American society faces hard conversations, brought recently to the forefront by the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery; however, it is the same conversation started after the deaths of Tamir Rice, Tanisha Anderson, Mya Hall, Walter Scott, Sandra Bland and countless others, spanning through the decades and centuries.
There will be individuals who ask, “why is a College of Education participating in this conversation?” Ultimately, the role of education is to prepare children for the future. “Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today,” Malcom X once said. The conversations taking place in classrooms shape the conversations of the future, and if we wish to see an end to senseless killing and racism, the conversation taking place around us must exist in the classroom. As American writer and activist James Baldwin writes, “Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
With that in mind, faculty members at Florida State University have collected a number of resources that not only discuss racism, but also teach anti-racism—that is the act of actively opposing racism and promoting racial equality.
This community-created resource collects a number of books, podcasts, films, articles and more promoting the principles of anti-racism and encouraging specifically white people to engage in anti-racist activities.
The Four Bodies: A Holistic Toolkit for Coping with Racial Trauma
For individuals who are coping or facing racial trauma, this article explores the limitation of Eurocentric psychology and provides a holistic strategy that “enables our people to rest, rehabilitate and rebuild.” Racial trauma can manifest as physical, emotional and mental symptoms. To address that, writer Jacquelyn Ogorchukwu outlines way individuals can care for the four parts of their body: the mental, emotional, physical and spiritual body.
31 Children’s Books to Support Conversations on Race, Racism and Resistance
From the article: “Research from Harvard University suggests that children as young as three years old, when exposed to racism and prejudice, tend to embrace and accept it, even though they might not understand the feelings. By age 5, white children are strongly biased towards whiteness. To counter this bias, experts recommend acknowledging and naming race and racism with children as early and as often as possible.”
Glazer Children’s Museum Social Justice Resources
The Glazer Children’s Museum is located in the Tampa Bay area and provides programming and educational resources for families. This resource equips families with the tools needed to start conversations about “racism, trauma, violence, and the historic context of activism.”
This list of curated articles deals with topics of racism, police brutality and death. In addition to providing direct links to the articles, the list provides content warnings to prepare the reader.
FSU Division of Student Affairs Telemental Health Services
Due to the coronavirus, the University Counseling Center has moved its services online. In addition to “daily psychoeducational workshops via Zoom and WellTrack for self-help interactive therapy,” students can talk to professionals over HIPPA-secured Zoom calls or over the phone. The 24-hour crisis support line is also available by calling 850-644-TALK (8255).
Culturally Relevant and Responsive Education
Dr. Alysia Roehrig and her doctoral student, Makana Craig, recently published a practice brief in the American Psychological Association (APA) Division 15 on culturally relevant and responsive education (CRRE), which focuses on six dimensions: awareness, prejudice reduction, content integration, knowledge construction, equity pedagogy, and empowering school & social structure. You can also read more about CRRE here.
Additional Media
Books
Eloquent Rage by Brittney Cooper
How to be an Anti-racist by Ibram X. Kendi
Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad
Sister Outsider Essays & Speeches by Audre Lorde
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo
Black for a Day: White Fantasies of Race and Empathy by Alisha Gaines
Articles
“5 Ways to Show Up for Racial Justice Today” by Nastia Voynovskaya
“7 Virtual Mental Health Resources Supporting Black People Right Now” by Jesse Sparks
“A Running List of Anti-racism Resources” by Thom Wait
“How to Talk to Your Family About Racism on Thanksgiving” by Rachel Cargle
“The Unmattering of Black Lives” by Kimberlé Crenshaw
“When Blackness is a Pre-existing Condition” by Kimberlé Crenshaw
“Your Black Colleagues May Look Like They’re Okay—Chances Are They’re Not” by Danielle Cadet
"75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice" by Corinne Shutack
"Repair the World" by Michael B. Horn
Videos
Rachel Cargle’s Public Address on Revolution: Revolution Now
Robin DiAngelo’s Why “I’m Not Racist” is Only Half the Story
Brittney Cooper’s An ‘Unapologetic’ Black Feminist on Accelerating the Pace of Change
Potential Instagram Accounts to Follow:
Potential Organizations to Support or Donate To:
The George Floyd Memorial Fund
Edit 6/2
- The Culturally Relevant and Response Education Practice Brief was added.
- 75 Things White People Can Do For Racial Justice was added.
- Black for a Day: White Fantasies of Race and Empathy by Alisha Gaines was added.
Edit 6/3
- Added Southern Poverty Law Center as a potential organization to donate to.
Edit 6/4
- "Repair the World" was added to suggested articles.
