Anti-Racism and Social Justice Resources for Parents, Children, and Educators

At Berkwood Hedge School, we talk about the values for which we stand. We stand for compassion. We stand for kindness. We stand for empathy. And, we stand for justice. Sometimes, people question whether social justice is an appropriate part of the curriculum in elementary school. We believe that it is not only appropriate, but an ethical imperative and critical to our future to have these difficult conversations.

Every day our teachers provide space for the children to talk about what is happening in our country in a way that honors their development and meets them where they are. We encourage you to continue these conversations at home, even if it seems daunting. Growth in social justice, like any other subject area, requires study, reflection, practice, and application. Below are some resources to help facilitate discussions with your children.

Ideas for Learning and Action

Video: Is My Skin Brown Because I Drank Chocolate Milk? TEDxStanford Talk by Beverly Daniel Tatum

Do Not Look Away! by Rev. Dr. Ron Bell

Don't Understand the Protests? What You're Seeing is People Pushed to the Edge by Kareem Abdul-Jabar

75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice by Corinne Shutak

5 Ways to Show Up for Racial Justice Today by Nastia Voynovskaya

How to Make This Moment the Turning Point for Real Change by Barak Obama

How White Parents Can Talk to Their Kids About Race from All Things Considered

Can We Talk?: Talking to White Kids About Race and Racism from Safespace Radio

The Difference Between Being "Not Racist" and Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi

What is "The Talk" White Parents Should Have With White Children? by Madeleine Rogin

Nice White Parents podcast from The New York Times

What You Can Do to Fight Violence and Racism Against Asian Americans from PBS

How to Talk to Kids About Anti-Asian Violence from Parents

How to Talk to Kids About Anti-Asian Racism from Parents Together

10 Tips for Teaching and Talking to Kids About Race from Embrace Race

How to Talk to Kids About Anti-Semitism and Why It's Important from Parents

Talking to Young Children About Bias and Prejudice from the Anti Defamation League

Addressing Antisemitic Hate with Students from Learning for Justice

What Young Children Need to Know About Skin Color, Racial Identity, and Injustice from The National Museum of African American History and Culture

Tweens, Teens, and Their Always-On Digital Lives: Workshops for Families from Common Sense Media

Resources for Educators

What Black Educators Built

Vanessa Siddle Walker

Segregation-era black educators set the groundwork for an equitable and aspirational education system for all. How can we get back to their vision?

How to Be an Antiracist Educator

Dena Simmons

Educators have an obligation to confront the harm of racism, says one social-emotional learning expert. She shares five steps educators can take to teach for an antiracist future.

Webinar: Effective School Leadership During a Global Pandemic and Social Unrest

Baruti Kafele

Baruti Kafele provides attendees with strategies for maintaining leadership effectiveness during what will likely be the greatest challenge that they will ever encounter in their leadership careers.

Widening the Lens: A Conversation with Beverly Daniel Tatum

Anthony Rebora

Educators need to ensure that students of color see themselves as part of the picture, says the renowned psychologist and author.

Avoiding Racial Equity Detours

Paul Gorski

Students experiencing racism can't wait for schools to move at their own pace and comfort level.

Fighting the Jeffersonian Dismissal

Matthew R. Kay

A founding father's short-sided views on race challenges educators to consider how black people are reflected in curricula.

Why We Can't Afford Whitewashed Social-Emotional Learning

Dena Simmons

Students live in a world wrestling with injustice. By designing social-emotional learning experiences that question and confront inequity, educators give students the skills to navigate (and ultimately change) an unjust world.

Taking the Long View to Eliminate Systemic Racism: A Systems Thinking Approach

Donna Orem

Systems thinking can be a powerful tool in addressing systemic racism because there are so many formal and informal systems, structures, relationships, norms, and behaviors that have conspired over time to create systems of oppression.

Video: Equity and Inclusion: Bringing About Systemic Change from the Inside Out

National Association of Independent Schools

2020 NAIS Annual Conference workshop presenters Debbie Bensadon and Stephanie Wright talk about why school culture is so important in equity and inclusion work, and how can schools build capacity for these efforts. Bensadon and Wright presented the workshop "Equity and Inclusion: Bringing About Systemic Change from the Inside Out" along with Merissa Reed at the 2020 NAIS Annual Conference in Philadelphia. Schools and titles listed in the video are as of the time of the interview.

Helping Students Make Sense of New Stories About Bias and Injustice

Anti Defamation League

When there are national news stories that involve incidents of bias and injustice, young people want to be part of the conversation. Even at a young age, they hear adults talking about what’s happening, read about the story on social media or learn about it through television. Rather than protect children and youth from what’s going on in the world, there are age-appropriate and constructive ways to engage them in understanding the situation.

Organizations With Resources for Educators and Parents

Equal Justice Initiative

Raising Race Conscious Children

Human Rights Watch

Facing History and Ourselves

Learning for Justice

The Center for Racial Justice in Education

Guide to Allyship

EmbraceRace

Asian Americans Advancing Justice

California Department of Education--Bay Area LGBTQ+ Resources

Reading Lists