RACISM IN SCHOOLS IS NOT DEAD

According to Tolerance.org, over 500,000 college students are targets of biased slurs and physical assaults every year. At least one hate crime occurs daily on a college campus and of those incidents, race and ethnicity are the most common targets. Less systematic information is available for K-12 students, but they, like their college age counterparts, report being the targets of biased words or images and/or physical intimidation every day.

Racism and racial micro-aggressions have a dire impact on children and adolescents’ self-esteem, identity, and academic performance. Moreover, victims of hate crimes are at heightened risk for psychological symptoms beyond those arising from violent crime in general, ranging from depression and anxiety to posttraumatic stress disorder.

The Taking Action Against Racism program aims to prepare parents and educators with the skills to combat racism at both individual and institutional levels. Attendees will have opportunities to discuss and be exposed to didactic and experiential exercises to tackle racism in their settings. In addition, participants will learn to identify ways to work collaboratively with others committed to anti-racism efforts in their schools.