White Kids

Winner, 2019 William J. Goode Book Award, given by the Family Section of the American Sociological Association Finalist, 2019 C. Wright Mills Award, given by the Society for the Study of Social Problems Riveting stories of how affluent, white children learn about race American kids are living in a world of ongoing public debates about race, daily displays of racial injustice, and for some, an increased awareness surrounding diversity and inclusion. In this heated context, sociologist Margaret A. Hagerman zeroes in on affluent, white kids to observe how they make sense of privilege, unequal educational opportunities, and police violence. In fascinating detail, Hagerman considers the role that they and their families play in the reproduction of racism and racial inequality in America. White Kids, based on two years of research involving in-depth interviews with white kids and their families, is a clear-eyed and sometimes shocking account of how white kids learn about race. In doing so, this book explores questions such as, “How do white kids learn about race when they grow up in families that do not talk openly about race or acknowledge its impact?” and “What about children growing up in families with parents who consider themselves to be ‘anti-racist’?” Featuring the actual voices of young, affluent white kids and what they think about race, racism, inequality, and privilege, White Kids illuminates how white racial socialization is much more dynamic, complex, and varied than previously recognized. It is a process that stretches beyond white parents’ explicit conversations with their white children and includes not only the choices parents make about neighborhoods, schools, peer groups, extracurricular activities, and media, but also the choices made by the kids themselves. By interviewing kids who are growing up in different racial contexts—from racially segregated to meaningfully integrated and from politically progressive to conservative—this important book documents key differences in the outcomes of white racial socialization across families. And by observing families in their everyday lives, this book explores the extent to which white families, even those with anti-racist intentions, reproduce and reinforce the forms of inequality they say they reject.

We've neglected the topic of white privilege for too long. This book directly addresses the myth that all children start from the same spot. White children growing up today can see their privilege and learn how to use it for good. And maybe-just maybe-learn how to give it up.

In this updated edition, two distinguished early childhood educators tackle the crucial topic of what White children need and gain from anti-bias and multicultural education. The authors propose seven learning themes to help young White children resist messages of racism and build identity and skills for thriving in a country and world filled with diverse ways of being. This compelling text includes teaching strategies for early childhood settings, activities for families and staff, reflection questions, a record of 20th- and 21st-century White anti-racism activists, and organizational and website resources. Bringing this bestselling guide completely up to date, the authors: Address the current state of racism and anti-racism in the United States, including the election of the first African American president and the rise of hate groups. Review child development research with a particular emphasis on recent observational studies that show how White children enact racial power codes. Discuss implementation of the core learning themes in racially diverse early childhood education settings, state standards for preschools and pre-K classrooms, and NCLB pressures on early childhood teaching. Update all resources and appendices, including reading lists and websites for finding resources and organizations engaged in anti-racism work. Louise Derman-Sparksis a past faculty member at Pacific Oaks College in Pasadena, California and the co-author ofTeaching/Learning Anti-Racism. Louise presents conference keynotes, conducts workshops, and consults throughout the United States and internationally.Patricia G. Ramseyis Professor of Psychology and Education at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts and author ofTeaching and Learning in a Diverse World. Praise for the First Edition— “Derman-Sparks and Ramsey offer an ‘alternative vision’ for white identity that breaks the mold….The current status of our anti-bias work demands we read [this book] and use it well” —From the Foreword byCarol Brunson Day “A dynamic blend of child development theory, social history, and the best pedagogical practice from two distinguished social justice educators—every teacher of young children should read it!” —Beverly Daniel Tatum, President, Spelman College “An accessible, practical, and essential tool for every teacher of young white children. I especially appreciated the concrete suggestions and abundance of resources from two of early childhood education’s most experienced teachers.” —Paul Kivel, educator and author ofUprooting RacismandI Can Make My World a Safer Place “By starting with a strong sense of identity that is not race-based, children can move forward to cultivate an anti-racist culture. This book offers caregivers excellent frameworks and tools to make this happen.” —TC Record

In White Kids, Mary Bucholtz investigates how white teenagers use language to display identities based on race and youth culture. Focusing on three youth styles - preppies, hip hop fans, and nerds - Bucholtz shows how white youth use a wealth of linguistic resources, from social labels to slang, from Valley Girl speech to African American English, to position themselves in the school's racialized social order. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork in a multiracial urban California high school, the book also demonstrates how European American teenagers talk about race when discussing interracial friendship and difference, narrating racialized fear and conflict, and negotiating their own ethnoracial classification. The first book to use techniques of linguistic analysis to examine the construction of diverse white identities, it will be welcomed by researchers and students in linguistics, anthropology, ethnic studies and education.

The Hip Hop Generation is an eloquent testament for black youth culture at the turn of the century. The only in-depth study of the first generation to grow up in post-segregation America, it combines culture and politics into a pivotal work in American studies. Bakari Kitwana, one of black America's sharpest young critics, offers a sobering look at this generation's disproportionate social and political troubles, and celebrates the activism and politics that may herald the beginning of a new phase of African-American empowerment.

Can a one-legged boy become a great samurai warrior? Meet some unique aspiring champions in this kick-off to an exciting new martial arts series. (Ages 9-14) Niya Moto is the only one-legged samurai kid in Japan, famous for falling flat on his face in the dirt. The one school that will accept him is the Cockroach Ryu, led by the legendary sensei Ki-Yaga. He may be an old man overly fond of naps, but Ki-Yaga is also known for taking in kids that the world has judged harshly: an albino girl with extra fingers and toes, a boy who is blind, a big kid whose past makes him loath to fight. A warrior in his time, Ki-Yaga demands excellence in everything from sword-fighting to poetry. But can the ragtag Cockroaches make the treacherous journey to the Samurai Trainee Games, never mind take on the all-conquering Dragons? In a fast-moving, action-filled tale that draws on true details of feudal Japan, Niya finds there’s no fear they can’t face as long as they stick together --for their friendship is more powerful than a samurai sword.

People of color are eager for white people to deal with their racial ignorance. White people are desperate for an affirmative role in racial justice. Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness helps with conversations the nation is, just now, finally starting to have.

This New York Times best-selling book is a guide for families, educators, and communities to raise their children to be able and active anti-racist allies. With a foreword by Tim Wise, Raising White Kids is for families, churches, educators, and communities who want to equip their children to be active and able participants in a society that is becoming one of the most racially diverse in the world while remaining full of racial tensions. For white people who are committed to equity and justice, living in a nation that remains racially unjust and deeply segregated creates unique conundrums. These conundrums begin early in life and impact the racial development of white children in powerful ways. What can we do within our homes, communities and schools? Should we teach our children to be “colorblind”? Or, should we teach them to notice race? What roles do we want to equip them to play in addressing racism when they encounter it? What strategies will help our children learn to function well in a diverse nation? Talking about race means naming the reality of white privilege and hierarchy. How do we talk about race honestly, then, without making our children feel bad about being white? Most importantly, how do we do any of this in age-appropriate ways? While a great deal of public discussion exists in regard to the impact of race and racism on children of color, meaningful dialogue about and resources for understanding the impact of race on white children are woefully absent. Raising White Kids steps into that void. "Most white Americans didn't get from our own families the concrete teaching and modeling we needed to be active in the work of racial justice ourselves, let alone to feel equipped now to talk about race with and teach anti-racism to our children. There is so much we need to learn and it's urgent that we do so. But the good news is: we can," says Jennifer Harvey.