“I don’t see color” and other harmful statements: Moving toward climates that support positive dialogue about race

From besafe Be SAFE Initiative on August 10th, 2015

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This is a recording of a Michigan State University Extension webinar that originally aired on October 22, 2014.

An important part of healthy youth development is understanding multiple aspects of one’s identity—including those connected to issues of race. Recent research shows that too often adults in the lives of kids deny and ignore racial slurs and tensions because they are scared or lack the skills to intervene. This webinar discusses barriers that get in the way of our conversations about race and presents suggestions for engaging in “race talk” based on building community, engaging in deep personal reflection, dialoguing across differences and taking action for social justice. It featured Shayla R. Griffin, Ph.D., M.S.W., drawing from her research and 2014 book titled Those Kids, Our Schools: Race Relations in an Integrated American High School (Harvard Education Press), a three-year ethnographic study of how students, teachers, and administrators navigated issues of race in an integrated, Midwestern school.

This webinar was developed as part of Be SAFE: Safe, Affirming and Fair Environments, a Michigan State University Extension initiative designed to help communities learn about and address issues of bullying, bias and harassment in the lives of young people. Be SAFE taps the wisdom and resiliency of young people and invites youth and adults to work in partnership to create relationships and settings that are physically and emotionally safe. Be SAFE includes a comprehensive curriculum, which is designed for use within out-of-school time settings as well as middle school settings and which includes more than 30 engaging and experiential activities designed for group learning.

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“I don’t see color” and other harmful statements: Moving toward climates that support positive dialogue about race

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