Racial Justice and Cultural Responsiveness Resources

A Note to Our Program Partners

There are no perfect words to capture grief and anger, but there are simple ones we must use as our guide: Be there for and with our young people. Tragedies and realities of racism, violence, and injustice for Black people and communities of color are not new or isolated. They are systemic and impact young people every day.

We must acknowledge and provide space for the trauma and emotions young people are processing.

MENTOR’s commitment continues to be toward creating a movement that is inclusive of and supports all young people. We strive to help create an America where all young people can thrive through meaningful relationships – and that happens when they are safe and their lives are valued. We continue the work to rewire systems to center supportive, meaningful, and responsive relationships with our young people.

This page contains a collection of resources that may be helpful for program staff, stakeholders, mentors, and families to address racial inequities, bias, and violence. Our team will update this page as new resources become available. Thanks for your continued dedication to Virginia’s young people.

Sincerely,

The MENTOR Virginia Team

Conversations with Young People on Race and Racism

George Floyd. Ahmaud Arbery. Breonna Taylor. What do we tell our children? (USA Today)

Talking to Your Kids About Racism (Unicef)

Teaching about Race, Racism and Police Violence (Teaching Tolerance)

Talking to Children About Racial Bias (American Academy of Pediatrics)

Talking to Kids About Discrimination (American Psychological Association)

Talking About Race (National Museum of African American History & Culture)

‘Teaching for Black Lives’ – A Handbook to Fight America’s Ferocious Racism in (virtual or face-to-face) Classrooms (The Washington Post)

Educating our Children: Talking to Kids About Racism & Police Brutality (Achievement First)

Afterschool Webinar: Difficult Dialogues: Engaging Youth in Tough Conversations (Afterschool Alliance)

Coming Together: Standing Up to Racism – a town hall for kids and families (CNN/Sesame Street)

‘I’m going to be a black man one day and I’m scared:’ Why it’s important for kids to talk about racism (Milwaukee Journal Sentinal)

How to Talk to Kids about Racism, Explained by a Psychologist (Vox)

Resources for Support & Action: Denouncing Hate & Violence Against the Asian American Pacific Islander Community

For adults exploring their own biases and understanding of race and identity, learn more about MENTOR’s online modules here.
For adults supporting youth in the wake of trauma, review MENTOR’s guide here.
This link provides advocacy and community engagement organizations that are working to support the AAPI community, expert guidance on language, and resources surrounding the history of racism against AAPIs.
Resources from NYU’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development’s to stop the Asian hate movement.
For parenst and other caring adults who want to talk to children about anti-Asian violence, read this article or watch this webinar from EmbraceRace.
Led and organized by AAPI youth Jerry Feng with support from the Youth Mentoring Action Network, this webinar brings together a cohort of AAPI youth voices to discuss their own experiences with racism in the age of COVID-19.
Here’s more on how to respond to coronavirus-related racism when you see it, and here’s a helpful guide on how to speak up when you see everyday moments of prejudice, bias, and stereotypes.
Find a collection of resources from the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center designed to foster ongoing learning about AAPI communities, experiences, cultures, and histories.