Curriculum of Advocates for Racial Equity

Currently, it is not common practice for equity and social justice learning to be incorporated into regular education settings and therefore accessible to all students at all ages throughout the school year. There are 13,588 school districts in the United States, and we have identified less than a handful of districts implementing specifically anti-racist curriculum. We Are an Anti-Racist World (WAaAW) is working to change that through teaching students how to engage in compassionate dialogue around the subject of race.

WAaAW has developed the Curriculum of Advocates for Racial Equity (C.A.R.E.) that is accessible on a quarterly basis to students in Pre-Kindergarten through Twelfth Grade. C.A.R.E. pulls most lessons directly from Learning For Justice’s and Greater Good Science Center’s vast collection of resources which are aligned to the Social Justice Standards and their four domains- Identity, Diversity, Justice, and Action. Additionally, lessons will reference Common Core State Standards (CCSS), the College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Social Studies State Standard, Social Emotional Learning (SEL), and the American School Counselor Association’s National Standards for Students.

Pre-K through Grade 2: Students begin developing knowledge and skills necessary to help them better understand themselves so they may then extend that understanding to others. The concept of racism is introduced in a developmentally-appropriate and accessible format, while weaving in social and emotional learning such as empathy, kindness, and respect.

Grades 3 through 5: Students continue to acquire self-knowledge and interpersonal skills and deepen their understanding by learning to recognize stereotypes, injustice, and discrimination as a part of our past as well as our present. Visual art, literature, and music are explored as vehicles for expanding appreciation for diversity. Students incorporate reflective practices, demonstrate effective communication, and understand that both are important components of how we work to create a more just and peaceful society.

Grades 6 through 8: Students utilize their developing knowledge, skills, and abilities with respect to self and others to reflect upon and discuss the history of racism in America, America’s Civil Rights Movement, and the importance of social justice and activism. Music, photography, and editorial cartoons are analyzed for their messaging and emotional and intellectual impact. Students can understand and articulate the importance of promoting peace and tolerance in their own lives.

Grades 9 through 12: Students further investigate the history of race in America, America’s civil rights movement, and the concept of anti-racism through the viewing, reading, and in-depth analysis of Charles Guggenheim’s documentary A Time for Justice, episodes of The History of White People in America, California Newsreel’s documentary series Race: The Power of an Illusion, and Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi’s Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You.