Building and Assessing an Empirically Based Racial Literacy Seminar Using Systemic Racism Theory

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Abstract

This paper discusses the results of a study conducted at a teacher education program in the Midwest. This mixed-methods study's goal was to teach pre-service teachers about racial literacy and assess the potential impact the seminar had on their self-perceived knowledge of race and racism, the narratives they use to describe their knowledge of race and racism before and after the seminar, and their perceptions of how the seminar would or would not impact them as educators in the future. The seminar relied on systemic racism theory as a primary theoretical lens. Quantitative and qualitative data indicate that the seminar had a positive impact in promoting anti-racism among the 25 pre-service teachers who took the one-week seminar.

Authors

• Thaddeus Atzmon, University of Northern Iowa

• Heather Gallivan, University of Northern Iowa

• Sarah Meredith Vander Zanden, University of Northern Iowa