Finding Hope in Anti-bias Education

by Debbie LeeKeenan, from EmbraceRace's 2023 Reflections on Racial Learning

Converging pandemics, shifts in social views, and polarizing political issues have presented challenges to us as professionals interested in social justice education. At the same time, we have experienced a resurgence of protest and anti-bias and anti-racist education due to the watershed moment of George Floyd’s murder. People locked down at home, glued to the television and social media, were forced to acknowledge the racial injustice that has been occurring for decades and moved to reaction and action. Children were also trying to make sense of what was happening around them. They have their own curiosity about differences and bring those ideas into the classroom. (1)

• Why is my skin this color? Can I change it?
• Malika has two mommies; does she have a daddy?
• My dad said those people will take our jobs.
• Is Devlin a boy or a girl?
• Are Indians still alive today?
• My grandpa said the police officers are not our friends.
• Another child says, My mom says they are.

As early educators, we know children are capable of developing racial literacy and as early as 6 months of age prefer same-skin-color faces. We need to affirm and respond to children’s questions about differences and counteract their pre-prejudicial ideas. The four anti-bias goals (2) of identity, diversity, justice and action provide a framework for children to develop positive social identities; have empathic, caring interactions with people who are different from them; and notice and stand up against unfairness they see in their community.

There are many significant recent developments that support anti-bias education. We have more accessible professional development resources, children’s books, videos, webinars and podcasts authored and developed by BIPoC. More educators are meeting in communities of practice to discuss anti-bias/anti-racist issues and share practices, such as looking at classroom documentation of an anti-bias activity or reading an article together about children’s racial identity development. Affinity groups have gained ground where people with a common social identity gather for connection, support and action. We are finding allies and community.

My co-produced 2021 film with John Nimmo, Reflecting on Anti-bias in Action: The Early Years,(3) has been seen all over the world. The film has been a powerful provocation for making anti-bias education an integral part of schools and organizations, and not just in the friendly blue states. The film has been welcomed as a tool for those invested in social justice work in places like Florida, Texas, Arizona, Wyoming, and Oklahoma. People are asking for more specific tools and strategies to further equity work.

Last November 2022 at the National Association of Education for Young Children’s (NAEYC) annual conference in Washington DC, over 6,000 early childhood educators convened for the first time in person since 2019 to learn and share possibilities of how to bring equity into our educational settings. It was a joyous moment to be in person, hugging, high-fiving…we survived, are still standing, and are marching forward.

We can break down the barriers of this divisive nation by holding community conversations with people who have diverse perspectives and identities. What if every school, church, temple, mosque, youth and senior center held a community supper once a month, where people come together to share their stories and memories of encountering diversity and experiencing community with people who are the same and different from them? What would we learn? There are many people and organizations doing social justice work. But we are often siloed. What if we created a national database that included updated information on all the organizations working for social justice in the different sectors?

We can also lean into disequilibrium and conflict as a part of doing anti-bias work. Inevitably there is disagreement and pushback when doing this work, because our different values and beliefs are based on our positionality. The intersectionality of our social identities and lived experiences impact how much we can manage discomfort and risk-taking, balanced with the need for safety. However if we show up authentically, listen deeply and compassionately, and embrace complexity, we can always learn something even if we don’t always agree. Conflict and disequilibrium can provide opportunity for growth. We can move beyond either/or binary thinking. There is never one way forward. Be strategic, and find the spaces where there is common ground to reimagine and create a more fair and just world.

We can break down the barriers of this divisive nation by holding community conversations with people who have diverse perspectives and identities. What if every school, church, temple, mosque, youth and senior center held a community supper once a month, where people come together to share their stories and memories of encountering diversity and experiencing community with people who are the same and different from them? What would we learn? There are many people and organizations doing social justice work. But we are often siloed. What if we created a national database that included updated information on all the organizations working for social justice in the different sectors?

We can also lean into disequilibrium and conflict as a part of doing anti-bias work. Inevitably there is disagreement and pushback when doing this work, because our different values and beliefs are based on our positionality. The intersectionality of our social identities and lived experiences impact how much we can manage discomfort and risk-taking, balanced with the need for safety. However if we show up authentically, listen deeply and compassionately, and embrace complexity, we can always learn something even if we don’t always agree. Conflict and disequilibrium can provide opportunity for growth. We can move beyond either/or binary thinking. There is never one way forward. Be strategic, and find the spaces where there is common ground to reimagine and create a more fair and just world.

This article comes from the introduction of Inaugural EmbraceRace Reflections on Children's Racial Learning. Download all the reflections from leaders attending to children's racial learning in parent practice, education, healthcare, children's media and social science research.

References

1. LeeKeenan, D.& Nimmo, J.(2016).Anti-bias education in challenging times.Exchange, November/December 2016. Exchange Press.
2. Derman-Sparks, L., Edwards, J.O., & Goins, C.M.(2020).Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves, Second Edition. Washington, DC: NAEYC.
3. LeeKeenan, D.& Nimmo, J.(2021).Reflecting on Anti-bias in Action: The Early Years (film).Brave Sprout Productions.