Dear Families,
Here is a list of resources to support you and your family when discussing race and racism. Not all of these resources are appropriate for every age level. We invite you to explore them before sharing them with your child.
In Service,
The ELH Academic Team
Resources for Families:
Talking to Your Children about Racism
This PBSKids website is a resource for parents of young children providing suggestions and guidance on how to have meaningful discussions of racism and social justice. It includes videos that can be helpful models for these discussions and well as downloadable resources to help facilitate the necessary conversations. There are also several articles for adults to prepare families for conversations about race and racism.
Using Children’s Books to Discuss Racism
Children’s literature can be an important resource for families to discuss difficult topics with children. This article provides a description of a number of children’s books that can help families facilitate conversations about racism. The article includes the title of the books, links to purchase the book as well as conversation starters and questions for adults.
Young Children & Racism: A Discussion Guide
This article provides questions families can use with their young children to begin conversations about race. It also provides clear definitions for terms that make this complex topic comprehensible for children.
Helping Children Cope After a Traumatic Event
This article, by the Child Mind Institute, provides guidance for families to help children and young adults cope with traumatic events. There are resources for age groups from ages 0-18. The resources are also available in Spanish here.
Anti-Racism for Kids: An Age by Age Guide for Fighting Hate
Parents magazine outlines ways to engage in conversation with your children about racism and hatred. It is divided into age groups from children to teenagers.
Talking to Children After Racial Incidents
This article by University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education provides suggestions on how to discuss racial incidents with children. It also includes a short video with clinical psychologist, Dr. Howard Stevenson.
Helping Children Cope with Crisis
This free downloadable activity book describes ways families can help children cope with crises. It is published by the National Institute of Child Health and the National Black Child Development Institute.
Lynching:White Supremecy, Terrorims & Black Resilience
Learning for Justice provides an audio of historian Kidada Williams describing a history of Jim Crow, stories of lynching ignored by white newspapers and how Black Americans fought for justice.
This 20 min NPR podcast outlines suggestions and ways to navigate discussions on race, racism, diversity and inclusion.
Anti-Racism Videos for Children
This site curates various videos for children and young adults that help explain complex issues such as systemic racism, self-acceptance, discrimination and protest.
How Racial Trauma Affects Your Adolescent
This article, medically reviewed by Dr. Akilah Reynolds, describes the impact racial trauma has on adolescents. It will help families of teens understand racial trauma and how it can impact a child’s mental health.