ABSTRACT
Everyone suffers when white people are unaware and uninformed about race and racism. People of Color have always known the destruction that comes not just from the intentional racist but from white people who believe themselves to be good, liberal allies. The inability of white individuals to see and name the truth of how racism lives in us and the way the authors take desperate measures to avoid seeing it, let alone claiming it, echoes throughout our institutions and our country’s history. White people can only stand in solidarity with, take leadership from, and develop authentic relationships with those who are most impacted by racism—People of Color—if they know how they have been racialized. The role of educators in conversations about race becomes even more important given that the first time many children will talk about their racial identity may be at school.
