July 28, 2025 Kidsburgh Article Encourages Caregivers to Talk to Children About Race A new Kidsburgh article posits that not only is it beneficial to talk to young children about issues revolving around race – but it can be harmful not to do so. Learn More The article, Kidsburgh Guide: Talking with Your Kids About Race, notes that caregivers “teach children how to say ‘please’ and ‘thank you,’ to look both ways before crossing the street, and to be kind to their classmates.” But many parents find themselves unsure of what to say if a child asks them about another child’s skin color. Medina Jackson, director of the University of Pittsburgh’s P.R.I.D.E. Program (Positive Racial Identity Development in Early Education, told Kidsburgh that she helps families and educators to build the tools to answer such questions. Jackson noted that children are not colorblind and that waiting to discuss race with them can be harmful. “Children are already having racialized experiences, receiving messages about race, and assigning meaning to those messages and experiences,” she told Kidsburgh. Jackson said she defines positive racial identity as a child’s ability to feel good about themselves regarding their race and the collective racial family to which they belong. She added that for older children, a strong sense of racial and ethnic identity has been tied to higher self-esteem, better academic performance, and greater resilience. In the article, Jackson makes suggestions for caregivers on how to talk to children about race and shares some resources for further reading. She broke down the method for approaching the topic with children into three strategies: Be proactive Be responsive Be reflective To learn more about Jackson’s strategy, check out Kidsburgh’s article.
November 3, 2021 Antibias Education and Beyond: Film Screening and Panel Discussion Join P.R.I.D.E (Positive Racial Identity Development In Early Education) for a documentary screening of Reflecting on Anti-bias Education in Action: The Early Years and a discussion with the filmmakers. Individuals may register via the P.R.I.D.E. website. About the Film Produced by Debbie LeeKeenan and John Nimmo, this powerful documentary features vignettes of anti-bias strategies in early childhood classrooms interspersed with teachers reflecting on their practice. By taking viewers into diverse early childhood classrooms, and focusing on the voices of teachers, the film seeks to demonstrate the importance of teacher reflection on identity, context, and practice in anti-bias education and provides a much-needed resource for teacher education and professional development. About P.R.I.D.E P.R.I.D.E. is a program within the Office of Child Development at the University of Pittsburgh School of Education. Our goals are to help young African American children develop a positive racial identity, support teachers and parents by building their racial knowledge, and raise awareness of the impact of race on young children. We provide them with various learning opportunities, including educator trainings, Parent Village sessions for Black children and their families, Speaker Series events to educate the community and art festivals created to immerse young Black children in a space designed to celebrate them.
December 28, 2020 New Study on Racial Socialization and Young Children Point Park University Doctoral Candidate Sherlyn Harrison recently launched a new research study to learn how parents’ racial socialization practices can be integrated into early childhood classrooms. About Like adults, young African American children experience racism. To protect and prepare their children for the harsh reality of living in a racist society, African American parents have historically conveyed racial socialization practices. Racial socialization practices build resilience and promote positive racial identity development among young African American children. To explore how parents’ racial socialization practices can be integrated into early childhood classroom settings, Point Park University Doctoral Candidate Sherlyn Harrison launched a new research study entitled, “Racial Socialization and Young Children.” If you are interested in participating in the study, complete this online survey. Survey Expectations Survey participants will be asked six questions, including a list of demographic items that best describe you. By completing the survey and clicking submit, survey respondents consent to participate in the study. The study should take no longer than 15 minutes to complete. Following the survey, participants will be invited to talk with the researcher further about the topic. To be invited, survey participants must provide their contact information in the space provided in the survey. Within a week, the researcher will contact you to schedule an interview on Zoom. The interview will consist of open-ended questions to gain more information about how the survey respondent communicates and engages with young African American children regarding race. More Information Participation in this study and all personal information provided will be kept confidential at all times. Participants’ names will never appear on any survey or research instruments. If you have any questions, please contact 412.583.3658 or semichi@pointpark.edu.
