliff 15.Disrupting School. Learning Autobiographies as Queer Curriculum Jehanne Beaton Zirps 16.Letter From a High School Student #2. Bring in Elders, Let Us Talk About These Things Fardousa Ahmed 17. Exploring the Intersection of Ageism and Racism Ilsa Govan 18.Combating Huck Finn’s Censorship. A Step-by-Step Approach to Discussing the N-Word in the Classroom Justin Grinage 19.Letter From a High School Student #3 Carlo Balleria 20.The Miseducation of Nigger in American Schools Marcellus Davis, Alexander Hines, and Kenneth Turner 21.Crossing the Racial Line. Making a s.t.a.r.t Kate Towle PART FIVE. Connecting to the Community 22.Not Just for a School Year Stacy Amaral and Shirley Williams 23.Interview With Mariano Espinoza, Minnesota DREAM Act Movement Leader. Latino Perspectives on Race Equity in Education and Teaching Jennifer Godinez 24.Pinocchio in Black America Ben Mchie PART SIX. Digging Deeper in the Arts 25.Hip-Hop and Conversation Jennifer Skoglund 26.“I Know My Brother and He Is Good”. Using Photography to Engage Youth in Discussions of School and Race Kristien Zenkov, Marriam Ewaida, Megan R. Lynch, Athene Belle, James Harmon, and Anthony Pellegrino 27.Looking at Race. Adding Images to Conversation Adam Levner 28.Outside the Bubble Rachel Rycerz PART SEVEN. Implications for Teacher Education 29.Talking About Race. A Story From a Teacher Educator Ok-Hee Lee 30.Cross-Race Mentoring in Teacher Education. Black Teacher Educators Supporting White Pre-Service Teachers Valerie Hill-Jackson and Omah Williams 31.Reflections on Teaching and Learning About Antiracism Sue Peterson and Tracy Clark 32.Preparing NativityMiguel Teachers to Work With Children of Color From High-Poverty Environments L. Mickey Fenzel and Melodie Wyttenbach 33.Moving From the Margins to Intersections. Using Race as a Lens for Conversations About Oppression and Resistance Phyllis M. May-Machunda 34.Letters to Our Teachers. Black and Latino Males Write About Race in the Classroom Yolanda Sealy-Ruiz and Chance W. Lewis Suggested Readings About the Contributors Index
