Landmark Learns

Landmark Learns presented a webinar on Talking to Kids About Race and Racism in March 2021. Presenters offered timely, topical information, and attendees asked thoughtful, relevant questions. Below are resources from the presentation.

Research shows that children not only recognize race from a very young age but also develop racial biases by ages three to five. One focus of Landmark’s DEI mission is to train our teachers to have more of these discussions in class, but we also know that students learn so much from their parents. Therefore, we want to provide you with some suggestions for continuing these necessary conversations at home. 

Presenters:
Ariel Martin-Cone, High School assistant academic dean
Laura Polvinen, head of the Counseling Department at the Elementary•Middle School
Jennifer Schley-Johnson, head of the Oral Expression/Literature Department at the Elementary•Middle School

Resources from Presentation

Recording Webinar

Talking to Your Students About Race and Racism Slide Deck

Other Resources

Collected resources for expanding your own understanding of race and racism & facilitating conversations with your family.
These resources are also included at the end of the slide deck above. 

Web Resources

Videos:

• Color Blind or Color Brave (TED talk)
• Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man: On talking about color with Chip and Joanna Gaines
• Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum on Why the Black Kids Still Sit Together (YouTube)
• Being 12 radio series- YouTube video link

Articles and curriculum:

• Learning for Justice: How to respond to Coronavirus racism
• Anti-Asian Hate - educating your children (Slate.com)
• How Political Opponents Became Enemies in the U.S. (PBS)

Reading Resources

For Parents

• Caste (Isabel Wilkerson)
• The Sum of Us (Heather McGhee)
• Minor Feelings (Cathy Park Hong)
• I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness (Austin Channing Brown)
• The Black Friend (Frederick Joseph)
• Me and White Supremacy (Layla F. Saad)
• So you want to talk about Race (Ijeoma Oluo)

Novels

• Little Fires Everywhere (Celeste Ng)
• Such a Fun Age (Kiley Reid)

Young Adult

• Stamped (Ibram X. Kendi & Jason Reynolds)
• Rick Riordan Presents
• More options here: Publishers Weekly anti-racist YA books

Elementary

• A Kids Book About Racism
• The Undefeated
• Eyes That Kiss in the Corners
• I Am Enough
• I Am Every Good Thing

Podcast Suggestions

Racial Justice, Equity, and History

• Seeing White (Scene on Radio)
• Code Switch (NPR)
• Throughline (NPR)
• Nice White Parents (Serial & NY Times)
• The 1619 Project (NY Times)

General news and current events:

• The Daily (New York Times)
• The Post Reports (Washington Post)

Movies & Shows

Documentaries

• 13th (Netflix, criminal justice and race)

Shows

• Amend (Netflix, stories of fighting for equality in America based in the 14th amendment)
• What Would You Do? (ABC, how to respond to challenging situations)
• Black-ish (ABC/Hulu, family drama that addresses race, identity, and current events)

Learn more about Landmark School's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives.