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Anti-racism education thread:
Picture books are a rapid intro to so many big issues & are appropriate starting points for all ages. I have quite a few of these books (from link providing below) in the Lib collection, esp those that teach more specifically about the Cdn context.
Picture books are a rapid intro to so many big issues & are appropriate starting points for all ages. I have quite a few of these books (from link providing below) in the Lib collection, esp those that teach more specifically about the Cdn context.
Sometimes, when we see racism and it’s after effects unfolding around us, we wonder how to talk to children about it in the hopes of making a better future without traumatizing kids. Children’s literature helps have conversations in age appropriate ways. https://www.embracerace.org/resources/26-childrens-books-to-support-conversations-on-race-racism-resistance
The sad reality is that BIPOC are forced to try & explain these issues to their kids young ages, so these books help. But,it’s extremely important that white people take on these tough topics w/ children if we’re going to unknot the legacy of systemic racism—and these books help.
I’ve included a pile more book photos from the collection at school that are not mentioned in the (very good) list above.
Some are about specific events and time periods in Canadian history; others are for general discussions about racism and prejudice.
Some are about specific events and time periods in Canadian history; others are for general discussions about racism and prejudice.
Africville is a Canadian case study that opens the door to many aspects of anti-blackness, as is the story of Viola Desmond. Learning about Japanese Canadian internment, Canada’s Indigenous residential schools and Indian Act assimilation legacies, the Chinese Head Tax eras...
... the turning away of the Komagata Maru ship filled with South Asian immigrants...all of it can be accomplished effectively with children’s picture books and nonfiction.
Beyond specific historical (and current specific events), more general discussions about racism and prejudice can be accomplished via children’s literature, too.
Anti-racism starts with acknowledging and understanding the past and how it impacts the present so that we can improve the future.
PS—Gr 5 Social Studies curriculum deals w/ the above Canadian history & legacy. It’s some of the most meaningful & rewarding teaching I do each year: children are inherently anti-racist in attitude & believe in social justice. Young people *can* handle big issues.
