Become Better Informed Teachers

Numerous resources that address race, racial awareness, social justice, empathy, and democracy are available to teachers, and more become available every year. It is essential to be knowledgeable about these issues before working with students. It is especially important for white people like me to have a personal understanding of race. Most teachers have heard the adage: “You can’t teach what you don’t know.” We cannot underestimate the value of confronting the myriad of issues related to race.

These resources have helped me to better understand some of the complexities related to this important issue. I found the PBS website learning activities particularly enlightening. Not surprisingly, there are many, many curricular ideas and plans for teacher review.

Considering Race

1. McIntosch, Peggy. “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack”
   (I was taught to see racism only in individual acts of meanness, not in invisible systems conferring dominance on my group.)
   https://www.racialequitytools.org/resourcefiles/mcintosh.pdf
2. “Race—The Power of an Illusion”
   (The online companion to California Newsreel’s 3-part documentary about race in society, science, and history.)
   https://www.pbs.org/race/000_General/000_00-Home.htm
3. “Race—The Power of Illusion: Ten Things Everyone Should Know About Racism”
   (There’s less—and more—to race than meets the eye.)
   https://charterforcompassion.org/social-justice-compassion-reader/race-and-racism-compassion-reader/race-the-power-of-illusion-ten-things-everyone-should-know-about-racism
4. Jane Elliot Learning Materials
   (The task of combating prejudice and racism requires education, introspection, and commitment. We hope you find these materials enlightening and useful.)
   https://janeelliott.com/learning-materials
5. DiAngelo, Robin. White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism (Boston: Beacon Press, 2018)
   https://robindiangelo.com/publications/
6. Kendi, Ibram X. How to Be an Antiracist (New York: Bold Type Books, 2016)
   https://www.ibramxkendi.com/books-1
7. Kendi, Ibram X. Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America (New York: Random House Publishing Group, 2018)
   https://www.ibramxkendi.com/stamped-from-the-beginning

Pictorial Civil Rights Review

1. Kasher, Steven. The Civil Rights Movement: A Photographic History, 1954–1968
   https://www.abbeville.com/books/the-civil-rights-movement-by-steven-kasher-476-b
2. McWhorter, Diane. A Dream of Freedom: The Civil Rights Movement from 1954 to 1968
   https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/890220.A_Dream_Of_Freedom
3. Life Books Editor. Mine Eyes Have Seen: Bearing Witness to the Struggle for Civil Rights
   https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/7196857

Online Curricular Resources

1. Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
   Lesson Plans, K–12
   https://www.bcri.org/curriculum-guide/
2. Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park
   Lesson Plans, K–8 https://www.nps.gov/malu/learn/education/lesson_plans_and_teacher_guides.htm
3. ReThinking Schools
   https://www.rethinkingschools.org/
4. Southern Poverty Law Center
   https://www.splcenter.org/
5. Teaching for Change: Building Social Justice in the Classroom
   https://www.teachingforchange.org/teaching-resources
6. Teaching Tolerance
   https://www.tolerance.org/

Film Kit Free to Teachers, from the Teaching Tolerance Website

1. Mighty Times: The Children’s March
   Grade levels 6–8, 9–12
   The Children’s March tells the story of how the young people of Birmingham, Alabama, braved fire hoses and police dogs in 1963 and brought segregation to its knees. Their heroism complements discussions about the ability of today’s young people to be catalysts for positive social change.
   https://www.tolerance.org/classroom-resources/film-kits/mighty-times-the-childrens-march