Resources for Teachers
Racial and cultural resilience is a child’s ability to celebrate their own and others’ racial and cultural identities, recognize and cope with prejudice and inequality, and advocate for themselves and others. By promoting our children’s racial and cultural literacy and resilience, we can build their confidence and strengthen their sense of self-worth.
From film kits to lesson plans—texts, student tasks and teaching strategies—this website will help you bring relevance, rigor and social emotional learning into your classroom—all for FREE. Explore→
A guide by the Institute for Teachers of Color sharing ways to cultivate personal and collective practices of healing. Explore→
Resources for Families
This section details age-appropriate actions you can take to talk to your children about race, and build racial and cultural resilience in your children.
Early Childhood Children
An article explaining what children understand about race and age appropriate ways to talk to them about it. Explore→
Sesame Workshop is a global nonprofit organization with a mission to help children everywhere grow smarter, stronger, and kinder. Here are a few of their family resources that can support you in these important family conversations:
Resources to help children celebrate and understand our diverse world→
Resources for coping with racial trauma→
School Age Children
Explaining the “Why” Behind Police Violence Using Child-Friendly Language→
Cincinnati MindPeace’s Tips for Talking to Children about Racism→
See "Tips for Talking to Children about Racism" on page 2.
1N5 resource list→
This Cincinnati organization has compiled a list of mental health resources including how to discuss race and racism with children.
An Activity Book for African American Families: Helping Children Cope with Crisis→
This free 94-page activity book from the NICHD and the National Black Child Development Institute provides information and resources that can help parents instill a sense of safety in their children during times of crisis through creative activities that encourage communication. Link to free PDF→
5 Ways To Build Resilience tip sheets and associated book list→
An outline of easy, everyday actions you can do to help your early-childhood aged child build resilience and strengthen their connection with you.
America's Truth: Cincinnati
Dr. Wendy Ellis, a Cincinnati native, and the Center for Community Resilience partnered with Joining Forces for Children, All In Cincinnati, the University of Cincinnati Center for Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation, Cincinnati Public Schools, and the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center to create, “America’s Truth: Cincinnati,” a documentary exploring how structural racism in policies and practices harmed four Black communities in Cincinnati.
Age: While this resource doesn't have a specific age rating, the complex themes and historical content make it more suitable for children ages 12 and up.
Race and Racism in Cincinnati Docuseries
Ignite Peace (formerly IJPC) created The Race and Racism in Cincinnati docuseries to retell Cincinnati’s history from the racial margins, a history that is not often told in school curriculums or in mainstream (white) culture. The video series shares a people’s history that places storytelling authority in the hands of common people, rather than political leaders or other figures of power who have crafted narratives to benefit their agenda.
Request a private screening for your workplace, classroom or faith community→
Age: While this resource doesn’t have a specific age rating, its in-depth historical analysis and mature subject matter make it more suitable for children ages 12 and up.
Race & Racism in Cincinnati Toolkit
Explore Race and Racism in Cincinnati through history, law and resilient communities of color in a new toolkit. This toolkit includes post-reading quizzes, reflection questions and action steps. Explore→
Age: While this resource doesn't have a specific age rating, the complex themes and historical content make it more suitable for children ages 12 and up.
The Death of Timothy Thomas and the Uprising That Followed
Timothy Thomas was an unarmed, 19-year-old Black man who was fatally shot by a police officer in Cincinnati. His death sparked an uprising and led to police reforms in Cincinnati. Read the article→
Age: While this resource doesn't have a specific age rating, its examination of sensitive topics such as police violence and civil unrest makes it more suitable for ages 12 and up.
The Irate 8
The "Irate 8" was a student-led activist group at University of Cincinnati formed in response to the 2015 fatal shooting of Sam DuBose by a campus police officer. Irate 8 refers to the fact that only 8% of the university’s student body were Black, despite Black residents accounting for over 40% of Cincinnati's population. The Irate 8 presented a list of 10 demands to the university and developed programming to spark change. These demands led to several accomplishments, including the expansion of the African American Cultural Resource Center at UC.
Watch this 5 minute video about the Irate 8→
Age: While this resource doesn’t have a specific age rating, its discussion of police violence and racial discrimination make it more suitable for children ages 13 and up.