Let's Talk About R-A-C-E: First Graders' Exploration of Race in a Social Justice Curriculum

• In Event: Confronting and Countering Racism, Sexism, and Discipline Patterns in Early Childhood and Elementary Education Contexts

Abstract

This year-long ethnographic study examined first graders’ understanding of race as they engaged in activities that explored issues of social justice. The study utilized principles of Social Justice (Lipman, 2004; Nieto, 2013) and Critical Race Theory (CRT) (Crenshaw, Gotanda, Peller, & Thomas, 1995; Delgado & Stefancic, 2012; Ladson- Billings & Tate, 1995) to analyze young students’ thought-processes on race, and to examine students’ racial understandings when they are given space to explore their ideas within a curricular framework. In particular, the following question was asked: “What happens when first grade students are given space during regular curricular activities to talk about race in conjugation with the idea of social justice?”

Since CRT focuses on the impact of race and racism (Crenshaw et al., 1995), it provided the necessary construct to analyze how students interrogated classroom activities. In particular, counter-storytelling (DeCuir & Dixson, 2004) was implemented as a key component to present narratives from historically marginalized communities whose voices are often either minimized or omitted in texts (Brown & Brown, 2010).

An ethnographic framework was employed, that included participant observation, filming and recording, field notes, work samples, and interviews. The data was analyzed to understand how students made sense of race within everyday activities in the classroom. The primary researcher visited the classroom 1-2 times a week throughout the 2014-2015 school year. There were approximately 19 six- and seven-year-old participants in the study. All of the participants attended an urban public school located in the southwestern region of the United States. Numerous data sources, i.e. transcripts, field notes, interviews, and recordings, were utilized to triangulate the data and ensure reliability and validity. By reviewing numerous data points, a deeper understanding of the participants’ thought-processes during everyday interactions emerged.

The outcomes support young children’s ability to hold critical conversations about race. The findings that emerged from the data were that first graders (1) used race as a labeling tool without assigning positive or negative attributes to it, (2) exhibited increased development of racial empathy, and (3) emphasized resistance instead of the victimization of historically marginalized communities. Participant work samples and excerpts of conversations during curricular activities will be presented to highlight each finding. These findings underscore the importance of allowing children the opportunity to explore the impact of race and racism on current day and historical events.

Young children inquire about race as they strive to make sense of their environment (Winkler, 2009; Aboud, 2008; Van Ausdale & Feagin, 2001; Hirschfeld, 2008; Patterson & Bigler, 2006). Although researchers have explored racial formation (Omi & Winant, 1994), there is a gap in the literature portraying young children in school settings discussing race. This study highlights the opportunities that arise when first graders are given the space to explore racism and its impact.

Author

• Kathlene Alysia Holmes, University of Texas - Austin