Anti-Racist Curriculum: How to Talk to Your Kids About Black History

Let's teach our kids to be anti-racist, one lesson at a time.

Published on September 29, 2020

As protestors cried for racial justice across the United States this year, it became clear that it was time for families to sit down and have some hard conversations about the history of our nation. When Civil War statues were removed from public parks, educators were forced to think about whose legacies they are teaching children to celebrate and honor. It's about time for our children's education system to get a refresh—one that leads with cultural and historical accuracy about America's heritage.

On September 17, 2020, President Donald Trump announced his plans for a new commission to introduce a "patriotic education" in U.S. schools to "reclaim our history, and our country, for citizens of every race, color, religion, and creed." In his first day in office, President Joe Biden revoked Trump's 1776 Commission, but more needs to be done.

We believe the best way to reclaim our history and get to a place of true American pride is not to ignore the dark moments of our country's past, but rather to teach them to our children in a way that guides them to strive for better. We need to raise the next generations to understand the mistakes of those who came before them so they together can create a better, brighter future.

Here, we bring you continuing guidance from experts and historians on how all grownups—moms, dads, and school teachers alike—can talk to children about the topics affecting Black American history, which are so often left out of or reframed in school curriculums. Improving our children's education by introducing the facts in a way kids can understand will help us raise the next generation to be anti-racist.

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Mural of BLM Harlem Renaissance Civil Rights Protests — Illustration by Emma Darvick

Kirby Felder, a theater Teacher in Atlanta, Georgia

We have to stop silencing the things that are authentically [expressions of pain and joy of Black people by Black people]. You could be silencing the next Zora Neale Hurston or Duke Ellington.

— Kirby Felder, a theater Teacher in Atlanta, Georgia

Heather Harlen, an English teacher and author of Shame, Shame, I Know Your Name

Teaching students about medical racism isn't too serious for kids, and they need to learn about it in order to be informed citizens and allies.

— Heather Harlen, an English teacher and author of Shame, Shame, I Know Your Name

Illustration by Emma Darvick

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