Curricula on Race & Racism for First Day School

By Jean Marie Barch & Angelina Conti

FGC’s Committee for Ministry on Racism is researching faith-based and secular curricula on race, racism, diversity, and oppression that may be useful to Friends. This includes written curricula, books, videos and other materials for children, teenagers, and adults. What does your meeting use? Have you developed any original resources that may be of use to other Friends? Please let us know! E-mail: vane..click here..@fgcquaker.org.

CMR’s work on researching curricula is ongoing, but in the meantime we are able to recommend three that may be useful to Friends. This is by no means a complete list, and each curriculum will need to be adapted to a Quaker learning environment. Two are Unitarian Universalist and the third is ecumenical Christian.

Race to Justice: A Racial Justice and Diversity Program for Junior High
By Robin Gray and Jose A. Ballester Y Marquez
Unitarian Universalist Association, 1995

This curriculum is highly recommended and offers a lot to Friends. Fifteen sessions include discussions of racism in the media and institutional racism, as well as games, deep sharing and celebrations of diversity.

Rainbow Children: A Racial Justice and Diversity Program for Ages 5 to 8
By Norma Poinsett and Vivian Burns
Unitarian Universalist Association

Structured over twelve sessions that honor and celebrate difference, this curriculum is unfortunately out of print. It is still used by many Unitarian Universalist churches, however, and some may be willing to share copies.

Challenging Racism
By Jody Miller Shearer
Fastlane Bible Studies
Faith & Life Press, 1993

The four carefully programmed lessons in this curriculum begin with Bible verses. All handouts are included, though teachers will need to gather other basic supplies. This curriculum is notable because it embraces and acknowledges both multiracial teaching environments and environments where students may be only European American.