Social Justice Resources

The following resources were compiled by staff to equip students, parents, and educators with a sampling of tools to facilitate discussions on topics related to social justice and equity.

Raising Race Conscious Children

Raising Race Conscious Children is a resource to support adults who are trying to talk about race with young children. The goals of these conversations are to dismantle the color-blind framework and prepare young people to work toward racial justice. If we commit to collectively trying to talk about race with young children, we can lean on one another for support as we, together, envision a world where we actively challenge racism each and every day. Many of the blog’s posts are geared toward White people but a community of guest bloggers represent diverse backgrounds and the strategies discussed may be helpful for all. http://www.raceconscious.org/

The Conscious Kid

An education, research, and policy organization dedicated to equity and promoting healthy racial identity development in youth. They support organizations, families, and educators in taking action to disrupt racism in young children.
https://www.theconsciouskid.org/

National Museum of African American History and Culture / Smithsonian – Talking About Race (I Am a Parent or Caregiver)

Parent and Caregiver resources for talking to children about race; includes resources on Bias, Being Antiracist, Community Building, Self-Care, Race and Racial Identity, Social Identities and Systems of Oppression, Whiteness, and Historical Foundations of Race.
Our goal is to help children understand what race is, how it operates in society, and why race in America is important. We hope the ideas and resources help guide the conversations with your children as they discover how race plays a part in all of our lives.
https://nmaahc.si.edu/learn/talking-about-race/audiences/parent-caregiverhttps://nmaahc.si.edu/learn/talking-about-race/audiences/parent-caregiver

KidLit4BlackLives

This webinar from earlier in the summer features authors and publishers from children’s literature, including Jacqueline Woodson and Jason Reynolds, both of whom serve(d) as National Ambassador of Young People’s Literature through the Library of Congress (Woodson in 18-19; Reynolds currently). It takes place in two parts, one for children, and one for parents and caregivers.  The recording can be viewed here Kidlit4BlackLives Rally and more details, as well as additional resources here
https://thebrownbookshelf.com/2020/06/04/kidlit-rally-4-black-lives-anti-racist-resources-for-children-families-and-educators/

This Book Is Anti-Racist by Tiffany Jewell (with Family Discussion Guide)

This would also be a great classroom resource, but the attached discussion guide is for families; ideally meant for later elementary students & older (10+).
Book: https://www.quartoknows.com/books/9780711245211/This-Book-Is-Anti-Racist.html (link includes more resources, including classroom discussion guide)

FAMILY Discussion Guide: https://www.quartoknows.com/dynamic/files/product_file/This-Book-Is-Anti-Racist-Family-Guide-97807112452114065.pdf

PBS for Parents: Talking to Young Children About Race and Racism

PBS provides their own resources as well as links to outside resources for talking to young children about issues of race. Children are never too young to learn about diversity. As young as 3 months old, they may look differently at people who look like or don’t look like their primary caregivers. As parents and caregivers, we must have confidence in ourselves and in our children — that we, and they, can handle tough topics and tough situations. We must understand that our role is to be honest, specific, and trustworthy as we raise the next generation to confront racial injustice. Here are tips and resources to help you have a meaningful conversation with young children about race, racism, and being anti-racist.https://www.pbs.org/parents/talking-about-racism

Netflix Preschool Children’s Book Series – Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices

Netflix is looking to celebrate Black voices and authors with a new live-action preschool series.  The streamer has ordered twelve five-minute episodes of “Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices,” which will feature Black celebrities and artists reading children’s books written by Black authors, which highlight the Black experience.  Hosted by author Marley Dias (of #1000BlackGirlBooks https://www.marleydias.com/about/), the collection of books and conversations center around themes of identity, respect, justice, and action. The show’s aim is to provide families with a toolset to start meaningful conversations with kids about difficult topics through short-form book-based content.https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/netflix-celebrating-black-voices-live-action-preschool-series-tiffany-haddish-lupita-nyongo-common-1234738586/There is also a book resource list of Marley’s work for all ages at https://grassrootscommunityfoundation.org/1000-black-girl-books-resource-guide/
Brief trailer here: Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices

CNN/Sesame Street Town Hall on Racism

Video playlist from CNN with the entire Sesame Street Town Hall from June 6th.  Geared toward families with younger children.https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2020/06/06/entire-june-6-cnn-sesame-street-racism-town-hall-part-1-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/entire-cnn-sesame-street-coming-together-town-hall/

Common Sense Media (TEACHER/CAREGIVER RESOURCE)

Common Sense Media (CSM) rates movies, TV shows, books, and more so parents can feel good about the entertainment choices they make for their kids. They offer the largest, most trusted library of independent age-based ratings and reviews.

Common Sense Media is a great resource to share with families to help them make informed decisions about media for their students—movies, books and other media (including video games) are reviewed by the CSM panel; parents/caregivers and kids can also review materials and include those in the public reviews.  This is a good “quick reference” for what may be objectionable and/or too mature for students. https://www.commonsensemedia.org

The Academy is a legacy school of St. Angela, St. Ann, St. Gregory, St. Mark, St. Kevin, St. Margaret, Blessed Mother Teresa, St. Peter, and St. William parishes in Dorchester, MA.