Understanding Race and Racism

Lesson Plan

Day 1 

Activity 1: Journal About Race

We believe that conversations about race should be conducted in a classroom with mutual respect and clear expectations around navigating potentially difficult topics. The following activity is designed to help create that space in your classroom. Tell students that the following writing exercise is a private journal entry that they will not be asked to share with anyone, so they should feel free to write their most honest reflection. Have students take several minutes to complete this sentence: 

I mostly feel ____________ when discussing race because _________.

As students write in their journals, place a sticky note on each student’s desk. When students are finished writing, ask them to anonymously write their “feeling” word on the sticky note, and then collect the notes. (Alternatively, you might use a platform such as Mentimeter and ask students to submit their word electronically to create a word cloud.)

Read aloud the feelings that are in the room, and create a list of feelings on the board. Acknowledge that it’s normal to have these feelings and that there are a range of reasons for them. Explain that talking about race is difficult for some people because of

• the discomfort that comes from breaking a social taboo, 
• the painful possibility of being perceived as a racist, and
• the pain that comes when others make remarks that are offensive or perpetuate stereotypes.

It is important for teachers and students to acknowledge that these feelings are in the room and that we need not be afraid of them. Then review your classroom contract and ask students to identify norms that support safe and courageous conversations about race, establishing additional norms if necessary. 

After reviewing the contract, explain that each person should be allowed to enter this conversation wherever they are without being judged or shut down. Everyone needs to feel free to participate without fear of being called racist or given any other label. However, it is equally important for students to honor the classroom contract and to understand that the freedom to participate does not mean the freedom to harm. 

Instruct the class to analyze their list of feelings on the board, using the following questions to guide the discussion: 

• What do the words have in common?
• What else do you notice? (Students might observe that the words are not just surface observations; they are deeply personal feelings.) 
• Do you have any other important reflections? (Students might observe that the words represent a wide and varied range of responses.) 
• Where do these feelings come from? (Student responses might include personal experiences, stereotypes, social structures, etc.)
• What do we as a community of learners need from each other to have a safe yet courageous conversation about race in this classroom?

Then invite students to suggest additional norms not covered in the current classroom contract that would support a productive discussion about race.

Activity 2: Reflect on the Meaning of Race

Tell students that in this lesson, they will look more closely at the concept of race. Explain that race is a concept that continues to significantly influence the way society is structured and the way that individuals think about and act toward one another. For example, ideas about race can lead to an “us” and “them” mindset that regards “them” as different from “us,” providing a basis for unfair or discriminatory treatment. 

Before asking students to examine the concept closely in this two-day lesson, it is worth giving them a few minutes to write down their own thoughts and assumptions about what race is and what it means. Share the following questions with students, and give them a few minutes to privately record their responses in their journals. Let them know that they will not be asked to share their responses.

• What is race? 
• How does our understanding of race impact the way we might view others or the way others view us?

Close the lesson by sharing that students will be exploring these ideas in more depth on the next day of instruction. 

Day 2 

Activity 1: Learn About the History of Race 

Show students a short clip from the film Race: The Power of an Illusion (“The Difference Between Us,” from 07:55 to 13:10). Before you start the clip, pass out the Race: The Power of an Illusion Viewing Guide handout and preview the questions with students.

Instruct students to take notes in response to the viewing guide’s questions as they watch the clip. If time permits, consider showing the clip a second time to help students gather additional details and answer the questions more thoroughly.

Debrief the video and the viewing guide responses with students. Be sure that students understand the following ideas:

• Race is not meaningful in a biological sense.
• Race as a concept was invented by humans, not discovered by science, and has been used to justify existing divisions in society.

Activity 2: Discuss Racism’s Impact on Democracy

Transition from a discussion of the history of race to a discussion of racism, which relates to people’s actions, beliefs, and behaviors. Then project the following definition of racism: 

the belief that some races are better than others, or the unfair treatment of someone because of his or her race. ¹

Next, project and read aloud this quote from the United Nations: 

Racism fundamentally conflicts with the central principles of democracy, which, beyond elections, must involve continuous participation in the political process by the people. … A society that does not fully respect the equal right of all individuals to participate in public life and decision-making is not fundamentally a democratic society. 

Finally, ask students to respond in their journals to the following question: How does racism impact democracy? 

As they write their responses, ask students to refer to the ladders with the three most important characteristics for a strong democracy that they created in Lesson 1. Then ask students to share their responses with a partner in a Think-Pair-Share. 

Ask volunteers to share their responses with the class. 

• 1Cambridge Dictionary online, “racism,”.