Raising Illinois Racial Equity Toolkit
Resources built by Erikson Institute to use in your anti-racism practice.
"Anti-Racism" is the actions and practices used to challenge and transform beliefs, ideas, behaviors, policies, institutions, and systems that support forms of white supremacy, racism, and the oppression of Black people and other groups who have been historically marginalized.
Our work towards being an anti-racist coalition is rooted in our principle of racial equity. As advocates, it's paramount that we operate from an understanding of our own influence, and the knowledge that to be anti-racist requires us all to be co-conspirators committed to the work of dismantling white supremacy.
The Raising Illinois Racial Equity Toolkit, which you can download below, was built by Erikson Institute with feedback from members of Raising Illinois' lead facilitating organizations so that we can collectively center racial equity across the coalition as we address the needs of infants, toddlers, their families and the early childhood workforce.
Access the Racial Equity Toolkit by completing the form below.
By submitting this form, you agree to receive future electronic communications from Raising Illinois.
How to Use The Toolkit
Our vision is that these resources will be an asset to guide our collective work as part of Raising Illinois. The slides contain guidelines for norms & processes, templates for meeting decks and meeting guidelines to ensure that the spaces where we gather are sources of open discussion where everyone is valued, and in which we can build stronger connections.
Beyond the scope of our coalition, our hope is that these resources will be valuable in all of your anti-racist practice, at your home organization/network as well as in your personal life.
This resource is a living document that will change over time, and we welcome your thoughts on how it can be improved! Don't hesitate to reach out to RaisingIllinois@StartEarly.org with any ideas or resources that you come across that you think would be helpful in this work!
In the toolkit, you will find:
- Helpful Definitions
- Meeting Guidelines
- Impact Assessments
- Tools on Using Data & Language
- Resources for Personal Learning
- Training Opportunities
We encourage you to take some time to download the toolkit and click through the links embedded in the slides to access the full depth of resources included.
Additional Resources for Personal Learning
The articles, podcasts, and videos linked below are additional resources to enhance your anti-racism journey. We hope that these materials will be an asset in understanding the many varied ways that white supremacy affects our daily lives, and how we can better be co-conspirators together in racial equity work.
Parent Resources on Anti-Racism
- Talking to Children About Racial Bias
- Guide and resources to assist adults
on how to have conversations about
race with children.
- Guide and resources to assist adults
- Beyond the Golden Rule: A Parent's Guide to Preventing & Responding to Prejudice
- A book with age-specific sections
on acknowledging differences.
- A book with age-specific sections
- Talking Race With Young Children
- Podcast episode on discussing race
with young children.
Length: 20 min
- Podcast episode on discussing race
- Parenting While White
- A conversation on the need to talk
about race with white children along
with strategies and stories on mistakes
and lessons learned.
Length: 48 min.
- A conversation on the need to talk
- Talking to Young Children About Race & Racism
- Features video “PBS Kids Talk About:
Race & Racism” with authentic
conversations between children and
parents. Length: 28 min.
- Features video “PBS Kids Talk About:
- A Conversation About Growing Up Black (Op-Docs, The New York Times)
- Length: 5 min
Anti-Racism in Early Childhood
- Viewpoint. Creating Anti-Racism Early Childhood Spaces
- Article on historic and current racism
in early childhood and tools to detect
racism in your program.
- Article on historic and current racism
- How to Promote Anti-Racism in Early Childhood
- Article with resources and classroom
activities for creating anti-racism in
early childhood spaces.
- Article with resources and classroom
- What's Happening in the Classroom?
- A look at implicit biases, responding to
incidents. Length: 36 min.
- A look at implicit biases, responding to
- 1800 Days
- The history of early childhood in the U.S.
Length: 35-42 min. /ea. episode.
- The history of early childhood in the U.S.
- Reflecting on Anti-Bias Education in Action: The Early Years
- Listen to teachers and enter their
classrooms as they reflect on anti-bias
education. Length: 48 min.
- Listen to teachers and enter their
- Anti-Bias Education: Meeting Children's Developmental Needs
- Length: 38 min.
Being An Abolitionist Co-Conspirator
- What Does Abolitionist Activism Mean for Early Childhood Policies?
- This article details the roots of the
current abolitionist movement and
what role it will play in early childhood
policies.
- This article details the roots of the
- White Fragility
- This book details the dynamics of
white fragility and building capacity to
work towards racial justice.
- This book details the dynamics of
- Abolitionist or Ally--Which Are You?
- Know what these terms are and the
difference between them.
Length: 20 min.
- Know what these terms are and the
- In It Together: Am I Really An Ally?
- Unpack questions white people ask
themselves that sabotage allyship in order
to preserve a false sense of safety.
Length: 29 min.
- Unpack questions white people ask
- Ally vs Co-Conspirator
- A lively conversation on the difference in
actions of allies and co-conspirators.
Length: 7 min.
- A lively conversation on the difference in
- White Privilege
- An overview and history of white
privilege and how it manifests today.
Length: 4 min
- An overview and history of white
What Success and Healing Look Like
- 3 Ways to Decolonize Your Nonprofit
- Article on decentering whiteness and
honoring difference within our
organizations.
- Article on decentering whiteness and
- Support Children's Well-Being Amid Anti-Black Racism
- Article providing guidance on talking
to children about race and racism.
- Article providing guidance on talking
- Pod for the Cause: Black Justice is Our Justice
- Podcast episode centering how
focusing on Black justice is a form
of restorative healing.
Length: 26 min.
- Podcast episode centering how
- Why We Need Truth, Racial Healing, and Legal Transformation
- Using housing segregation as a case
study, legal solutions are stressed as a
counter to systemic racism.
Length: 45 min
- Using housing segregation as a case
- Creating Anti-Racist Early Childhood Spaces
- Creating an anti-racist environment for
healthy development of racial
identities. Length: 1 hr
- Creating an anti-racist environment for