"What Is Anti-Racism Education?" is the title of the first webinar in the three-part spring 2021 PD for All Series, Anti-Racist Early Childhood Education: Principles, Practices, and Possibilities. The featured presenter is Terry Husband, Ph.D., a professor of early childhood literacy at Illinois State University.
Recent census data indicate U.S. classrooms continue to become increasingly racially diverse. At the same time, race relations in U.S. society remain tense and problematic. Given these two facts, it is critical for early childhood teachers to teach in ways that recognize, resist, and ultimately reverse racist thinking, policies, and practices in schools and within their broader communities. Anti-racist education is both a philosophical and practical approach that seeks to identify, interrogate, and combat racial injustice in schools and the world. Using principles, practices, and possibilities of anti-racist education, this webinar will provide an overview of the theoretical constructs and traditions associated with anti-racist education and scholarship, define key terms associated with anti-racist education, discuss several reasons why anti-racist education is warranted in schools and classrooms today, and outline a practical and multi-dimensional framework for actualizing anti-racist education.