Using Literacy Approaches to Begin the Conversation on Racial Illiteracy

Wiley-Blackwell. 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148. Tel: 800-835-6770; Tel: 781-388-8598; Fax: 781-388-8232; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA

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Racial Bias; Barriers; Minority Group Students; Literacy; Race; Social Justice; Childrens Literature; Teaching Methods; Journal Writing; Dialogs (Language); Writing (Composition); Advantaged; Whites

10.1002/trtr.1757

0034-0561

Systemic racism, and the white privilege that it supports and maintains, remains firmly entrenched in U.S. culture. The current educational climate may be experiencing an increase in racial animus, and students are not immune to the challenges they face as a result. For teachers who truly believe that all children can learn and are entitled to the very best opportunities to reach their full potential, racism must be considered a barrier to reaching this goal for students of color. To actively create an anti-racist climate in classrooms, educators must actively engage in racial literacy efforts with students. High-quality, age-appropriate books with social justice themes can help facilitate conversations about racism and privilege. Integrating literacy approaches, such as literature circles, dialogue journals, and writing impactful pieces, can start important conversations to eradicate racial illiteracy in our classrooms and to better our world.

As Provided

2018

EJ1200924