This Thursday, December 16, 2021, we are thrilled to be joined by two close friends from Integrated Schools (IS), a national organization focused on integrating with an equity and inclusion mindset. Molly Wheeler and Andrew Lefkowits have been a part of the leadership at IS and will share with us their experiences working to raise antiracist kids. We think this conversation is very important and love what Ibram X. Kendi had to say in an interview about the topic:
“…we unfortunately live in a society where there’s racial inequity, and our kids are trying to figure out why. They see, you know, let’s say darker people who are more likely to be homeless or incarcerated or impoverished, and they’re trying to figure out why is that the case? And if we’re not actively teaching them it’s because of racism, then what are they going to conclude? The way we can protect them is by actively teaching them about racism. And so I think it’s dangerous to not teach kids about why inequality exists in our society.”
If you have time beforehand to read/watch/listen to the articles, videos, and podcasts linked below that would be amazing and really will serve to benefit the collective. If you can’t no problem, just come with an open mind, a willingness to reflect, and a desire for shared growth.
Ibram X. Kenedi: How to Raise and Antiracist
After he wrote the National Book Award–winning Stamped from the Beginning, readers asked Ibram Kendi, “How can I be antiracist?” After he wrote the bestsellers How to Be an Antiracist and Antiracist Baby, readers began asking a different question: “How do I raise an antiracist child?”
How to Raise Kids Who Won’t Be Racist
If race is largely a social construct, then teaching children about it will only perpetuate racism — right? Wrong: Studies show precisely the opposite. Open conversations about race and racism can make white children less prejudiced and can increase the self-esteem of children of color.
How to Raise Anti-Raciest Kids, with Dr. Nzinga Harrison
In this critical episode, Dr. Nzinga Harrison outlines ways to talk with kids of all ages about racism and shares ten action steps on raising kids who are anti-racist. “Anti-racist kids are kids that don’t have to pretend to be free of racism, but kids who make the commitment to fight racism wherever they see it, including when they see it in themselves.”
STAY RVA
Supporting Together Area Youth RVA (STAY RVA) is a movement comprised of parents and neighbors who want to help Richmond’s local public schools thrive. We are a positive-minded, solution-oriented, action-based organization. We want you to be a part of STAY… STAY in the city, STAY committed, STAY open-minded. We want to build communities of support around every school and engage in honest conversations about why schools have not had the resources they need. We want to BECOME genuine community members who work to form relationships with all people.
Richmond is a dynamic city loved by many who call it home. We want to encourage people to STAY, put down roots, and get involved in their community by coming together in support of local schools. In order to be a first-class city, we must provide a first-class education for ALL students.
At the heart of who we are as a movement is a LOVE for humanity. There is a foundational belief that TOGETHER we can and should create a better way forward by supporting our local public schools.
What We Believe
- We believe in the power of education and the limitless possibilities and potential for ALL children.
- We know that the expertise and resources necessary to build a world-class school system exist in our community.
- We recognize that racism plays a powerful part in the historic failure of our system to offer opportunity to children of color and that through building relationships in our communities and in our schools we can begin to dismantle the structural racism that continues to plague our community’s school system.
- If a school is not “good enough” for my child then it is not good enough for anyone’s child and we are going to work to make sure that ALL schools are great for ALL of our kids.
