Breaking the Silence: Talking Race and Equity with Children

In this talk I will be discussing the development of racial awareness and identity in children and how we, as adults and educators, can support this critical exploration with equity and empowerment in mind.

Theresa Pfister

A White woman, I grew up in rural Wisconsin before earning a full scholarship to an elite private liberal arts college in Southern California. Studying English literature with the lens of social justice, I graduated and began my career as an educator. I taught abroad with the Peace Corps, state-side in an elementary school, and worked as a college advisor for first-generation, low-income students in NYC. Now a doctoral student at the University of Virginia's School of Education and Human Development, I study youth development with a critical and community lens. I specialize in adolescence, social-emotional learning, and equity.

Additional Resources:
​Children, Race and Racism: How Race Awareness Develops 
Racial Awareness 
Teaching Young Children about Race - Teaching for Change 
Beverly Daniel Tatum | TEDx Stanford 
Talking Race With Young Children : Parenting: Difficult Conversations 
How White Parents Can Talk To Their Kids About Race: Life Kit 
White Kids: Growing Up with Privilege in a Racially Divided America, by Margaret A. Hagerman
Raising White Kids: Bringing Up Children in a Racially Unjust America, by Jennifer Harvey