The Chapman community strives to provide a safe and inclusive environment for all families. This infographic shows how your kids are never too young to talk about race. Below are recommended resources to learn more about racial equity and social justice. If you have feedback on the list below or more recommended material, please let us know.
RESOURCES
Chapman Resources
- Black Student Union – Ms. McGhee
- Gender Sexual Alliance – Mr. Bush
- Chapman School Counseling – Ms. Wendy or Ms. Heather
- PTA DEI Chair – TBD
BOOKS FOR CHILDREN
- 31 Children’s Books to Support Conversations on Race, Racism, and Resistance
- Diverse Book Finder – The Diverse Book Finder is a comprehensive collection of children’s picture books featuring Black and Indigenous people and People of Color (BIPOC).
- Multnomah County Library staff-created list: 2019 Talking Equity and Social Justice. Books for Grade K-12 Multcolib Assignments
- Social Justice Books – A carefully selected list of multicultural and social justice books for children, young adults, and educators
- African American / Black History Month Classroom Resources
- You Don’t Know Everything, Jill P, by Alex Gino – A fiction book for children and parents new to the conversation about Black Lives Matter and racist policing
READING FOR ADULTS
- Me and White Supremacy, by Layla F. Saad
- How to be an Anti-Racist, by Ibram X. Kendi
- Stamped from the Beginning, by Ibram X. Kendi, and Stamped; Racism, Antiracism, and You, by Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds
- Between the World and Me, by Ta-Nehisi Coates
- The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, by Michelle Alexander
- Article in The Atlantic, The Racist History of Portland, the Whitest City in America
- Op-ed in The Beacon, OPINION: I’m racist, so are you. White people, let’s improve.
- White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism, by Robin DiAngelo. Edited/added: This has been a popularly recommended book but has also recently received criticism.
- Take the Implicit Association Test done by Harvard and check and reflect upon your implicit bias.
- This article offers findings from the recent “Identity Matters” Study led by Sesame Workshop, show white parents rarely talk about race with their children, especially compared to parents of color. In addition, the survey found children of color experience negative comments about their identity at school much more than white children do. Pages 26-34 in the report discuss the group differences in survey results. The findings may not surprise you, and reinforce the importance of parents, particularly white parents, talking about race and racism with children.
Resources for talking to kids about racism and police violence
- Sesame Street Town Hall: How to explain racism to kids – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
- KidLitRally 4 Black Lives: Anti-Racist resources for Children, Families, and Educators
- Easy tips and resources for talking with children about race and racism
- Your Kids Aren’t Too Young to Talk about Race: Resource Roundup
- A White Families Guide for Talking About Racism
- https://medium.com/@jelanigreenidge/teach-your-children-about-racism-or-this-will-keep-happening-807427fe09ac
- From USA Today, how to answer questions from kids on racism, racial violence, and police brutality
- From Kira Parker at Raising Equity, a short video on talking to white kids about racism and the news
- ‘How White Parents Can Talk About Race’, NPR interview with Jennifer Harvey, author ‘Raising White Kids’
- From the Center of Racial Justice, resources for talking about race, racism and racialized violence
- EmbraceRace (https://www.embracerace.org/), an organization that has created a variety of content aimed at helping build a just and equitable community
- Archived interview and discussion with the authors of the book Something Happened in Our Town written by three child psychologists. Listen to this webinar (or read the transcript) talking to young children about racial injustice.
- The Barefoot Mommy: Raising Kid Activitists – https://www.rebekahgienapp.com/ – Aimed at helping white parents raise anti-racist children, this blog is full of practical tips:
- Books about race and racism for kids and teens
- Books to help kids and teens understand that Black Lives Matter
- If talking to your children about race feels hard, read overcoming anxiety so that you can talk to kids about race effectively.
- If you’re a Black parent who’s weighed down with pain right now, Parenting for Liberation is an excellent resource.
- This article is a bit more clinical but is also very informative: https://www.kappanonline.org/conversations-children-race-childhood-racism-hagerman/
Resources for getting involved
- Take at least one of the actions that the Movement for Black Lives is calling for related to the murder of George Floyd. Sign petitions, make calls, write emails, or donate.
- Dear White People, This is What You Can Do, from Kandi Dish
- Don’t Shoot Portland – Follow Don’t Shoot Portland to find out about vigils, protests, bail funds, and other ways to support local activists fighting the same issues here in Portland.
- Commissioner Joann Hardesty on Twitter – Portland Commissioner Hardesty’s words about the murders of George Floyd, Breona Taylor, Ahmaud Aubery and what the city is doing to work for justice. She also offers suggestions too for ways that families can be a part of preventing violence against Black Oregonians from continuing.
- Grassroots Law Project
Resources for helping make sense of protests against police violence right now
- Former President Obama’s words about the protests against violence against Black americans: https://www.obama.org/updates/this-shouldnt-be-normal/
- From basketball legend Karem Abdul-Jabar, his op-ed to the Los Angeles Times explaining to non-Black folks about racism in America and why the protests are happening: https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2020-05-30/dont-understand-the-protests-what-youre-seeing-is-people-pushed-to-the-edge
- For helping your child understand the anger of protesters and how to find grace when buildings are destroyed, an article about the owner of Gandhi Mahal, a restaurant that was destroyed during protests in Minneapolis: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/mollyhensleyclancy/minneapolis-protest-george-floyd-gandhi-mahal
FILMS
- African American Experience Movies
- 13th, a documentary on the 13th amendment, exploring the history of racial inequality in the United States.
- Just Mercy, based on the true story of civil rights attorney Bryan Stevenson (now streaming for free on Amazon)
- I Am Not Your Negro, documentary by James Baldwin on black history starting from the Civil Rights movement to the present Black Lives Matter (now streaming for free on Amazon)
FRIENDS OF CHAPMAN 