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For Educators
Because discussions of race and racism are part of our public discourse, educators feel a sense of responsibility to bring these topics into their classrooms—because young people want to be part of the conversation and should be. If handled effectively, these discussions provide opportunities for timely learning. Below are suggestions and strategies for having classroom conversations with young people about race and racism. Prior to these discussions and throughout the process, teachers will benefit from doing their own self-reflective personal work around race and racism—whether this takes the form of professional development, reading and reflection, conversations with colleagues and others—to be aware of their own experiences and sensitivities and be willing to not only be uncomfortable but be a learner alongside their students.
1. Set Up a Safe and Respectful Classroom Environment.
In order to set the stage and tone for productive discussions around race and racism, make sure that you develop ground rules as a class that promote safety, inclusiveness and respect. Help to establish trust in the classroom by doing group building activities and find ways for students to talk and get to know each other in different configurations (pairings, small groups, whole class, etc.). Teach and encourage students to disagree respectfully, ask questions, share their own feelings and listen to the feelings of others. Use ADL’s Establishing a Safe Learning Environment for additional strategies.
2. Consider the Racial Composition of Your Classroom.
Be mindful of the racial composition of your classroom and consider who is in the room when engaging in conversations about race. You might think differently about how to approach this topic if there are few, many or no students of color. If you don’t have any students of color in your classroom, find ways to include other voices by using social media, videos, books and articles or organize a Skype panel discussion to get diverse voices in the room. At the same time, do not assume students of color want to share their experiences or are knowledgeable and skilled in talking about race. Further, do not place those students in the position of being the “authority” or main possessor of knowledge about race.
3. Define Terms.
It is important to spend some time defining terms. Students need to be aware of the terminology around race and bias, including the distinctions between certain words. For example, there is a difference between prejudice, bias, stereotypes and discrimination and knowing what makes each of those unique is an important foundation for having constructive conversations on race and racism. Similarly, it is critical to understand how implicit bias manifests itself differently than overt forms of discrimination which were more prevalent in the past. Microaggressions is another term that is used frequently but not necessarily widely understood. Bias and prejudice displayed in interpersonal interactions is different than those which are structural in nature.
4. Connect the Past to the Present.
Racism in the United States has a long and abhorrent past. From slavery to Jim Crow and segregation, there is a lot to teach about race and racism. When you discuss current incidents of racism and injustice, it is often helpful to ground the discussions in an historical context. Where relevant, provide historical background to connect the past to the present. For example, what took place in Charlottesville in 2017 and the storming of the U.S. Capitol in 2020 necessitates a history lesson about the Confederate flag and white supremacy ideology, the flag's meaning and its historical connection to slavery. This can provide a proactive motivation for reluctant history students to learn about the past as a way to more deeply understand the present.
5. Understand Perspective.
Perspective is a person’s individual way of regarding situations and facts, their point of view. Help students understand that one’s perspective is shaped by their own racial background as well as other aspects of their identity, their peers, family, lived experiences, what they are exposed to in the media, etc. Understanding that people have different perspectives on incidents and situations is helpful in deconstructing that one person may see the same situation differently than someone else. This is especially important to understand with racial situations because white people and people of color often do not see the situation in the same light. And within racial groups, there will also be diversity of perspective.
6. Think Critically About the Media.
Encourage students to be critical viewers of media, including print, television, internet, video, social media and other digital spaces. Assist them in analyzing media portrayals of racial incidents in the news by thinking critically about what they read, hear and see. This includes exposing them to a wide variety of sources that illustrate different perspectives and opinions along the political spectrum. In addition to traditional media, blogs and social media are good sources for this. Encourage students to ask questions that go beyond the surface: How do I know what I know? What is the perspective of the person writing or speaking? What influences their point of view? What are their biases? What don’t I see? Use video clips and excerpts in class to show students how media can perpetuate stereotypes and racism. In addition, reflect on the implicit messages you convey to young people about race by what’s on the walls and bulletin boards in your classroom, the books you assign and read together, the people and holidays that you talk about.
7. Discuss Discrimination and Advantages/Disadvantages.
Conversations about race and racism would be incomplete without discussing how discrimination operates and how some racial identity groups have more access and advantages than others. When discussing race and racism, it is important to acknowledge that historically and currently, people of color often experience racial discrimination through various institutions and in different facets of their lives. In addition, people of color are also more likely to experience disadvantages and less access and opportunity due to racism. With students, you can reflect on these dynamics by providing examples and also by drawing connections to other aspects of identity where there is discrimination and disadvantage. For example, use age --which they can relate to personally--to make this connection. Young people often experience age discrimination, disadvantages and a lack of access compared to people who are older.
8. Encourage Empathy.
Compassion and empathy go a long way in helping students understand race and racism. Provide opportunities for students to hear the thoughts and feelings of people most impacted by racism through in-person conversations, interviews, narratives, videos, photos and recordings. Have students reflect on these experiences and focus especially on the feelings of others. In this way, you help students be sensitive to what people are going through in these situations, which promotes empathy. Allow and help students express their range of emotions (anger, rage, frustration, sadness, hopelessness) about what’s happening as well as listen with compassion to the feelings of others.
9. Inspire Hope and Activism.
When we uncover bias, discrimination and injustice with students, it’s important we don’t leave them with overwhelming feelings of hopelessness and despair. It can easily happen when you consider the monumental task of making the world more equitable and just. At the same time, we don’t want to fill their heads with false or empty hope. It is useful to convey a sense of "critical hope" that sustains positive expectations and inspires action and activism. One way to do this is by teaching about small and large efforts of social change movements and how they brought about progress throughout history. Provide examples of social justice triumphs won through the blood, sweat and tears of ordinary and extraordinary people. As Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.” Help your students exemplify that sentiment.