Title: How Should I Talk about Race in My Mostly White Classroom?
Headings: How Should I Talk about Race in My Mostly White Classroom?
How Should I Talk about Race in My Mostly White Classroom?
1. Set up group guidelines.
2. Help students accept discomfort and uncertainty.
3. Clarify that the goal is not to be “colorblind.”
4. Acknowledge that learning about race and racism is a process.
5. Provide opportunities to learn about others and foster empathy.
6. Address white privilege in non-defensive ways.
7. Connect to ally behavior and engage in social justice.

Content: Address white privilege in non-defensive ways. The term “white privilege” is one that often produces anxiety and defensiveness among white people, including students. At the same time, if students are going to engage in conversations about race, privilege has to be on the table. The goal of a discussion about white privilege is not to make anyone feel guilty for who they are or defensive about their lot in life. The goal should be to help students understand and analyze issues of power and privilege as they relate to racism. One way to start the conversation is to talk with students about the ways bias manifests in institutions (i.e. discrimination). Explain that bias can impact people in two ways: by discriminating against some or advantaging others, depending on race or other aspects of identity. Define white privilege as: “ unearned and often unseen or unrecognized advantages, benefits or rights conferred upon people based on their membership in a dominant group (e.g. white people, heterosexual people, men, able-bodied, etc.)