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General Interest
The New York Times: 26 Mini-Films for Exploring Race, Bias and Identity With Students
How do we get students to consider perspectives different from their own? How do we get them to challenge their own biases and prejudices? If, as Atticus Finch famously said, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view … until you climb into his skin and walk around in it,” how do we get our students to do that? Teachers traditionally turn to literature, history and current events to open up these conversations, but it’s always helpful to have a bigger toolbox to tackle such important and difficult issues. That’s why we pulled together these 26 short New York Times documentaries that range in time from 1 to 7 minutes and tackle issues of race, bias and identity.
Sankofa Read Aloud
Online African-American children stories.
Early Childhood
PBS KIDS: Alike & Different
In this set of resources, we will use video from DANIEL TIGER'S NEIGHBORHOOD to focus on how you can help children value and appreciate ways in which we are alike and ways in which we are different.
Adolescence
"¿Tu Color de Piel Define Qué Oportunidades Tienes?"
Las personas de pueblos indígenas o con un tono de piel oscuro sufren mayor más el racismo y la discriminación en México. Esto también significa que tienen menos oportunidades en ámbitos educativos y laborales.
Democracy Now!: "Ta-Nehisi Coates on Police Brutality: "The Violence is Not New, It's the Cameras That are New"
Today we spend the hour with Ta-Nehisi Coates, author of an explosive new book about white supremacy and being black in America. Titled “Between the World and Me,” it is written as a letter to his teenage son, Samori. In July, Ta-Nehisi Coates launched the book in his hometown of Baltimore. He spoke at the historic Union Baptist Church. “It seems like there’s a kind of national conversation going on right now about those who are paid to protect us, who sometimes end up inflicting lethal harm upon us,” Coates said. “But for me, this conversation is old, and I’m sure for many of you the conversation is quite old. It’s the cameras that are new. It’s not the violence that’s new.”
Hablemos de Racismo en México, un Problema que no Queremos Reconocer
A los mexicanos nos cuesta mucho reconocer que vivimos en un país racista. Según datos del Colegio de México y OXFAM, hay sectores de la población que vivirán en desventaja socioeconómica desde su nacimiento. Estos sectores son los indígenas, los afrodescendientes y las personas que dicen tener un tono de piel moreno oscuro.
The Hate U Give
Based on the best-selling novel, The Hate U Give tells the story of Starr Carter, who lives in two worlds: the poor, black neighborhood where she resides and the mostly white prep school she attends. This uneasy balance is shattered when she witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood friend by a policeman. Facing pressures from all sides, Starr must find her voice and stand up for what’s right.
The History of Segregation and Structural Racism in Rochester for Kids
A longer (50 minutes) version of this video is also available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ivgX0AXrPs
An Outrage
For decades following the Civil War, racial terror reigned over the United States and, particularly, the American South, claiming thousands of lives and uprooting countless others. Lynching—at once extralegal and a systemic form of social control—left in its wake a pain that still lingers. That pain was first endured by brutalized black bodies, and then by the black communities it devastated and displaced. Those communities now face a different kind of violence: silence and erasure. Victims of lynching were forgotten in a graveyard overgrown with weeds planted by their tormentors. An Outrage, a film by Hannah Ayers and Lance Warren, joins the movement to right this wrong—not only to promote remembrance but also to illustrate how this recent history of injustice engenders further injustice today. Through the voices of scholars and activists in communities across the South, as well as through the descendants of the victims themselves, this film serves to educate viewers and call them to action. An Outrage takes viewers to the very communities where heinous acts of violence took place, offering a painful look back at lives lost to lynching and a critical look forward.
PBS: "Say It Loud"
Say It Loud is a PBS Digital Studios series that celebrates Black culture, context, and history. Hosts Evelyn from the Internets and Azie Dungey give you a comedic take on identity and pop culture, from Black pride movements to Black Twitter shenanigans. The show explores the complexity of Black experience and finds joy in the many ways Black folks have influenced American life.
TED: Shari Davis: "What If You Could Help Decide How the Government Spends Public Funds?"
What if you could help decide how the government spends public funds in your community? That's the idea behind participatory budgeting, a process that brings local residents and governments together to develop concrete solutions to real problems close to home. In this inspiring call to action, community leader Shari Davis shows how participatory budgeting can strengthen democracy, transform neighborhoods and cities -- and give everyone a seat at the table. "We've got to open the doors to city halls and schools so wide that people can't help but walk in," she says.
TED: Dr. Phillip Atiba Goff: "How We Can Make Racism a Solvable Problem -- and Improve Policing"
When we define racism as behaviors instead of feelings, we can measure it -- and transform it from an impossible problem into a solvable one, says justice scientist Dr. Phillip Atiba Goff. In an actionable talk, he shares his work at the Center for Policing Equity, an organization that helps police departments diagnose and track racial gaps in policing in order to eliminate them. Learn more about their data-driven approach -- and how you can get involved with the work that still needs to be done. (This ambitious plan is part of the Audacious Project, TED's initiative to inspire and fund global change.)
Western Sydney University: Challenging Racism Project
The real-life incidents described in the incident report forms (see Methodology above) became the basis for the production of bystander anti-racism campaign materials. Based on the survey responses, four scripts were developed reflecting prominent cases of racism and anti-racism (based on the survey findings). These scripts were tested with cultural experts and community representatives (African-Australian's, Middle Eastern, Indian and Aboriginal) to ensure the content was not offensive. The scripts were also tested, in both script and storyboard forms, with three focus groups (The Country Woman's Association and Western Sydney University student groups). Four bystander anti-racism campaign videos have been produced (see below). It is hoped that these videos will educate the public on action they can take as witnesses of racism.
