Rise for Racial Justice

This book highlights the work of Rise for Racial Justice, an organization that launched a public racial literacy campaign in 2020 when the nation’s interest in exploring the history and present reality of anti-Black police violence was at a high. Protests following the murder of George Floyd focused the public’s attention on anti-Black racism, sparking calls for racial justice. There was a resulting demand for antiracism training to help make sense of the ongoing twin pandemics of anti-Black racism and white supremacy.

Rise for Racial Justice: How to Talk About Race With Schools and Communities makes a unique contribution to the discussion about antiracism training for schools and communities. The authors draw on the experiences of antiracism facilitators as they teach about race, racism, and racial justice and share curricula, pedagogical strategies, tools, and practices that support the learning and engagement of educators and youth learners.

Book Features:

• Examples of curricula and suggested pedagogy for antiracism training geared toward teachers and other adults in leadership and/or parenting roles.
• Tools to help school communities talk about race and racism, as well as practices for pursuing racial justice.
• Practical, narrative-based advice about the opportunities and challenges of engaging in antiracism training.

Colette N. Cann is a professor of education at the University of San Francisco. Kimberly Williams Brown is an assistant professor of education at Vassar College. Meredith Madden is an assistant professor of education at Utica College.

“Rise for Racial Justice: How to Talk About Race With Schools and Communities is a book we all desperately need. In the current climate of blatant racism and the banning of ideas that help society understand how racism functions, this book is a clear and beautifully written guide and testament to the work of what the authors call ‘public racial literacy campaigns.’ Read this book slowly and carefully to get all the gems needed to do the work of racial literacy, sustained solidarity, and justice.”
—Bettina L. Love, co-founder, the Abolitionist Teaching Network

“This is the type of public pedagogy needed when many refuse to be brave as white supremacy offers its worst.”
—David Stovall, professor, University of Illinois at Chicago

“At a time with much national opposition to race discourse in schools, with rampant attempts to ban racialized historical content and literature, this book is a beautiful reflection and road map to interrupting racial harm and supporting the growth of educators who are equipped to identify and disrupt racism.”
—From the Afterword by Rita Kohli, associate professor, University of California, Riverside

“We need thisbook. Deep gratitude to educators Colette Cann, Kimberly Williams Brown, and Meredith Madden for this brave, practical, and inspiring volume, which authentically captures so many of the challenges and complexities of this critical time. Their words, together with those of their collaborators, cover the urgency, the call, the demands, the trauma, and the fatigue of the linked historical systems of white supremacy and racism. Their vision and enactment of public pedagogy is messy and transparent, and simultaneously reflects the ethics of care and love in which they ground their work. Critical pedagogy, democratic education, and intergroup dialogue are put into action here in important ways that light the way forward.”
—Gretchen Lopez, associate professor, Syracuse University

“Rise for Racial Justice is a riveting, deeply emotional, truth-telling book that broadens our understanding of racial literacy and decodes antiracist approaches to schooling and community relationships. It is a must-read for community members and school personnel including teachers, administrators, and parents. An important book in this hostile racial climate.”
—Marcelle Haddix, Distinguished Dean's Professor of Literacy, Race and Justice, Syracuse University